mpt · CSS study notes
Prepositions
MPT English revision hub · Prepositions express relationships of time, place, direction, cause, method, possession, and connection.
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Core method: MEANING → PATTERN → COLLOCATION
MEANING: What relationship does the sentence express?
PATTERN: Is it time, place, movement, cause, method, or comparison?
COLLOCATION: Does the verb, adjective, or noun require a fixed preposition?
Master overview
| Area | Main choices | Examples | Memory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time | at / on / in | at 5 o’clock · on Monday · in June | Point → day → longer period |
| Place | at / on / in | at the door · on the table · in the room | Point → surface → enclosure |
| Movement | to / into / onto / through / across | go to school · enter into the room? ❌ · walk into the room · cross the road | Destination, entry, surface, passage, side-to-side |
| Starting point/duration | since / for | since 2020 · for three years | Since = starting point; for = period |
| Deadline/continuation | by / until | finish by Friday · wait until Friday | By = no later than; until = continue up to |
| Fixed combination | verb/adjective/noun + preposition | depend on · proud of · reason for | Learn as one phrase |
One contrast showing meaning
At the door
Someone is waiting at the door.
A point or location.
On the door
There is a notice on the door.
A surface.
In the door
There is a crack in the door.
Inside the material/structure of the door.
The noun is the same, but the relationship changes.
How to study
Part 1 — Prepositions of Time
At/on/in, since/for, by/until, during/while, from/to, within, before/after, and common time expressions.
Part 2 — Place, Position and Movement
At/on/in, above/over, below/under, between/among, beside/besides, to/into/onto, across/through, along/past, and transport expressions.
Part 3 — Fixed Collocations
High-frequency adjective, verb, and noun combinations tested in MPT sentence correction.
Part 4 — Confusing Pairs and Zero Preposition
Agree with/to/on, compare with/to, die of/from, made of/from, no preposition after discuss/reach/enter, and other traps.
Part 5 — Solved Examples and MCQs
Mixed MPT questions, explanations, error correction, and a final revision test.
Five-second MPT checklist
- Identify the word controlled by the blank.
- Determine the intended relationship.
- Check whether it is a fixed collocation.
- Compare the two most likely choices.
- Remove any unnecessary preposition.
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Prepositions often cannot be translated word for word. Learn the meaning contrast and the full English phrase.