5 Commonly Misused Prepositions + Examples

Ever said “I live at Indonesia”? You’re not alone. In Indonesian, the single word “di” covers almost every place and time. In English, it can become in, on, or at depending on the context. (The correct version: I live in Indonesia.)

Prepositions are small, but they’re often the underlined part in TOEFL® ITP Written Expression questions. One wrong word, one lost point. Here are the 5 preposition pairs that get mixed up most often. (The slides below are in Indonesian, with the English examples.)

1. In, On, or At?

The easiest way to remember them is from broadest to most specific: in (broad), on (medium), at (a point).

For time

IN = months, years, seasons, centuries, parts of the day: in July, in 2026, in the summer, in the morning
ON = days and dates: on Monday, on July 17, on my birthday
AT = clock times and points in time: at 7 AM, at noon, at night

❌ I was born at 2001.

✅ I was born in 2001.

A year is a broad period, so use in. Note the exception: in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening, but at night.

For place

IN = inside a space or area: in the room, in Jakarta, in Indonesia
ON = on a surface: on the table, on the wall, on the second floor
AT = a specific point or location: at the airport, at the bus stop, at home

❌ I live at Indonesia.

✅ I live in Indonesia.

2. For or Since?

Both often appear with the present perfect, but they do different jobs.

FOR = a duration: for 2 years, for 3 hours, for a long time
SINCE = a starting point: since 2020, since Monday, since I was a child

❌ I have studied since 2 hours.

✅ I have studied for 2 hours.

2 hours is a length of time, so use for. Use since only when you name the starting point:

✅ I have studied since 7 o’clock.

Quick trick: ask yourself “how long?” (for) or “since when?” (since). To review the present perfect, see the 12 tenses guide.

3. Between or Among?

The basic rule most learners are taught:

BETWEEN = between 2 parties: between you and me
AMONG = among 3 or more, seen as a group: among friends, among the students

❌ The secret stays among you and me.

✅ The secret stays between you and me.

Only two people, so use between. Also note the form: after a preposition you need an object pronoun, so it’s between you and me, not between you and I. (See the pronouns guide.)

Going further: between is also used for more than two items when each one is named as a separate party, as in a treaty between France, Spain, and Italy. Among is used when the members are treated as one undivided group. For TOEFL, the “two vs a group” rule covers most cases.

4. On Time or In Time?

The difference is subtle, but the meanings are different:

ON TIME = exactly as scheduled, punctual: The train arrived on time.
IN TIME = early enough, with time to spare for something: I arrived in time to register.

✅ The meeting started on time at 9:00.

✅ I got to the station in time to catch the train.

If the sentence stresses “there was still time left” or “early enough to do something” (often followed by to + verb or for + noun), choose in time. For example: I got to the station in time, 5 minutes before the train left. If it stresses “according to schedule”, choose on time.

5. To or For?

This is the pair that most often gets oversimplified. A more accurate rule:

TO = direction, destination, and the direct recipient of verbs like give, send, show, lend, tell, write: I go to school, talk to the teacher, give the book to her
FOR = for someone’s benefit, or a purpose, usually with verbs like buy, make, get, cook, build: a gift for you, study for the exam, buy a present for my mom

❌ I bought a present to my mom.

✅ I bought a present for my mom.

❌ I gave a present for my mom.

✅ I gave a present to my mom.

So it’s not simply “giving uses for”. The verb give actually takes to, while buy takes for. A quick check: if the item passes directly to the person (give, send, lend), use to. If you do something on the person’s behalf (buy, make, cook), use for.

Summary of the 5 Prepositions

No	Pair	Short rule	Correct example
1	In / On / At	Broad, surface/day, point/clock time	in 2001, on Monday, at 7 AM
2	For / Since	Duration vs starting point	for 2 hours, since 2020
3	Between / Among	Two parties vs a group	between you and me, among friends
4	On time / In time	As scheduled vs early enough	arrived in time to register
5	To / For	Direct recipient vs for someone’s benefit	give it to her, buy it for her

Quick Quiz

Choose the right preposition:

The final exam is (in / on / at) Friday.
She has worked at the hospital (for / since) 2019.
The prize money was divided (between / among) the five winners.
Please send the report (to / for) the manager.

Answers:

on. Days of the week take on.
since. 2019 is a starting point.
among. Five people, seen as a group.
to. Send to a direct recipient takes to.

Practice Prepositions and More Grammar

Prepositions stick fastest through lots of example sentences, not just memorized rules.

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