Start here · the first lesson of Prepositions and dependent prepositions
Prepositions and dependent prepositions
Grammar: Voice, Narration, Tenses + Rule Bank · for IPMAT Indore, IPMAT Rohtak and JIPMAT
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The idea
A preposition links a noun or pronoun to the rest of the sentence. Most preposition questions are about fixed partners: many verbs, adjectives and nouns always take one particular preposition (accused of, comply with), and some verbs take none (discuss the plan, not discuss about). JIPMAT has "fill in the preposition" items and Indore 2023 Q26 (grieved me to hear of) was a preposition FIB.
Textbook vs exam method
Textbook method
Fixed prepositions (preposition-fixed)
| of | with | to | in / on / at / from |
|---|---|---|---|
| accused of, afraid of, aware of, capable of, confident of, consist of, fond of, proud of, hear of | angry with (a person), comply with, deal with, familiar with, pleased with, satisfied with | addicted to, married to, object to, similar to, according to, look forward to | interested in, succeed in, insist on, depend on, good at, different from, prevent from, refrain from |
Verbs with no preposition (preposition-unneeded): discuss, enter, reach, resemble, attack, order, request, approach, describe, marry, accompany, answer. We discussed the plan. The train reached the station. The nouns do take one: a discussion about, an entry into, a request for.
Latin comparatives (latin-comparative-to): senior to, junior to, superior to, inferior to, prior to, prefer X to Y. With infinitives: prefer to walk rather than (to) drive.
Time and place (preposition-time-place)
| at | on | in |
|---|---|---|
| clock time: at 5 pm; at night, at noon | days and dates: on Monday, on 15 August | months, years, seasons, parts of the day: in May, in 2024, in winter, in the morning |
By = not later than (submit by Friday); till/until = up to a point of time (wait till six); since + point of time, for + period.
Paired prepositions (paired-prepositions): between… and, from… to.
Exam method
- Find the word before the preposition. (verb, adjective or noun) and recall its partner.
- Is it one of the "no preposition" verbs?. Then the preposition is the error.
- A comparison with senior / superior / prefer?. It must be "to".
- Time phrase?. at clock, on day, in month/year.
- "Between" in the sentence?. Look for "and".