Mistakes with Prepositions
Get off, get out of, take off, exit
Get off is used for larger forms of public transport like buses, trains, and planes. Get out of is used for smaller, personal vehicles like cars and taxis. Take off is used specifically for a plane leaving the ground. Exit is a verb that means to leave, and it can also be a noun for a place to leave from.
“I will get off the bus at the next stop.”
“He got out of the car.”
“The plane will take off in an hour.”
“Please exit the building in an orderly fashion.”
Arrive at/in/to
Use arrive in for cities, countries, and large areas. Use arrive at for specific places and smaller locations like a building, airport, or station. Arrive to is incorrect.
“We arrived in Paris.”
“We arrived at the airport.”
“They arrived at the party late.”
To be good at/in
Use good at to talk about skills or abilities. Good in is typically used to describe a person’s behavior or performance in a specific context (e.g., a student is good in class).
“She is good at playing the piano.”
“He is good in a crisis.”
Different from/than/to
Different from is the most common and widely accepted form in both American and British English. Different than is also used, particularly in American English, and is often followed by a clause. Different to is more common in British English.
“My book is different from yours.” (most common)
“The result was different than I expected.” (American English)
“This is different to what I’m used to.” (British English)
On/in the photo
Both in the photo and on the photo are used. In the photo is the more common and grammatically standard phrase. On the photo is often used when something is literally on top of the picture (e.g., a note written on a photo).
“Who is that man in the photo?”
“I wrote a message on the back of the photo.”
Suited for/to
Both suited for and suited to are correct, and they are often interchangeable. However, suited to is often used to describe how a person or thing matches a particular task or situation, while suited for can imply suitability for a purpose or a role.
“This dress is not suited to the occasion.”
“This car is well suited for long trips.”
Married to/with
The correct preposition is married to. You are married to a person. Married with is incorrect in this context but can be used to describe a person’s marital status and their number of children (e.g., “He is married with two children”).
“He is married to my sister.”
Time prepositions
Use in for centuries, decades, years, and seasons (e.g., “in 2025,” “in the summer”). Use on for specific days and dates (e.g., “on Friday,” “on October 1st”). Use at for specific times of day (e.g., “at 3 pm”).
“The event is in June.”
“We will meet on Monday.”
“The meeting starts at 9 am.”
Call (to) someone
The verb call in the sense of telephoning someone does not require a preposition. You call a person directly. The preposition to is incorrect in this context.
“I will call you later.” (Correct)
“I will call to you later.” (Incorrect)
I’ve been here for/since/during time
Use for to indicate a duration of time (e.g., “for two hours”). Use since to indicate a starting point in time (e.g., “since yesterday”). During is used to indicate a period of time in which something happened (e.g., “during the meeting”).
“I’ve been waiting for two hours.”
“I’ve been here since 9 am.”
“We can talk during lunch.”
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