Basics of prepositions. 45 questions on prepositions of time, place, and common prepositional phrases.
What this test covers
- Prepositions of Time
- Prepositions of Place
- Common Prepositional Phrases
Answer the 45 questions below. Each answer is checked straight away, with an explanation. Press Submit at the end to get your score and save it to your dashboard. Answers are not kept if you leave before submitting.
All 45 questions with answers
Pick an answer for each question to see if you are right, with the explanation. Submit when you are done; you can submit before answering them all.
-
Q1The concert starts ___ 8 p.m.
Answer: D. at
We use at for specific clock times, like "at 8 p.m." or "at 10:30." We use on for days and in for months or years.
-
Q2We have a long holiday ___ Christmas.
Answer: B. at
Use at for holiday periods like "at Christmas" or "at Easter." If you are talking about only one specific day, you would say "on Christmas Day."
-
Q3The exam is ___ Monday.
Answer: C. on
We use on for days of the week, such as "on Monday" or "on Sunday."
-
Q4She was born ___ April.
Answer: C. in
Use in for months, seasons, and years. For example: "in April" or "in 2025."
-
Q5He has worked here ___ 2019.
Answer: A. since
Use since to show when an action started in the past and is still happening now. It points to a specific starting time, like "since 2019."
-
Q6They have been married ___ twenty years.
Answer: C. for
Use for to talk about a total period of time or duration, such as "for twenty years" or "for two hours."
-
Q7Please submit the assignment ___ Friday.
Answer: C. by
Use by to mean "not later than" a certain time. If something is due "by Friday," you must finish it before or on Friday.
-
Q8The baby was born ___ a cold Tuesday morning.
Answer: A. on
We always use on for specific days, even if we add a descriptive word like "cold Tuesday morning."
-
Q9It is very cold in this city ___ winter.
Answer: B. in
Use in for the four seasons: in spring, in summer, in autumn, and in winter.
-
Q10She started learning English ___ the age of seven.
Answer: D. at
We use the fixed phrase at the age of to say how old someone was when something happened.
-
Q11The documentary was filmed ___ the 1980s.
Answer: B. in
Use in for long periods of time like decades (in the 1980s) or centuries (in the 21st century).
-
Q12I always feel tired ___ night.
Answer: B. at
In English, we say "in the morning" and "in the afternoon," but we always say at night.
-
Q13The train departs ___ noon exactly.
Answer: A. at
Use at for specific points in the day, like "at noon," "at midnight," or "at lunchtime."
-
Q14The train will arrive ___ ten minutes.
Answer: A. in
Use in to say how much time will pass from now until something happens. "In ten minutes" means you must wait ten minutes for the train.
-
Q15I have been waiting here ___ two hours.
Answer: A. for
Use for with a period of time to show how long something has lasted. Use since for a specific starting point, like "since 2 o'clock."
-
Q16The keys are ___ the table.
Answer: A. on
Use on when an object is resting on top of a surface, like a table, a desk, or the floor.
-
Q17She grew up ___ a small village in the south.
Answer: A. in
Use in for cities, towns, villages, and countries.
-
Q18The cat is hiding ___ the bed.
Answer: D. under
Use under when something is directly below or covered by something else.
-
Q19The library is located ___ the bank and the pharmacy.
Answer: B. between
Use between when something is in the middle of two specific things or places.
-
Q20He was standing ___ the entrance, waiting for us.
Answer: A. in front of
In front of means being close to the forward part of something. He was waiting outside the door where people enter.
-
Q21She put the envelope ___ a book so no one would find it.
Answer: D. inside
Inside means within the space of something else. By putting it between the pages, the envelope is now inside the book.
-
Q22There is a small café ___ the train station.
Answer: A. beside
Beside means "next to" or "at the side of." We use along for things that follow a line, like a road or a river.
-
Q23The garden is ___ the house — you can see it from the kitchen window.
Answer: B. behind
Behind means at the back of something. If you look out the back window and see the garden, it is behind the house.
-
Q24They are waiting ___ the bus stop.
Answer: B. at
Use at for a specific point or location in a town, such as "at the bus stop," "at the corner," or "at the entrance."
-
Q25The painting is hanging ___ the living-room wall.
Answer: A. on
Use on for all surfaces. This includes floors, tables, and vertical surfaces like walls.
-
Q26They live ___ the fourth floor of the apartment block.
Answer: C. on
We always use on when talking about the levels or floors of a building.
-
Q27The children were playing ___ the garden.
Answer: B. in
Use in for areas that have a boundary or are enclosed, like a garden, a park, or a room.
-
Q28She was sitting ___ her two brothers at the dinner table.
Answer: A. between
Use between when talking about two specific people or things. Here, she is in the middle of her two brothers.
-
Q29The receipt is ___ the top drawer.
Answer: C. in
Use in for things that are contained inside something, like a box, a bag, or a drawer.
-
Q30A small bird was perched ___ the branch.
Answer: D. on
Use on when something is resting on or supported by a surface, like a bird on a branch.
-
Q31She prefers to travel ___ train rather than by car.
Answer: C. by
We use by to talk about how we travel (by train, by car, by plane). Note: we say "on foot" for walking.
-
Q32He stayed ___ home all weekend and watched films.
Answer: C. at
At home is a fixed phrase. We use it to talk about being in our own house.
-
Q33The flight arrived exactly ___ time — not a minute late.
Answer: D. on
On time means something happened exactly when it was planned or scheduled.
-
Q34She is ___ holiday this week and will be back on Monday.
Answer: D. on
We use the fixed phrase on holiday to say someone is taking a vacation or break.
-
Q35The doctor said he needs to rest and stay ___ bed for three days.
Answer: B. in
In bed is the standard phrase used when someone is lying down to sleep or rest. We don't usually say "on bed" for this.
-
Q36It was a sunny day, so they decided to go ___ foot.
Answer: D. on
When talking about walking, we always use the fixed phrase on foot. For other transport, we use by (by car, by bus).
-
Q37She has been ___ a strict diet for the past two months.
Answer: A. on
On a diet is a fixed expression used when someone is following a specific plan for eating.
-
Q38The children were ___ danger when they ran into the busy road.
Answer: A. in
We use the phrase in danger to say that someone might be hurt or something bad might happen.
-
Q39He lost his savings and is now ___ debt.
Answer: B. in
If someone owes money to a bank or another person, we say they are in debt.
-
Q40She addressed the whole audience ___ English.
Answer: D. in
We use in when talking about the language someone uses to speak or write. For example: "I wrote the email in English."
-
Q41By the time the firefighters arrived, the barn was already ___ flames.
Answer: B. in
In flames is a common expression that means something is burning strongly.
-
Q42She comes ___ a very large and well-known family.
Answer: C. from
We use come from to describe someone's origin, background, or family.
-
Q43He met her ___ a conference and they became friends immediately.
Answer: B. at
Use at for events, meetings, or social gatherings (at a party, at a concert, at a conference).
-
Q44The new hospital is ___ construction and will open next spring.
Answer: B. under
Under construction is a common phrase that means a building or road is currently being built or fixed.
-
Q45I was ___ the impression that the meeting had been cancelled.
Answer: C. under
To be under the impression is a common expression that means you believe something is true, even if it is not.
Done? Submit to get your score.
Answer at least one question to submit. Questions you leave out count as skipped.