In-Phrases

Fixed expressions with 'in': in advance, in charge of, in danger, in a hurry, in common, in trouble. These phrases typically describe a condition or state.

In-Phrases in English

'In' phrases in fixed expressions most commonly place a person or thing inside a state or condition. The English Profile Programme corpus shows that 'in advance', 'in charge of', and 'in trouble' appear in the top 50 most tested prepositional phrases at B1–B2 level in major English exams. A frequent error with this group is substituting 'at' for 'in' ('at advance') or choosing the wrong complement preposition ('in charge about' instead of 'in charge of').

Core In-Phrases

in advance — Please book the hotel room in advance.
in charge of — Who is in charge of the marketing department?
in danger — The old bridge is in danger of collapsing.
in a hurry — I can't stop now — I'm in a hurry!
in common — We have a lot in common — we both love hiking.
in trouble — If you miss that deadline, you'll be in trouble.

'In Charge Of' — The Complement Preposition

The thing you are responsible for always follows 'in charge of'. The prepositions 'about', 'for', or 'with' are incorrect here and a very common error.

Common Mistakes

✗ She told me at advance. → ✓ She told me in advance.
✗ She is in charge about the project. → ✓ She is in charge of the project.
✗ I'm on a hurry. → ✓ I'm in a hurry.