Common mistakes ❌ with confusing prepositions.

The thing is, English prepositions don’t always follow rules. Many learners try to translate directly, which leads to mistakes and a mistake can make you sound unnatural. Prepositions are tiny words, but they can change a sentence.

To make things clearer, let’s break down some typical preposition mix-ups with easy examples. ​​​​​​​​​​​​👇​

Good at vs. Good in

• ❌ She’s good in math.

• ✅ She’s good at math. ​​​​​​➗​➖​🟰​

We use good at for skills or abilities. Are you good at English? ​​😁​

Interested in vs. Interested by

• ❌ I’m interested by history.

• ✅ I’m interested in history. ​​​​​​🦖​

Interested in is the correct collocation.

Married with vs. Married to

• ❌ She’s married with a doctor.

• ✅ She’s married to a doctor. ​​​​​​​🧑🏽‍⚕️

Married with means having children (e.g., married with two kids).

On the bus vs. In the bus

• ❌ I’m in the bus.

• ✅ I’m on the bus. 🚌​

We say on for public transport (bus, train, plane). In is used for cars and taxis.

At vs. In (places)

• ❌ I’m in the airport now.

• ✅ I’m at the airport now. ​​​​​​​​​🛫​

Use at for locations as points, in is correct but for locating someone inside spaces.

Wait for vs. Wait

• ❌ I’m waiting you.

• ✅ I’m waiting for you. ​​​​​​​​​​🫵🏻​

We always need for after wait when followed by a person or thing.

Discuss about vs. Discuss

• ❌ We discussed about the problem.

• ✅ We discussed the problem. ​​​​​​​​​​​😵‍💫​

Discuss does not need a preposition. But we can have a discussion about something.

In conclusion, with a bit of attention and practice, these common mistakes can be easily avoided. Keep these tips in mind, and you’ll start using prepositions correctly and confidently.

If you’re interested in​​​​​​​​​​​​​😉​having more help with your English, I’m waiting for your call or message! ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​☺️​