Prepositions

In, on, at, to and for — including the ones fixed by the verb before them.

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Time: in, on and at Choosing in for months and years, on for days, and at for times. 1 rule Time periods: since and for Using since for a starting point and for for a duration. 1 rule Verb + preposition Fixed verb patterns such as listen to and depend on, plus verbs that need no preposition. 2 rules Fixed adjective pairs Adjectives that take a particular preposition, such as good at and afraid of. 1 rule Preposition + -ing Why a verb after a preposition takes the -ing form. 3 rules Understanding to When to introduces an infinitive and when it acts as a preposition. 1 rule

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Rules in this topic

B1
Despite (never "despite of")

Despite is a preposition on its own: despite the weather, not despite of the weather. Use in spite of if you want "of".
A2
Prepositions of time: in / on / at

Use on with days (on Monday), in with months, seasons, and years (in September), and at with clock times (at 9 AM, at noon).
A2
Since vs For

Use 'for' followed by a duration of time (for five years). Use 'since' followed by a starting point in time (since 2015).
B1
Redundant Prepositions

Certain transitive verbs (discuss, mention, contact, marry) do not take prepositions.
B1
Wrong preposition

Some verbs require specific prepositions (e.g., listen to, wait for, depend on).
B1
Adjective + preposition collocations

Adjectives pair with fixed prepositions: afraid of, good at, interested in, married to — not afraid about, good in.
A2
Gerund after preposition

When a verb follows a preposition such as at, of or for, use its -ing form: good at swimming. To show purpose, use to + base verb instead: I go to the shop to buy milk. This to is an infinitive marker, not a preposition.
B1
Gerund after to in phrasal expressions

In expressions like 'look forward to' or 'object to', 'to' is a preposition and must be followed by a gerund (-ing).
B2
Insist on + gerund

Insist takes on + gerund: he insisted on finishing, not he insisted to finish. ("Insist that" + subjunctive is a separate, correct pattern.)
B1
'To': infinitive marker or preposition

'To' before a base verb marks an infinitive (to go). Before a noun or -ing form it is a preposition (to the park, to seeing).