Clerkship English Quiz: Prepositions
A little practice. A step forward.
12 questions on prepositions with explanations. 📖 Read the detailed topic
She is very good ___ mathematics.
"Good at" is the fixed phrase for skill in a subject or activity. In, on and for do not carry this meaning. The same pattern gives weak at, clever at and quick at.
- good at, bad at, clever at, quick at
- Use at after adjectives of skill
- "Good in" is a common mistake; the correct form is good at
- Skill = AT (hitting the target)
He has been living in Kolkata ___ 2015.
Since marks a point in time (the year 2015) and goes with the perfect tenses. For is used before a length of time (for ten years). From normally pairs with to or till and is not used with perfect tenses.
- since + point in time (2015, Monday, 10 o'clock)
- for + length of time (5 years, 2 hours)
- 2015 names a year, not a duration, so for is wrong
- Since = starting point, For = whole length
| Preposition | Used with | Example |
|---|---|---|
| since | a point in time | since 2015, since Monday |
| for | a length of time | for 10 years, for two hours |
The train leaves ___ 6:30 in the evening.
At is used before a clock time: at 6:30. In goes with months, years and parts of the day (in May, in the evening); on goes with days and dates (on Monday, on 15 August). By means "not later than".
- at + clock time (at 6:30, at noon, at night)
- on + day or date
- in + month, year, season
- "In the evening" is right, but once a clock time is given, use at
- AT = a point, ON = a day, IN = a longer period
| Preposition | Time use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| at | clock time | at 6:30, at noon |
| on | days and dates | on Sunday, on 15 August |
| in | months, years, seasons, parts of day | in May, in 2026, in the morning |
The teacher divided the sweets ___ the three children.
Among is used for three or more persons or things; here there are three children. Between is for exactly two (between the two brothers). Within means inside a limit and along means by the length of something.
- between = two
- among = three or more
- Between is so familiar that it is wrongly used for three as well
- Between = two, Among = many
| Preposition | Among how many | Example |
|---|---|---|
| between | two | between you and me |
| among | three or more | among the students |
My uncle congratulated me ___ my success in the examination.
Congratulate takes on before the reason: congratulate someone on something. For and with do not fit. Similar verbs: compliment on, insist on, depend on.
- congratulate somebody on something
- depend on, rely on, insist on
- The Bengali "জন্য" tempts students to write for
- Congratulations ON your success
This book is quite different ___ the film made from it.
Different is followed by from: different from. Over, for and with never fit here. Likewise differ from (be unlike) versus differ with (disagree).
- different from
- differ from (be unlike), differ with (disagree)
- Students often write different to or than; in exams choose from
- Different FROM — moving away
Her younger brother is very fond ___ reading detective novels.
Fond takes of: fond of. Many adjectives carry a fixed preposition that must be learnt: afraid of, proud of, aware of, capable of, jealous of. In, at and for are wrong here.
- fond of, afraid of, proud of, aware of, capable of, jealous of
- These adjectives almost always take of
- Mixing up interested in with fond of
- The OF group: fond, proud, afraid, aware, capable
| Adjective + of | Adjective + in | Adjective + at |
|---|---|---|
| fond of | interested in | good at |
| proud of | weak in (a subject) | clever at |
| afraid of | rich in | surprised at |
She prefers tea ___ coffee.
Prefer takes to for the comparison: prefer A to B. Than follows a comparative (better than), not prefer. Hence than is wrong; from and with make no sense.
- prefer A to B
- superior, inferior, senior and junior also take to
- Writing than after prefer is the most familiar trap
- Prefer — to; no "more" needed
| Takes to | Takes than |
|---|---|
| prefer, superior, inferior, senior, junior | better, more, less, rather, other |
The old man died ___ cholera last year.
Died of is used for disease: died of cholera, died of cancer. For an accident it is died in an accident. With and by are not idiomatic here.
- die of (disease, old age, hunger)
- die in an accident
- Thinking of in or with from the Bengali phrase
- Disease = OF
The police accused the man ___ stealing a mobile phone.
Accuse is followed by of before the offence: accuse someone of a crime. For, with and on are wrong. A similar structure uses charge with (He was charged with theft).
- accuse somebody of something
- charge somebody with something
- Confusing accuse of with charge with
- Accusation — OF
The Chief Minister arrived ___ Kolkata this morning.
After arrive, in is used for cities and countries: arrived in Kolkata. At is used for smaller places such as a station or building. Arrive is never followed by to.
- arrive in + city or country
- arrive at + small place (station, airport, school)
- "Arrive to" is a Bengali-influenced error
- City = IN, station = AT
| arrive in | arrive at |
|---|---|
| Kolkata, India, Asia | the station, the airport, the office |
The pen is lying ___ the table.
On is used when something rests on a surface: on the table. In means inside (in the box), at means a point (at the door), by means beside. The pen is on the table.
- on = resting on a surface
- in = inside
- at = a point
- by = beside
- "At the table" means seated at it, not lying on it
- ON = touching the top
| Preposition | Place use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| on | a surface | on the table, on the wall |
| in | inside | in the box, in the room |
| at | a point | at the door, at the bus stop |
📊 Topic Analysis
12 questions on prepositions with explanations.
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