ホーム / Common Mistakes with Prepositions (and How to Fix them!)

Common Mistakes with Prepositions (and How to Fix them!)

By Paula, 5月 07 2025, 00:17
Designed by Freepik
Do you sometimes find prepositions challenging too?

Common Mistakes with Prepositions (and How to Fix Them!)

Prepositions are small words with BIG responsibilities! They show relationships between words—like direction, time, place, cause, or comparison. But even advanced learners make mistakes with them, especially when translating directly from their first language.

Some of the most common mistakes:

  • "I’m good in cooking."   => Correct: "I’m good at cooking."

Use good at to describe a skill or ability.

  •  "She depends of her parents." => Correct: "She depends on her parents."

Always say depend on someone or something.

  •   "I arrived to the airport late." => Correct: "I arrived at the airport late."

Use arrive at for specific places (airport, station, hotel) and arrive in for larger areas (cities, countries).

  •  "María is married with a lawyer." => Correct: "María is married to a lawyer."

Say married to when talking about who someone is married to.

  •  "He was angry against me." => Correct: "He was angry with me."

We say angry with a person, angry about something.

  •  "Let’s discuss about the problem." => Correct: "Let’s discuss the problem."

The verb discuss is not followed by about. Just say discuss + topic.

 

How to Avoid Preposition Errors?

  1. Don’t translate word-for-word from your first language.
  2. Learn prepositions as part of a phrase ("interested in," "afraid of," "similar to").
  3. Use real examples and context to memorize them.
     

Practice 1: Fix the Prepositions: Read the sentences below and correct the preposition mistakes.

  1. She’s interested on science fiction books.
  2. We’re looking forward for the weekend.
  3. He’s responsible of the final report.
  4. They laughed of the joke.
  5. I applied to a job on a tech company.
     

Practice 2: Write Your Own Sentences. Choose 5 of these prepositions and write your own sentences using them correctly: at, on, for, to, with, in, about, of

Share your sentences on Poligo and get professional feedback.

  • ユーザー Paula の写真
    Paula
    About me
    I’m an experienced IELTS coach originally from Argentina, now living in Portugal, with a passion for helping students achieve their dreams of studying, working, and living in English-speaking countries. I’ve also lived and worked in New Zealand, where I honed my skills as an English teacher. My expertise lies in guiding students through the IELTS exam, particularly in enhancing their writing skills to meet and exceed their target band scores.
    Experience
    I’ve been coaching students for the IELTS exam since 2017, specializing in improving their writing skills for both the General Training and Academic versions of the test. My journey with IELTS began in 2016 when I took the test myself to validate my teaching degree and work in New Zealand. This personal experience gives me a deep understanding of what my students need when preparing for the test. With a thorough knowledge of the IELTS marking criteria, I guide my students to ensure they check all the boxes to achieve their target band scores. So far, I’ve successfully helped more than 100 students move to Australia, New Zealand, and the UK, and I’m committed to helping many more reach their goals.

ポリゴとは?

塾講師、学校教師など英語のプロたちから絶大な信頼をうけるネイティブの英語講師陣による、英語校閲&解説サービス。あなたの理解度・満足度が100%になるまでおつきあい! 入会金/会費無・利用時払い可能・1文字USD2¢から・退会自由・プライバシー厳守。英語力UP効果抜群のブログも展開中です。通常12時間以内、最長24時間以内の返信をお約束します。あなたの英語の文章がより洗練され、効率よく勉強できます。

  • 入会金無料
  • プライバシー厳守
  • 利用時払いも可能

書く英語力、鍛えよう