Fill in the Blanks (Prepositions) tests your ability to choose the correct preposition to complete a sentence based on grammatical rules, collocations, and contextual usage. In CUET English, prepositions are frequently tested through idiomatic expressions, fixed phrases, and phrasal verbs. Mastering common prepositional phrases and understanding the relationship between words is essential for scoring well.
1. What are Prepositions?
Prepositions are words that show the relationship between a noun/pronoun and other words in a sentence. They indicate time, place, direction, cause, manner, and possession.
- Purpose: To connect nouns, pronouns, and phrases to other words in a sentence.
- Common Prepositions: in, on, at, to, for, of, with, by, from, into, onto, upon, over, under, above, below, between, among, through, across, etc.
Example:
- ''The book is _____ the table.'' → Correct answer: ''on''
Important Principle: Prepositions are often tested through fixed collocations and idiomatic phrases. You must know which preposition naturally pairs with certain words.
2. Types of Prepositions
| Type | Description | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Prepositions of Time | Indicate when something happens | at, on, in, by, since, for, during, until, before, after |
| Prepositions of Place | Indicate where something is | in, on, at, under, over, above, below, between, among, near, beside |
| Prepositions of Direction | Indicate movement toward something | to, into, onto, toward, through, across, along, up, down |
| Prepositions of Cause/Reason | Indicate why something happens | because of, due to, owing to, on account of |
| Prepositions of Manner | Indicate how something happens | by, with, in, like, as |
| Prepositional Phrases | Fixed phrases with specific prepositions | entitled to, critical of, possession of, acquainted with |
3. Common Prepositional Phrases Tested in CUET
| Phrase | Preposition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Entitled to | to | ''All employees are entitled _____ reimbursement of medical expenses.'' → Answer: ''to'' |
| Critical of | of | ''The union leader was very critical _____ the attitude of the management.'' → Answer: ''of'' |
| Possession of | of | ''He succeeded in getting possession _____ his land after a long court case.'' → Answer: ''of'' |
| Devoted to | to | ''He was _____ to the welfare of the people.'' → Answer: ''devoted to'' |
| Afford to | to | ''He cannot _____ to grant them for want of funds.'' → Answer: ''afford to'' |
| Broke away | away | ''The child broke _____ from his mother and ran.'' → Answer: ''away'' |
| Keep pace with | with | ''One has to keep pace _____ the changing times.'' → Answer: ''with'' |
| Added to | to | ''Virat added another feather _____ his cap.'' → Answer: ''to'' |
| Got over | over | ''The villagers have not got _____ the shock.'' → Answer: ''over'' |
| Went off | off | ''The lights went _____ just as we sat down.'' → Answer: ''off'' |
| No sooner...than | than | ''No sooner did the bell ring, _____ the actor started singing.'' → Answer: ''than'' |
4. Prepositions with Adjectives
Certain adjectives are followed by specific prepositions. These are frequently tested in fill-in-the-blank questions.
| Adjective | Preposition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Accustomed to | to | ''He is accustomed _____ working hard.'' → Answer: ''to'' |
| Afraid of | of | ''She is afraid _____ spiders.'' → Answer: ''of'' |
| Aware of | of | ''He is aware _____ the consequences.'' → Answer: ''of'' |
| Capable of | of | ''She is capable _____ doing great things.'' → Answer: ''of'' |
| Dependent on | on | ''Children are dependent _____ their parents.'' → Answer: ''on'' |
| Different from | from | ''This book is different _____ the one I read.'' → Answer: ''from'' |
| Fond of | of | ''She is fond _____ music.'' → Answer: ''of'' |
| Interested in | in | ''He is interested _____ learning new things.'' → Answer: ''in'' |
| Proud of | of | ''She is proud _____ her achievements.'' → Answer: ''of'' |
| Responsible for | for | ''He is responsible _____ the project.'' → Answer: ''for'' |
| Similar to | to | ''Her dress is similar _____ mine.'' → Answer: ''to'' |
| Satisfied with | with | ''She is satisfied _____ her results.'' → Answer: ''with'' |
5. Prepositions with Verbs
Certain verbs are followed by specific prepositions. These are frequently tested in CUET.
