B1–B2
Common Prepositional Phrases — English Grammar Exercises
Interactive exercises with instant feedback. Practice by chance, on time, in advance, out of date and confusable pairs.
Prepositional Phrases: Quick Reference
Fixed prepositional phrases must be memorized as chunks — the preposition doesn't follow a rule, it's part of the expression.
Common Phrases by Preposition
- BY: by chance, by accident, by mistake, by heart, by hand
- ON: on time, on purpose, on fire, on sale, on business
- IN: in advance, in charge of, in common, in danger, in a hurry
- OUT OF: out of date, out of order, out of work, out of stock
- AT: at first, at last, at least, at once
- FOR: for free, for good, for sale
Confusable Pairs
- on time (punctual) vs in time (not too late)
- for sale (available to buy) vs on sale (discounted)
- at the end (final point of something) vs in the end (eventually)
Common Mistakes
✗ I did it on mistake. → ✓ I did it by mistake.
✗ She learned it on heart. → ✓ She learned it by heart.
✗ The lift is out from order. → ✓ The lift is out of order.
✗ She learned it on heart. → ✓ She learned it by heart.
✗ The lift is out from order. → ✓ The lift is out of order.