10 Common preposition mistakes and how to fix them: A guide to better English

Even if you’ve been speaking English for years, prepositions can still feel like a guessing game. These small words—like in, on, and at—might seem minor, but they carry a lot of weight. Using the wrong one can change your meaning entirely or make a professional email feel a bit off.

Using the wrong preposition can change the entire meaning of a sentence or make your writing feel unpolished.

Why prepositions matter for clear communication

In English grammar, prepositions indicate direction, location, time, and spatial relationships. For instance, there is a significant difference between being “on time” and “in time.” Mastering these nuances is essential for sounding natural and ensuring your message is understood exactly as intended.

Quick reference: Preposition usage at a glance

Grammar Tip: If you want to master these rules offline, we recommend English Grammar in Use. It’s widely considered the best workbook for practicing tricky prepositions and verb tenses.

1. Using “in” instead of “on” for days and dates

One of the most frequent errors involves time expressions. We use “in” for long, unspecific periods and “on” for specific calendar days.

• ❌ Incorrect: I’ll meet you in Monday.
• ✅ Correct: I’ll meet you on Monday.
• Rule: Use on for days of the week and specific dates (e.g., on May 12th). Use in for months, years, and seasons.

2. Confusing “at” and “in” for locations

Choosing between “at” and “in” depends on whether you are viewing a location as a specific point or a three-dimensional space.

• ❌ Incorrect: She’s waiting in the bus stop.
• ✅ Correct: She’s waiting at the bus stop.
• Rule: Use at for a specific point or functional location (at the station, at the door). Use in for enclosed spaces or areas with boundaries (in the garden, in the city).

3. Misusing “for” and “since” with time duration

The difference lies in the starting point versus the total duration.

• ❌ Incorrect: I’ve lived here for 2010.
• ✅ Correct: I’ve lived here since 2010.
• Rule: Use since for a specific point in time when an action started. Use for to describe a period of time (e.g., “for ten years”).

4. Incorrect preposition placement after “explain”

The verb ‘explain’ is transitive, but it doesn’t take an indirect object the way ‘tell’ does. You tell someone something, but you explain something to someone.

• ❌ Incorrect: He explained me the problem.
• ✅ Correct: He explained the problem to me.
• Rule: You explain something to someone. You cannot “explain someone something.”

5. Using “on” instead of “about” for topics

While you can write a “treatise on” a subject, in casual conversation and general writing, “about” is the standard for topics of discussion.

• ❌ Incorrect: We talked on the weather.
• ✅ Correct: We talked about the weather.
• Rule: Use about to indicate the subject matter of a conversation, book, or movie.

6. Using “in” instead of “into” to show movement

This mistake confuses state of being with direction of movement.

• ❌ Incorrect: He walked in the room. (This implies he was already inside and just walking around).
• ✅ Correct: He walked into the room.
• Rule: In indicates position inside a space. Into indicates movement from the outside to the inside.

7. Using “on” instead of “in” for months or years

Similar to the rule for days, larger blocks of time require a different connector.

• ❌ Incorrect: I was born on July.
• ✅ Correct: I was born in July.
• Rule: Use in for months, years, decades, and centuries. Save on for specific dates like “on July 4th.”

8. Confusing “beside” and “besides”

Adding a single “s” changes the meaning of this word entirely.

• ❌ Incorrect: Beside the food, we need drinks.
• ✅ Correct: Besides the food, we need drinks.
• Rule: Beside means “next to” (physical location). Besides means “in addition to” or “apart from.”

Teacher’s tip: A quick way to remember: ‘Besides‘ has an extra S for ‘Something extra.

9. Using “with” instead of “by” for agents

When describing who performed an action (especially in the passive voice), “by” is the correct choice.

• ❌ Incorrect: The painting was done with Picasso.
• ✅ Correct: The painting was done by Picasso.
• Rule: Use by for the person/agent performing the action. Use with for the instrument or tool used (e.g., “painted with a brush”).

10. Misusing “of” instead of “from” for origin

“Of” shows possession, while “from” shows the source or starting point.

• ❌ Incorrect: I got this gift of my friend.
• ✅ Correct: I got this gift from my friend.
• Rule: Use from to indicate the origin or the person who gave an item.

Frequently asked questions about prepositions

Visual tools to help you learn

Video: The Triangle method (at, on, in)

Video: How to use ‘for’ and ‘since’

Conclusion: Putting prepositions into practice

Mastering prepositions is less about memorizing a rigid dictionary and more about recognizing patterns in how English speakers connect their thoughts. While mistakes like “in Monday” or “explained me” are common, catching these ten frequent errors will immediately make your writing sharper.

Remember, even native speakers occasionally stumble over “between” versus “among” or “in” versus “into.” The key is consistency and a willingness to double-check the “glue” that holds your sentences together.

Join the conversation: Which preposition trips you up?

We want to hear from you! Is there a specific prepositional phrase that always feels “off” when you say it? Or perhaps you’ve noticed a regional difference in how people use “to” and “with” where you live?

• Drop a comment below with the preposition mistake you find most annoying.
• Share this guide with a friend who is studying for the IELTS or TOEFL—they’ll thank you for the shortcuts!
• Bookmark this page as a quick reference for your next essay or important email.