Preposition Exercise

Which is the part of speech that indicates location, position, direction, time and spatial relationship? It is the prepositions. This article gives you some exercises on prepositions to help you check your understanding of their usage. Try them out and also check your answers to find out if you have got it right.

Preposition Practise Exercise

Complete the following exercises.

Exercise 1 – Fill in the blanks with appropriate prepositions

1. This shop doesn’t have the toys I was looking __. (up/for)
2. The teacher divided the sweets ___ all the children. (between/among)
3. Bruce did not fare well __ his examination. (in/at)
4. The dog is grateful __ its owner. (to/for)
5. My brother’s anniversary is __ 5th November. (on/in)
6. The boy __ the store is quite young. (at/on)
7. Mahatma Gandhi was born __ 2nd October. (on/in)
8. Rupert is fond __ muffins. (of/off)
9. The dog jumped __ the sofa. (on/in)
10. Humpty Dumpty sat __ a wall. (on/at)
11. The police officer is __ the station. (at/on)
12. The Sun will not rise __ 6 o’clock. (before/since)
13. I know Jack ___ he was a little boy. (for/since)
14. Priya’s house is ___ mine. (next to/after)
15. The opponents sat ____ to each other. (opposite/behind)
16. The scientist looked ____ the microscope. (through/in)
17. I met Suhani when I was __ college. (in/on)
18. I will have completed my task __ Friday. (till/by)
19. There’s a rift ___ these two kids. (between/among)
20. The soldiers are ___ war. (in/at)

Answers –

1. For
2. Among
3. In
4. To
5. On
6. At
7. On
8. Of
9. On
10. On
11. At
12. Before
13. Since
14. Next to
15. Opposite
16. Through
17. In
18. By
19. Between
20. At

Exercise 2 – Underline and identify the prepositions

Read the text given below and underline the prepositions.

On a very hot and sunny day, a thirsty crow was flying in search of water. Due to the hot weather, most of the ponds had dried up. Suddenly, he saw a vessel on the ground. When he flew towards it, he saw there was very little water at the bottom of the vessel. While thinking about how he could drink that water, he saw little pebbles lying around. He started dropping them one by one into the vessel. After some time, the water level rose. The thirsty crow quenched its thirst and flew away happily.

Answer –

On a very hot and sunny day, a thirsty crow was flying in search of water. Due to the hot weather, most of the ponds had dried up. Suddenly, he saw a vessel on the ground. When he flew towards it, he saw there was very little water at the bottom of the vessel. While thinking about how he could drink that water, he saw little pebbles lying around. He started dropping them one by one into the vessel. After some time, the water level rose. The thirsty crow quenched its thirst and flew away happily.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1

When to use ‘among’ and ‘between’?

The preposition ‘between’ is used when two things/persons are involved, whereas ‘among’ is used when more than two things/people are involved.

Q2

What are prepositions?

Prepositions are words that describe the position, direction, direction, time and spatial relationship of a noun.