Prepositions — REET English Notes
A preposition shows the relationship of time, place or direction between a noun or pronoun and other words in an English sentence, and it forms part of the Parts of Speech section of REET's English paper. This page explains the rules for the most confusing prepositions — in/on/at — with examples, so fill-in-the-blank questions become easy to solve.
- 0 questions in REET 2024
- Class 5–8 level
- 9 min read
How REET asks this topic
Preposition is included under the 'Parts of Speech' heading in REET Language-I/II's English syllabus. This topic didn't come up directly in the REET 2024 question paper, so this page is based on the syllabus and standard English grammar rules. Questions are typically asked in the form of filling a blank in a sentence with the correct preposition, or spotting a sentence where a preposition has been used incorrectly. Fixed preposition phrases like 'good at' or 'depend on' also generate questions occasionally, so it pays to memorise such phrases separately.
What is a preposition
A preposition is a word that comes before a noun or pronoun and shows its relationship (of place, time, direction, etc.) with other words in the sentence — for example, in 'The book is on the table', 'on' is the preposition.
A preposition is always followed by an 'object' (a noun, pronoun, or the -ing form of a verb), which is why it's called 'pre' (before) + 'position' — it stands before its object. Since Hindi's equivalent case-markers (like 'mein', 'par') come after the word, English word order is reversed compared to Hindi, and this reversal is exactly what confuses REET aspirants the most. For this reason, Hindi-medium students learn prepositions more effectively by seeing them used repeatedly in English sentences, rather than through direct translation.
This is also why fixed preposition phrases such as 'good at' or 'depend on' are best learned as set combinations rather than worked out from the Hindi equivalent each time — translating word for word rarely gives the correct English preposition, so it pays to keep a separate list of such phrases and revise them regularly.
Prepositions of Time
| Preposition | Used for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| at | A specific point in time (clock time) | The class starts at 9 o'clock. |
| on | A day or date | The exam is on Monday. |
| in | A month, year, season, or longer period | REET is held in July. |
| since | A fixed starting point up to now | She has lived here since 2020. |
| for | The length of a duration | He studied for two hours. |
| before / after | Before or after an event | The exam is before Diwali. |
| by | A deadline | Submit the form by Friday. |
The most confusion with time prepositions is between at/on/in — remembering the order from smaller to larger time units (hour → day → month/year) makes it easy.
Prepositions of Place & Direction
| Preposition | Used for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| at | A small/specific point in space | Meet me at the gate. |
| in | Inside a large/enclosed space | She lives in Jaipur. |
| on | On top of a surface | The pen is on the desk. |
| to | Movement towards a destination | We went to school. |
| into | Entering an enclosed space | The cat jumped into the box. |
| under / below | Beneath something | The bag is under the table. |
| between / among | 'between' for two things/people, 'among' for more than two | Sit between Ravi and Sonu. / Divide the sweets among the students. |
Commonly confused prepositions
- good at (not 'good in')
- 'She is good at Maths' is correct; 'good in' is an incorrect usage
- interested in (not 'interested about')
- 'He is interested in history' is correct
- depend on (not 'depend from')
- 'Success depends on hard work' is correct
- since vs for
- 'since' is used with a fixed point in time ('since 2020'), 'for' with the length of a duration ('for two years')
- between vs among
- 'between' is generally used for two, and 'among' for a group of more than two people/things
The correct verb form after a preposition
| Rule | Example |
|---|---|
| A verb after a preposition takes the -ing form (gerund), not the base form | She is interested in reading. (not 'in read') |
| 'to' is sometimes a preposition and sometimes an infinitive-marker — tell them apart from context | He is good at swimming. / He wants to swim. |
| Adjectives are often followed by a fixed preposition (like afraid of, proud of, angry with) | She is proud of her result. |
How to teach children
Classroom activity
Place a pencil/book on a table, under the table, and inside a bag, and have students build sentences using 'on', 'under', 'in' correctly — learning through physical objects is remembered for longer and sticks better.
Teaching material
Make picture cards showing place (in/on/at), or a simple map of the school campus, and have students write preposition-based sentences about it, like 'The library is near the office.'
