Prepositions in English: The 20 Most Common Errors I Correct in HK Children's Writing

If I had to name the single most unpredictable category of English grammar for Cantonese-speaking learners, it would be prepositions.

Articles are confusing. Tense can be tricky. But prepositions operate on a near-arbitrary logic — or rather, their logic reflects the cultural metaphors of English that do not map onto Cantonese spatial concepts. On time, in time. Interested in, not interested about. Different from, not different than (in British English). Married to, not married with.

There is no reliable rule that unlocks all of these. They must be encountered repeatedly in context and gradually absorbed. But there are patterns, and knowing the most common errors in advance lets parents and students be specifically alert.

Here are the 20 preposition errors I correct most often.

Errors with Time Prepositions

1. On / At / In for time

The rule:

• in for long periods: in the morning, in January, in 2024, in summer
• on for specific days and dates: on Monday, on Christmas Day, on 25th December
• at for precise times and short periods: at 3 o'clock, at noon, at night, at Christmas (as a general season)

Error: I will see you in Monday. → Correct: on Monday Error: She arrived at morning. → Correct: in the morning Error: At the summer we go swimming. → Correct: In summer or In the summer

2. For vs. Since

• for + a duration: for three days, for two years, for a long time
• since + a starting point: since Monday, since 2022, since I was small

Error: I have lived here since five years. → Correct: for five years Error: I haven't seen her for last week. → Correct: since last week

Errors with Location Prepositions

3. In / At for places

• in for enclosed spaces, areas, countries, cities: in the box, in Hong Kong, in school (when you mean inside the building)
• at for locations as points/events: at school (when you mean the institution/activity), at the bus stop, at the station

Error: I am in the bus stop. → Correct: at the bus stop Error: She studies at the library. → Correct: in the library

4. On vs. At vs. In for addresses

• on a street: on Nathan Road, on the second floor
• at a specific address: at 23 Queen's Road
• in a city/country: in Kowloon

5. On vs. In for transport

• on + public transport: on the bus, on the MTR, on a plane, on a ship
• in + private vehicles: in a taxi, in a car

Error: I came to school in the bus. → Correct: on the bus Error: She arrived on a taxi. → Correct: in a taxi

Errors with Verb + Preposition Collocations

These must largely be memorised as fixed phrases:

6. Interested in (not "interested about" or "interested at") Error: I am interested about animals. → Correct: interested in animals

7. Good at / bad at (not "good in" or "good on") Error: She is good in maths. → Correct: good at maths

8. Listen to (not "listen") Error: I listen the teacher carefully. → Correct: I listen to the teacher

9. Wait for (not "wait") Error: Please wait me outside. → Correct: wait for me

10. Pay for (not "pay") Error: I paid the book. → Correct: I paid for the book

11. Arrive at / arrive in (not "arrive to") Error: We arrived to the airport. → Correct: arrived at the airport; arrived in New York

12. Agree with a person; agree on a decision (not "agree to someone") Error: I agree with your decision. → Partially correct (common usage), but agree on the decision is more precise.

Errors with Adjective + Preposition Collocations

13. Afraid of (not "afraid about" or "afraid from") Error: She is afraid about spiders. → Correct: afraid of spiders

14. Proud of (not "proud about") Error: My parents are proud about me. → Correct: proud of me

15. Angry with a person; angry about a situation Error: He was angry of his friend. → Correct: angry with his friend

16. Famous for (not "famous because of" in this construction) Error: Hong Kong is famous because of dim sum. → Correct: famous for dim sum

17. Married to (not "married with") Error: She is married with a doctor. → Correct: married to a doctor

18. Different from (British English — not "different than") Error: This is different than what I expected. → Correct: different from what I expected

Other Frequent Errors

19. In the end vs. at the end

• In the end = finally, after everything that happened (time meaning): In the end, we decided to stay home.
• At the end of = at the final point of something (location in time/space): At the end of the film, she cried.

Error: At the end, he forgave her. → Correct: In the end, he forgave her.

20. By for deadlines / agents

• by + time = no later than: Submit your homework by Friday.
• Passive by = who did the action: The book was written by Roald Dahl.

Error: Please finish this until Friday. → Correct: by Friday

How to Learn These

The honest answer: repeated exposure in context, not memorising a list. Seeing interested in used correctly fifty times in reading is worth more than memorising "interested in" as a rule once.

However, for the preposition errors your child makes repeatedly in their writing, targeted correction with explanation does help. When you correct "good in" to "good at," take ten seconds to explain: "In English, we always say good at a skill — it's at, not in." Then ask them to write the corrected phrase in a sentence of their own. That active use seals it better than passive correction.

Keep a small list of "prepositions to watch" based on your child's actual error patterns — not this entire list of twenty, but the four or five that come up repeatedly. Focus there.