Why Prepositions Cost Marks (কেন গুরুত্বপূর্ণ)
Prepositions are tiny, but wrong ones ("depend of", "responsible of", "discuss about") are highly visible errors that stop a sentence being "error-free". Because Bengali maps prepositions differently, these slips are extremely common — so fixing them is one of the easiest ways to raise your accuracy. Task 1 also has its own fixed prepositions you cannot avoid.
Preposition ছোট, কিন্তু ভুল হলে ("depend of", "responsible of", "discuss about") বাক্য "error-free" থাকে না। বাংলায় preposition ভিন্নভাবে বসে বলে এই ভুল খুব সাধারণ — ঠিক করলে নির্ভুলতা সহজে বাড়ে। Task 1-এরও নিজস্ব preposition আছে।
Learn prepositions in chunks, not alone. Never memorise "on"; memorise "rely on", "on the other hand", "on average". The preposition is glued to its partner word.
একা নয়, chunk হিসেবে শিখুন। "on" নয় — "rely on", "on average" শিখুন।
Part of the Band 7+ grammar series. Full index on the Grammar hub.
Prepositions of Time (সময়)
at / on / in follow a "zoom" rule: at = a point, on = a day/date, in = a longer period. at/on/in "zoom" নিয়মে চলে: at = বিন্দু, on = দিন/তারিখ, in = দীর্ঘ সময়।
| Preposition | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| for | a duration (how long) | I have studied for three years. |
| since | a starting point | Prices have risen since 2010. |
| during | within a period (+ noun) | Sales fell during the recession. |
| while | at the same time (+ clause) | While the economy grew, wages stagnated. |
| by | not later than | The project will finish by 2030. |
| until / till | up to a time | The shop stays open until 9pm. |
| from … to | a span | The data covers from 1990 to 2020. |
Place & Movement (স্থান ও গতি)
| Preposition | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| at | a point / specific place | at the bus stop, at 15 Green Road |
| on | a surface / line | on the wall, on the coast, on the left |
| in | enclosed / area | in Dhaka, in the room, in the north |
| between / among | two things / three+ things | between the two roads · among young people |
| above / below · over / under | higher / lower | temperatures above average; below the poverty line |
| to / into / onto | movement towards / in / on | move to the suburbs; pour into a mould |
| through / across / along | path | walk through the park, across the river, along the road |
| towards / past | direction / by | head towards the city; drive past the museum |
For map and diagram labelling (Listening & Task 1), master position words: opposite next to adjacent to at the end of on the corner of in front of behind.
ম্যাপ/ডায়াগ্রামে: opposite, next to, at the end of ইত্যাদি জানুন।
Dependent Prepositions (নির্ভরশীল preposition)
Many verbs, adjectives and nouns are "married" to a fixed preposition. These are pure accuracy points — learn them as pairs. অনেক verb/adjective/noun একটি নির্দিষ্ট preposition-এর সঙ্গে "বাঁধা"। জোড়া হিসেবে শিখুন।
| Verb + preposition | Adjective + preposition | Noun + preposition |
|---|---|---|
| depend on | responsible for | a solution to |
| result in | aware of | a reason for |
| lead to | concerned about | an increase in |
| contribute to | capable of | the effect on |
| rely on | interested in | the demand for |
| deal with | similar to / different from | a lack of |
| focus on | good at / bad at | an advantage of |
| consist of | dependent on | a rise/fall in |
| benefit from | suitable for | access to |
| succeed in | exposed to | an impact on |
| prevent … from | based on | an alternative to |
| invest in | accustomed to | the risk of |
Verbs that take NO preposition (Bengali speakers often add one): discuss (not "discuss about"), emphasise, mention, request, enter, reach, affect, lack. Say "discuss the issue", not "discuss about the issue".
যেসব verb-এ preposition লাগে না: discuss, emphasise, mention, enter, reach, affect — "discuss the issue" ঠিক।
Task 1 Prepositions (চার্ট বর্ণনায়)
Describing data has its own fixed prepositions. Getting these right is essential for Writing Task 1. তথ্য বর্ণনায় নির্দিষ্ট preposition — Task 1-এ অপরিহার্য।
| Structure | Example |
|---|---|
| rise / fall + to (an end value) | Sales rose to 50,000 units. |
| rise / fall + by (the amount of change) | Sales rose by 20% / by 5,000. |
| a rise / increase + in | There was a sharp increase in tourism. |
| stood / stand + at | The figure stood at 30%. |
| at + a rate / point | Prices grew at a steady rate; peaked at £65. |
| from … to | The population grew from 2m to 5m. |
| between … and | Between 2000 and 2010, figures doubled. |
| compared with / to | Spending was higher compared with 2000. |
| of (a figure/proportion) | a total of 200; the majority of visitors |
Band 6 → Band 7 Errors (সাধারণ ভুল)
Your Turn — Add the Preposition (অনুশীলন)
Show a model answer
…a serious effect on children's health.
Show a model answer
…results in higher pollution.
Show a model answer
…rose by 20% and peaked at 90,000.
Show a model answer
…invest in education and focus on rural areas.
Show a model answer
…discuss — the causes of and solutions to traffic congestion. (discuss = no preposition; solution to)
Next guide: Subject–Verb Agreement & Punctuation. Practise Task 1 prepositions with the Writing vocabulary charts.
পরের গাইড: Agreement & Punctuation।