Common misconception
Students often assume that 'in', 'on', 'at' work like direct translations of Hindi's 'mein/par', when in English their use is decided by different rules depending on the type of place/time — this should be taught through examples, not translation.
Assessment idea
Pick 10 sentences from a textbook story, have students identify the prepositions and their type (time/place/direction), then have students build their own sentences and check and correct them as a class.
Memory trick
Remember in > on > at in 'big to small' order — 'in' for a large/enclosed area (in Rajasthan), 'on' for a surface/day (on Monday), and 'at' for the smallest/most specific point (at 9 o'clock). This same order works for both time and place, so once you understand it, more than half of preposition questions become easy.
Practice questions
Question 1
The meeting is scheduled ___ Monday.
- Ain
- Bon
- Cat
- Dsince
Explanation
'on' is used with a day (Monday).
Question 2
She was born ___ 2010.
- Aon
- Bat
- Cin
- Dsince
Explanation
'in' is used with a year.
Question 3
He has been ill ___ Monday.
- Afor
- Bsince
- Cfrom
- Dat
Explanation
'since' is used with a fixed starting point (like a particular day), while 'for' comes with the length of a duration.
Question 4
The teacher is good ___ Mathematics.
- Ain
- Bon
- Cat
- Dwith
Explanation
'good at' is the standard usage for describing proficiency in a subject; 'good in' is incorrect.
Question 5
The cat jumped ___ the box.
- Ain
- Binto
- Con
- Dat
Explanation
'into' is used to show movement (entry) inside an enclosed space.
Question 6
We reached the station ___ 6 o'clock.
- Ain
- Bon
- Cat
- Dfor
Explanation
'at' is used with a specific point in clock time.
Question 7
Choose the correctly written sentence.
- AShe depends from her parents.
- BShe depends on her parents.
- CShe depends at her parents.
- DShe depends in her parents.
Explanation
'depend on' is the standard, correct usage; 'depend from/at/in' are all incorrect.
Question 8
He has lived in Jaipur ___ ten years.
- Asince
- Bfor
- Cfrom
- Dat
Explanation
'for' is used with the length of a duration (ten years), while 'since' is used with a fixed point.
Question 9
A Class 6 teacher wants students to practise prepositions of place using real classroom objects. Which activity fits best?
- AAsking students to place a book on, under, and inside a bag, then describe the position using 'on/under/in'
- BMaking students memorise a list of prepositions without examples
- CAsking students to only write essays
- DSkipping practice and moving to the next topic
Explanation
Practising with real objects helps students naturally remember how to use place prepositions (in/on/under).
Question 10
Choose the option with correct prepositions: 'The results will be declared ___ July, ___ Friday.'
- Ain, on
- Bon, in
- Cat, on
- Din, at
Explanation
'in' is used with a month (July) and 'on' with a day (Friday).
Frequently asked questions
How are Prepositions asked in REET?+
Usually as filling a blank in a sentence with the correct preposition, or spotting the incorrectly used preposition in a sentence.
What's the difference between in, on and at?+
'in' is for a large/enclosed place and for months/years, 'on' is for a surface and for days/dates, and 'at' is for a specific point and for clock time.
What's the difference between since and for?+
'since' comes with a fixed starting point (like 2020, Monday), while 'for' comes with the length of a duration (like two years).
What word form follows a preposition?+
A preposition is generally followed by a noun, pronoun, or the -ing form of a verb (gerund), not the base form of the verb — for example, 'interested in reading', not 'interested in read'.
What's the difference between between and among?+
'between' is used for two people/things (between Ravi and Sonu), while 'among' is used for a group of more than two (among the students).
Read next
Degrees of Comparison
Positive, Comparative, Superlative — the previous topic in REET English
Conjunctions
Types of conjunctions — the next topic in REET English grammar
REET Syllabus
The complete official REET Level 1 and Level 2 syllabus in one place
REET 2024 solved paper
All REET 2024 solved questions, organised by subject
Official Sources
Change Log
- 17 September 2026 — English page published — mirrors the fact-checked Hindi page, independently bilingual-accuracy checked