| Verb | Preposition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Accuse of | of | ''He was accused _____ theft.'' → Answer: ''of'' |
| Agree to | to | ''She agreed _____ the proposal.'' → Answer: ''to'' |
| Agree with | with | ''I agree _____ you.'' → Answer: ''with'' |
| Apologize for | for | ''He apologized _____ his mistake.'' → Answer: ''for'' |
| Apply for | for | ''She applied _____ the job.'' → Answer: ''for'' |
| Belong to | to | ''This book belongs _____ me.'' → Answer: ''to'' |
| Blame for | for | ''He was blamed _____ the accident.'' → Answer: ''for'' |
| Congratulate on | on | ''We congratulated him _____ his success.'' → Answer: ''on'' |
| Depend on | on | ''Success depends _____ hard work.'' → Answer: ''on'' |
| Dream of | of | ''She dreams _____ becoming a doctor.'' → Answer: ''of'' |
| Insist on | on | ''He insisted _____ paying the bill.'' → Answer: ''on'' |
| Laugh at | at | ''They laughed _____ the joke.'' → Answer: ''at'' |
| Look after | after | ''She looks _____ her younger brother.'' → Answer: ''after'' |
| Look for | for | ''He is looking _____ a job.'' → Answer: ''for'' |
| Succeed in | in | ''She succeeded _____ achieving her goal.'' → Answer: ''in'' |
| Talk about | about | ''They talked _____ the movie.'' → Answer: ''about'' |
| Think about | about | ''I am thinking _____ the future.'' → Answer: ''about'' |
| Wait for | for | ''She is waiting _____ the bus.'' → Answer: ''for'' |
6. Prepositions of Time
| Preposition | Usage | Example |
|---|---|---|
| At | Specific time, holidays without 'day' | at 5 o'clock, at Christmas, at night |
| In | Months, years, seasons, parts of day | in January, in 2024, in summer, in the morning |
| On | Days, dates, holidays with 'day' | on Monday, on 15th August, on New Year's Day |
| Since | From a specific point in time | since 2019, since Monday |
| For | Duration of time | for two hours, for many years |
| By | Deadline or before a certain time | by 6 PM, by Friday |
| Until / Till | Up to a certain time | until midnight, till the end |
| During | Throughout a period | during the summer, during the break |
7. Prepositions of Place
| Preposition | Usage | Example |
|---|---|---|
| At | Specific point, position | at the door, at the bus stop, at home |
| In | Enclosed space, area, city, country | in the room, in Delhi, in India |
| On | Surface, position | on the table, on the wall, on the floor |
| Under | Below something | under the bed, under the tree |
| Over | Above, covering | over the bridge, over the moon |
| Above | Higher than, not touching | above the clouds, above average |
| Below | Lower than | below the surface, below zero |
| Between | Two things/people | between the two buildings, between you and me |
| Among | More than two things/people | among the trees, among the students |
| Near | Close to | near the station, near the river |
8. Prepositions of Direction
| Preposition | Usage | Example |
|---|---|---|
| To | Direction toward | go to school, walk to the park |
| Into | Inside something | jump into the water, go into the room |
| Onto | On top of something | get onto the bus, climb onto the roof |
| Through | From one side to the other | walk through the forest, go through the tunnel |
| Across | From one side to the other | swim across the river, walk across the street |
| Along | Following a line | walk along the beach, go along the road |
| Up | Towards higher | climb up the stairs, go up the hill |
| Down | Towards lower | walk down the stairs, go down the road |
9. Phrasal Verbs with Prepositions
Phrasal verbs are frequently tested in fill-in-the-blank questions. They consist of a verb + preposition/particle.
