Skip to main content
Academy11+

11+ English · Topic explained

Prepositions

Is the cat on the box, in the box or under the box?

The big idea

A preposition links a noun or pronoun to the rest of the sentence, often showing where or when.

Picture it

Picture a cat and a box: on, in, under, behind. Prepositions show where one thing is compared with another.

Key words

preposition
A word before a noun or pronoun that links it to the rest of the sentence.
place and direction
Where or which way: on, under, between, across, into, towards.
time
When: before, after, during, until, since.

Worked examples

  1. 1Warm-up

    The cat hid under the table.

    • under shows where the cat hid.
    • It's a preposition.
  2. 211+ standard

    We played football after school.

    • after shows when.
    • Prepositions can show time as well as place.
  3. 311+ standard

    We left before lunch. / We left before the rain started.

    • before lunch: a preposition (a noun follows it)
    • before the rain started: a conjunction (a clause, with its own verb, follows it)
  4. 411+ standard

    The fox ran across the field and into the woods.

    • across and into show direction: which way the fox went.

The common mistake

The mistake

Before and after are always prepositions.

Instead

They are conjunctions when a clause follows: before the rain started.

Why: Preposition + noun (before lunch); conjunction + clause with a verb (before we ate).

Where it comes up in the 11+

Cloze gaps test the right preposition (good at, interested in), and trickier questions ask whether a word is a preposition or a conjunction.

The video

Video coming soon

We're making a short video that explains prepositions step by step. Until then, everything it covers is on this page.

Free printable

Prepositions worksheet

Practice questions on this topic to print and try on paper, at home or on the way to school.

Download the worksheet (PDF)

Free account needed: it takes a minute.

Quick quiz

Have a go first, then tap to see the answer.

  1. 1. Which word is a preposition? "The squirrel ran up the tree."

    • squirrel
    • ran
    • up
    • tree
    Show the answer

    up

    Up links the tree to the running: it shows which way.

  2. 2. Choose: "She is good ___ swimming."

    • in
    • at
    • on
    • by
    Show the answer

    at

    In English we say good at something.

  3. 3. In which sentence is "after" a preposition?

    • We ate after the match.
    • We ate after we had played.
    • We ate after everyone had arrived.
    Show the answer

    We ate after the match.

    After is followed by a noun (the match), not a clause.