Prepositions and Phrasal Verbs
~11 min read
- Function: A preposition links a noun/pronoun to another word, showing place, time, direction, manner, agent or relation.
- CDS focus: Fixed prepositional pairings (depend on, married to, capable of) and phrasal verbs (give up, look into, put off) - the largest single 'error' category in spotting-errors sets.
- Phrasal verbs: Verb + particle = new meaning. 'Carry out' (execute) is not 'carry' + 'out'.
Prepositions are tested in every CDS paper - usually 4-5 questions across Spotting Errors and Sentence Improvement. The list below covers the verb-preposition and adjective-preposition pairings most frequently lifted from CDS PYQs.
Prepositions of Time and Place
| Use | at | on | in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time | specific clock time (at 6 PM, at noon, at midnight) | days and dates (on Monday, on 15 August) | months, years, centuries, periods (in July, in 1947, in the morning) |
| Place | specific point (at the door, at the corner, at the airport) | surface (on the table, on the wall, on the floor) | enclosed space (in the room, in India, in the box) |
Exceptions to memorise: at night (not 'in night'), in the morning/afternoon/evening, on time (= punctual) vs in time (= early enough).
Verb + Preposition - High-Frequency CDS Pairs
| Verb + prep | Meaning / Example |
|---|---|
| depend on / upon | rely on. Success depends on hard work. |
| insist on | demand. He insisted on paying. |
| consist of | be made up of. Water consists of hydrogen and oxygen. |
| comprise (no 'of') | contain. The team comprises eleven players. (NOT 'comprises of') |
| accuse of | charge with. He was accused of theft. |
| blame for (the action) / on (the person) | He blamed me for the loss. |
| adhere to | follow strictly. Adhere to the rules. (NOT 'adhere the rules') |
| conversant with | familiar with. conversant with the rules (NOT 'conversant at') |
| familiar with | know well |
| differ from (thing) / with (person) | X differs from Y. I differ with him. |
| discuss (no 'about') | We discussed the issue. (NOT 'discussed about') |
| look into | investigate |
| look after | take care of |
| look forward to + -ing | anticipate eagerly |
| refer to | mention / consult |
| resemble (no 'to' or 'with') | She resembles her mother. |
| marry (no 'with') | He married Anita. (or 'is married to Anita') |
| enter (no 'in') / enter into (agreement) | He entered the room. India entered into an agreement. |
| reach (no 'to/at') | We reached Delhi. |
| order / request (no 'for') | I requested him to come. |
Adjective + Preposition
| Adjective + prep | Example |
|---|---|
| afraid of | I'm afraid of snakes. |
| angry with (person) / at (thing) | He is angry with me at the delay. |
| capable of | capable of murder |
| different from | This is different from that. |
| famous for | Mysore is famous for its silk. |
| fond of | fond of chocolate |
| good at / bad at | good at maths |
| interested in | interested in chess |
| jealous of | jealous of his success |
| responsible for | responsible for the work |
| satisfied with | satisfied with the result |
| similar to | similar to mine |
| superior to / inferior to / senior to / junior to (NOT 'than') | He is senior to me. This is superior to that. |
| tired of (= bored) / tired from (= exhausted) | tired of waiting / tired from the journey |
High-Frequency Phrasal Verbs
| Phrasal verb | Meaning |
|---|---|
| break down | stop working / collapse emotionally |
| break out | start suddenly (war, fire, disease) |
| bring up | raise (children) / introduce a topic |
| call off | cancel |
| carry out | execute, perform |
| come across | meet/find by chance |
| do away with | abolish |
| fall through | fail to happen |
| get away with | escape punishment |
| give in | surrender, yield |
| give up | quit, abandon |
| look down on | despise |
| look up to | admire |
| make up | invent (story) / reconcile / apply cosmetics |
| put off | postpone |
| put up with | tolerate |
| run out of | exhaust supply |
| see through | perceive deception |
| set off / set out | begin a journey |
| take after | resemble |
| turn down | reject |
| turn up | arrive / appear |
Frequent CDS Preposition Errors
- Wrong: discuss about the matter → discuss the matter
- Wrong: comprise of → comprise / consist of
- Wrong: cope up with → cope with
- Wrong: order for / request for → order / request
- Wrong: reach to the station → reach the station
- Wrong: marry with → marry / married to
- Wrong: superior than / senior than → superior to / senior to
- Wrong: adhere the rules → adhere to the rules
- Wrong: conversant at → conversant with
- Wrong: different than → different from
CDS/OTA PYQ Examples
Q: Identify the error: Employees are expected to / adhere the rules / laid down by the management. / No error
(a) Employees are expected to (b) adhere the rules (c) laid down by the management (d) No error
Answer: (b) 'Adhere' takes the preposition 'to': 'adhere to the rules'. (CDS-I 2015)
Q: Improve: I expect every player here to be conversant at the rules of the game.
(a) on (b) about (c) with (d) No improvement
Answer: (c) with — the correct preposition with 'conversant' is 'with'.
Q: Choose the correct option: These are good rules to live ___.
(a) with (b) by (c) of (d) in
Answer: (b) by — 'live by rules' means to follow them as principles.
Q: Identify the error: The committee comprises of / five senior officers / and three external members. / No error
(a) The committee comprises of (b) five senior officers (c) and three external members (d) No error
Answer: (a) 'Comprise' does not take 'of'. Correct: 'comprises five senior officers' or 'consists of'.
Q: Improve: He is senior than me by two years.
(a) senior to me (b) senior from me (c) more senior than me (d) No improvement
Answer: (a) senior to me — 'senior, junior, superior, inferior, prior, anterior, posterior' take 'to', never 'than'.
Q: Choose the phrasal verb: I parked my car in a no-parking zone but I ___.
(a) came up with (b) got away with it (c) made off with (d) got on with
Answer: (b) got away with it — 'get away with' = escape punishment.
Drill Prepositions and Phrasal Verbs for CDS/OTA
CDS/OTA-pattern items on Prepositions and Phrasal Verbs with answer keys and explanations.
Start Free Mock TestFrequently Asked Questions
How do I memorise prepositions efficiently?
Don't memorise them in isolation. Memorise the verb/adjective + preposition as a single chunk ('depend on', 'capable of', 'married to'). Read 30 CDS PYQs - the same 50 pairs keep recurring.
What's the difference between 'on time' and 'in time'?
'On time' = punctual, exactly at the scheduled moment ('The train arrived on time'). 'In time' = with enough time to spare ('We reached the station in time to catch the train').
'Different from' or 'different than'?
British and CDS English: 'different from'. 'Different than' is American/colloquial. 'Different to' is acceptable in British English but CDS prefers 'from'.
Why is 'discuss about' wrong?
'Discuss' is a transitive verb that already includes the meaning 'about'. So 'discuss the issue' is correct. Same with 'enter the room' (not 'enter into the room'), 'reach Delhi' (not 'reach to/at Delhi').
Are phrasal verbs separable?
Some are (turn it off, put the meeting off), some are not (look after him, NOT look him after). If the object is a pronoun, separable phrasal verbs MUST be separated: 'turn it off', not 'turn off it'.