Verbal Ability (English) · Lesson 3 of 8 · Updated ·
Articles and Prepositions — A, An, The, In, On, At and More
Articles and prepositions are small words, but fill-in-the-blank and error-spotting questions test them constantly. A few clear rules cover most cases.
Part A — Articles (a, an, the)
A or an? Listen to the sound
- an before a vowel sound: an apple, an hour (h is silent), an MBA ("em-bee-ay"), an X-ray
- a before a consonant sound: a book, a university ("yoo"), a European ("yoo"), a one-rupee coin ("wun")
When to use "the"
- Something specific both people know: "Close the door."
- Something mentioned before: "I bought a phone. The phone is fast."
- Only one exists: the sun, the moon, the internet
- Superlatives and ordinals: the best, the tallest, the first, the last
- Rivers, oceans, mountain ranges: the Ganga, the Indian Ocean, the Himalayas
- Countries with plural or "union" names: the USA, the UK, the Netherlands
When NOT to use an article
- General plural or uncountable nouns: "Students need practice." / "Water is important."
- Most countries, cities, languages, meals, games: India, Delhi, Hindi, lunch, cricket
- Before subjects of study: "She studies physics."
Part B — Prepositions
Time and place
- at — exact time or point: at 6 pm, at night, at the bus stop
- on — days, dates, surfaces: on Friday, on 26 January, on the wall
- in — months, years, seasons, parts of the day, cities, countries: in May, in 2026, in winter, in the evening, in Pune
Fixed prepositions to learn (frequently tested)
| ✓ Correct | ✗ Common mistake |
|---|---|
| discuss the plan | discuss about the plan |
| married to | married with |
| senior / junior to | senior than |
| prefer tea to coffee | prefer tea than coffee |
| good at maths | good in maths |
| interested in coding | interested for coding |
| depend on | depend upon is fine; depend of ✗ |
| angry with a person, at a thing | angry on someone |
| comply with the rules | comply to the rules |
| enter the room | enter into the room (for a place) |
Since, for, from
- since a point in time (since 2020) — with perfect tenses
- for a duration (for 3 years)
- from … to a range (from Monday to Friday)
Common mistakes
- Choosing a/an by the first letter instead of the first sound.
- Writing "the" before general plurals ("The students need practice" when you mean all students).
- "Discuss about", "married with", "senior than", "prefer than".
Quick recap
- a/an depends on sound. "the" = specific, mentioned before, one of a kind, superlatives.
- at = point, on = day/surface, in = period/space.
- Learn the fixed-preposition table.