7.3 Prepositions

7.3 Prepositions

Why Prepositions Matter for PAF Candidates

Prepositions are the smallest words in English but the most error-prone for Urdu-speaking candidates, because Urdu uses postpositions (placed after the noun) and often requires a preposition where English does not, or vice versa. The PAF English paper tests prepositions through fill-in-the-blank items, error-spotting items, and sentence-correction items. Memorising the rules and the high-yield collocations in this section will secure most preposition marks.

Prepositions of Time

The three-level rule is the key.

• at — clock times and exact moments: at 0600 hrs, at noon, at sunset, at the moment.
• on — days and dates: on Monday, on 15 August, on my birthday, on the morning of the flight.
• in — months, years, seasons, centuries, and longer periods: in August, in 2026, in summer, in the 21st century, in the morning/afternoon/evening (but at night).

Exceptions worth memorising: at the weekend (British) vs on the weekend (American); in time means 'with enough margin', on time means 'punctually'.

Worked Example. The briefing is scheduled ____ 15 August at 0900 hrs ____ the morning.

For the date: on (15 August). For the clock time: at (0900 hrs). For the part of day: in (the morning). Full sentence: "The briefing is scheduled on 15 August at 0900 hrs in the morning."

Prepositions of Place

The same three-level rule applies to place.

• at — a specific point: at the gate, at the control tower, at the end of the runway.
• on — a surface: on the apron, on the wing, on the second floor, on the map.
• in — an enclosed space or large area: in the cockpit, in the hangar, in Pakistan, in the air force.

Note the contrast: The pilot is at the base (point), The pilot is on the base (surface/campus), The pilot is in the operations block (enclosed). All three can be grammatical; the choice depends on how the speaker frames the location.

Prepositions of Movement

Movement prepositions describe direction.

• to — general destination: fly to Karachi, march to the parade ground.
• into — movement from outside to inside an enclosed space: walk into the hangar, climb into the cockpit.
• onto — movement from lower to a surface: step onto the wing, load the cargo onto the aircraft.
• from — origin: return from the sortie, taxi from the dispersal.
• towards — direction without arrival: turn towards the runway.
• through — movement across and out the other side: fly through the clouds.
• across — movement from one side to another of a surface: taxi across the apron.
• along — movement following the length of something: march along the tarmac.

Fixed Verb + Preposition Collocations

These must be memorised as units. The PAF paper recycles a predictable set.

Worked Example: The Classic PAF Item

Item. Nadia's parents strongly object ____ her travelling alone.

The verb object is always followed by to. The -ing form travelling is the gerund object of the preposition. Answer: to. Full sentence: "Nadia's parents strongly object to her travelling alone."

A common distractor is against, because object against feels parallel to protest against. Resist that pull: the fixed collocation is object to.

Translation-Induced Traps (Urdu → English)

These are the highest-yield error-spotting items because they exploit habits formed by literal translation.

Between vs Among

• between — used for two items, or for pairwise relations inside a group larger than two: coordination between the three wings (each wing relates to each other wing).
• among — used when the items are treated as a mass, not as pairwise relations: a tradition among fighter pilots.

The old rule 'between for two, among for more than two' is incomplete; the modern rule is about whether the relationship is pairwise (between) or collective (among).

Common Adjective + Preposition Collocations

A smaller but tested set: afraid of, aware of, capable of, fond of, proud of, tired of, guilty of, innocent of, jealous of, responsible for, suitable for, famous for, ready for, similar to, married to, engaged to, related to, accustomed to, used to (note: used to takes the -ing form: used to flying at night).

Quick Drill

• The investigation resulted ____ two recommendations. → in.
• The cadet is good ____ mathematics but weak ____ English. → at / in.
• The commander accused the engineer ____ negligence. → of.
• The briefing will start ____ 0800 hrs ____ Tuesday. → at / on.
• The aircraft crashed ____ the runway. → on (surface).
• He has been suffering ____ migraines. → from.
• They agreed ____ a date for the exercise. → on.