Still Confuse In Using Preposition in English
By Jellrey
@axlrate7 (1398)
Philippines
January 15, 2013 9:51am CST
Right now I'm still confuse to some area of the English language, you know in English there are parts of speech and one of them is the preposition, and when I'm speaking some sentences I'm always confuse of what connectors should I use correctly for my sentence. This three basic connector always making me confuse; "on", "in", and "at". I don't know if there's a specific way of how I can use this correctly in some situations, I read some basic rule of this three in he internet but still sometimes there's a sentence that I can't use the preposition correctly.
My question is; is there any method to learn deeply how to use all the preposition of English correctly subconsciously? My native language have only a few preposition than English so it will kind of answer the question about me being confuse when learning this second language preposition.
One more thing, I don't know if I use it right in my subject(title area) and in my paragraph... I'm open in any corrections that all of mylotter can tell me, I'm willing to be corrected and learn...
I guess this is all the problem for all the people who are learning the English too as their second language. (getting confuse at using preposition)
Just try one example of what I'm talking about:
I'm _____ the plane.
What would be the right preposition for it? in, on, or at?
Thanks to my teacher who taught us the right answer for this, he's a great teacher in English, full of wisdom. :)
6 responses
@prashu228 (37524)
• India
15 Jan 13
Hi friend
I am also having the same problem , I have been reading English grammar from school days but i will forget everything after the class and when ever i open the grammar book every thing looks like Greek and Latin to me.Still i won't leave my hope i will keep on trying till i remember them.
1 person likes this
@ZoeJoy (1392)
• United States
15 Jan 13
To learn any language, it is best to be immersed in a language. Meaning, the best way to learn a language is to not only study the language, but speak and hear it spoken as well.
See if you can find someone who speaks English and tell them to only speak English to you and you speak English to them. Slowly but surely, it will help you to remember what you have learned in your books.
Learning a new language is like learning to play a musical instrument - you can only learn so much from reading books, you have to practice in order to really learn.
@axlrate7 (1398)
• Philippines
28 Feb 13
@prashu:
Yeah, ZoeJoy is right, I totally agree with that. I'm shy type of person but sometimes I'm intentionally fighting with it just for the sake of learning english language in a deeper way. Just talk my friend, make an output even it is wrong, I know there's a lot of people will say a lot of negative things about that but who cares, the important thing is you're doing the best you can so that you can enjoy in the future what you're practicing. Also, use mostly your ear to learn more about language, it help to boost your concentration to comprehend.
@prashu228 (37524)
• India
15 Jan 13
thank you very much for the suggestion friend ,I will try to follow what you have suggested.Have a 
nice time
nice time
@owlwings (43910)
• Cambridge, England
15 Jan 13
Depending on the meaning you wanted to express, you could legitimately say any of:
"I'm on the plane" (normally used to say that one has boarded the plane and is either waiting for it to fly or is in flight).
"I'm at the plane" (might be used when one has left the terminal and is waiting to board the plane but hasn't yet done so).
"I'm in the plane" (might be used if you want to emphasise that you are not outside the plane and not in anything else).
Other languages have different ways of expressing these different shades of meaning. Sometimes one may have to use much longer explanations (such as I have given in brackets above) to make the meaning clear. English uses a sort of 'shorthand' where the change of just one word or letter can change the meaning entirely!
One could write a whole book about the use of prepositions and still not satisfactorily explain every example. Some verbs have their own set of prepositions - for example, "I am confused about using prepositions in English" (rather than 'in' or 'at') OR "I am confused by (or about) the use of prepositions in English" ... all of those are correct!
1 person likes this
@Cutie18f (9546)
• Philippines
15 Jan 13
Prepositions are really a big problem to us, non-English speakers. The best way to master or learn the correct usage of prepositions is to constantly read good books. This way, you get exposed to how these famous writers use prepositions. There are of course rules that you can study. Try googling these rules on the internet.
@axlrate7 (1398)
• Philippines
15 Jan 13
Absolutely, I'm reading good books just like you've said, children novels, youth novels, even a simple story books(imagine that...) just to get use in English subconsciously. But of course I'm still searching for more good ways to learn preposition quickly as possible, that's why I posted here about this so I can hear some good advise to other great people just like you. :)
1 person likes this
@jenny1015 (13366)
• Philippines
16 Jan 13
Exposing yourself with good books will surely help you with your dilemma. The usage of certain prepositions can be tricky. But if you will analyze the sentences better and picture what is actually being described, then you're sure to know the right preposition to use.
@axlrate7 (1398)
• Philippines
28 Feb 13
Yup, I agree with that, exposing is one of the best way to learn the hardest thing in English like preposition. I remember myself speaking in English with other person then I suddenly stopped because I can't decide which right preposition to use in the sentence that i constructed already, also in some situations preposition is very tricky to use that makes my way of speaking English kinda unnatural because of frequently use of filler words just to forcefully analyzing what preposition is right to use. By the way what books will you suggest for the beginner like me to read?
@dollar3235 (2062)
• India
15 Jan 13
To be honest, after reading this discussion, I'm happy that I'm not the only one confused about this "Proposition" most confusing thing I've ever faced in my life. 
@dollar3235 (2062)
• India
16 Jan 13
Hi Axlrate,
Just now I've realized that I couldn't even type the correct spelling of this word.
As far as prepositions are concerned, I will tell you the truth, I gave up years back and now I don't think much, it doesn't matter if there is a word wrong in your sentence, if the other person understands the language, he'll come to know what you meant to say. 
As far as prepositions are concerned, I will tell you the truth, I gave up years back and now I don't think much, it doesn't matter if there is a word wrong in your sentence, if the other person understands the language, he'll come to know what you meant to say. @axlrate7 (1398)
• Philippines
28 Feb 13
Yeah you're right about that but still of course you need to practice the right way of using preposition because if you don't and got used of your wrong use of preposition and become your habit, that would give you a hard time at the end. Also by practicing the right preposition, you'll notice a great speed in speaking this language, believe me, you are also boosting your confidence of speaking English.
@ZoeJoy (1392)
• United States
15 Jan 13
We English speaking people get confused as well. Many English speaking people are not properly educated in grammar, so there is a lot of slang spoken and improper use of the English language among those who do speak English.
Also, there is a huge range of dialect and accents from around the world - Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Canada and United States. Sometimes people from one English speaking country have a hard time understanding another English speaking person who is from another country. For example some Australians and Americans have a hard time understanding each other. Don't worry about being confused - the English language can be confusing, even for those who do speak English. Just keep asking and do your best.
To try to help you with the difference between 'on' 'in' 'at' - think of yourself with a big box.
Are you in the box? (Meaning: are you inside the box?)
Are you at the box? (Meaning: are you next to or near the box?)
Are you on the box? (Meaning: are you on top of the box?)
Are you in the store? Meaning: Are you inside the store? Have you gone inside the store?
Are you at the store? Meaning: Are you next to the store or in front of the store but not inside it?
Are you on the store? Meaning: Are you on the roof of the store?)
Someone else gave you a detailed reply to 'the plane' question, which I hope helps you. And I hope my reply helps you as well. :)
@axlrate7 (1398)
• Philippines
28 Feb 13
Totally, your comment is a great help. Thank you for spending time making some answers regarding my preposition question. Now I know that English natives have also some difficulties in understanding other English speakers that lives other countries because of different dialects and accents. I'm glad that I'd read your comment, you educated me with such info. :)