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Break away | Escape, free oneself | ''The child broke _____ from his mother.'' → Answer: ''away'' |
| Get over | Recover from | ''He has not got _____ the shock.'' → Answer: ''over'' |
| Go off | Stop working, explode | ''The lights went _____ just as we sat down.'' → Answer: ''off'' |
| Look after | Take care of | ''She looks _____ her younger brother.'' → Answer: ''after'' |
| Look for | Search for | ''He is looking _____ a new job.'' → Answer: ''for'' |
| Put out | Extinguish | ''They put _____ the fire quickly.'' → Answer: ''out'' |
| Turn down | Reject, reduce | ''She turned _____ the offer.'' → Answer: ''down'' |
| Turn up | Arrive, increase | ''He turned _____ late for the meeting.'' → Answer: ''up'' |
| Give up | Quit | ''He gave _____ smoking.'' → Answer: ''up'' |
| Take over | Assume control | ''She took _____ the business.'' → Answer: ''over'' |
10. Fixed Prepositional Phrases
| Phrase | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| In spite of | Despite | ''In spite of the rain, we went out.'' |
| Because of | Due to | ''Because of the traffic, we were late.'' |
| On behalf of | Representing | ''I speak on behalf of the team.'' |
| In case of | If something happens | ''In case of emergency, call 911.'' |
| In front of | Before, opposite | ''The car is parked in front of the house.'' |
| In addition to | Besides | ''In addition to English, she speaks French.'' |
| With regard to | Concerning | ''With regard to your query, please contact us.'' |
| In spite of | Despite | ''In spite of his illness, he worked hard.'' |
11. Step-by-Step Strategy for Solving
- Read the entire sentence carefully: Understand the context and meaning.
- Identify the relationship: Determine if the blank requires time, place, direction, cause, manner, or a fixed phrase.
- Look for collocations: Check if the word before or after the blank has a fixed preposition.
- Eliminate obviously incorrect options: Remove prepositions that don't fit the context.
- Test each remaining option: Read the sentence with each preposition to see which makes the most sense.
- Check for idiomatic expressions: Some phrases have fixed prepositions that must be memorized.
Sample Walkthrough:
''The union leader was very critical _____ the attitude of the management.''
- Step 1: The sentence describes someone's opinion about an attitude.
- Step 2: 'Critical' is an adjective that takes a specific preposition.
- Step 3: The correct collocation is 'critical of'.
- Step 4: Options: (a) for, (b) at, (c) on, (d) against, (e) of
- Step 5: Only 'of' works with 'critical'.
- Answer: (e) of
12. Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Confusing 'in' and 'at' for places: 'In' is used for larger areas (cities, countries); 'at' for specific points (at the door).
- Confusing 'since' and 'for': 'Since' is used with a specific point in time; 'for' is used with a duration.
- Confusing 'between' and 'among': 'Between' is for two; 'among' is for more than two.
- Confusing 'to' and 'for': 'To' indicates direction; 'for' indicates purpose or benefit.
- Confusing 'of' and 'from': 'Of' indicates possession or relation; 'from' indicates source or origin.
- Forgetting fixed collocations: Some words always take specific prepositions (e.g., 'entitled to', 'critical of').
- Using 'in' with days instead of 'on': ''on Monday'' (not ''in Monday'').
- Using 'in' with specific times instead of 'at': ''at 5 o'clock'' (not ''in 5 o'clock'').
Common Mistakes
- Confusing 'since' (specific point) with 'for' (duration).
- Confusing 'between' (two) with 'among' (more than two).
- Confusing 'in' (larger areas) with 'at' (specific points).
- Confusing 'in' (months/years) with 'on' (days/dates) with 'at' (specific times).
- Forgetting fixed collocations like 'entitled to', 'critical of', 'possession of'.
- Using 'in' for days instead of 'on'.
- Using 'at' for months instead of 'in'.
- Confusing 'of' and 'from' in possessive and source contexts.
- Overlooking phrasal verb particles (e.g., 'broke away', 'went off').