Level 1 — Foundation · Sentence & Phrase Foundations
Lesson 7: Prepositions & Relationships
Why translating of, in, on, at, for, with, by, from, and to one word at a time causes confusion — and how to read each one instead as a relationship it builds between the words on either side of it.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
- Read a preposition as a relationship-builder between two things, not as a single word to translate
- Recognise the core meaning of the most common prepositions: of, in, on, at, for, with, by, from, to, about, between, among, through
- Temporarily set aside prepositional phrases in a long sentence to find its core, then add them back
- Recognise fixed verb+preposition, adjective+preposition, and noun+preposition combinations, and notice when swapping the preposition reverses the relationship
- Tell an infinitive 'to' apart from a prepositional 'to'
Introduction
Today's goal: look at of, in, on, at, for, with, by, from, to, and their relatives, and immediately see what relationship each one is building between the parts of a sentence. Prepositions appear constantly in real English writing, and translating them word by word causes more confusion than almost any other part of speech. So today we learn them as relationships, not as isolated words.
What Is a Preposition?
A preposition connects two things and names their relationship
the book on the table
Connection: book ↔ table. Relationship: on.
people in society
Connection: people ↔ society. Relationship: in.
decisions about money
Connection: decisions ↔ money. Relationship: about.
The Most Important Prepositions
Today's lesson covers: of, in, on, at, for, with, by, from, to, about, between, among, through. Every one of these can carry more than one meaning — so rather than memorising a single Bangla translation for each, we'll learn the relationship each one typically signals.
OF — Relationship, Part, or Belonging
of connects a noun to another noun it belongs to
the opinions of people — opinions ↔ people the behavior of humans the history of science the development of technology
of almost always builds a relationship between one noun and another.
OF — Part of Something
a piece of information · a group of people · a number of factors · one of the reasons
Here of signals a part-of, or quantity, relationship.
IN — Inside, Context, Area, or State
in reaches well beyond 'physically inside'
Basic: The book is in the room. — physically inside.
Context: people in society · behavior in children · changes in technology — here in means within a context or area, not literally inside a container.
IN — Time Period
in 2026 · in the past · in the future · in recent years
ON — Surface, Topic, or Basis
on can mean 'about', not just 'on top of'
Basic: The book is on the table. — a surface relationship.
Topic: a book on psychology — meaning a book about psychology.
research on human behavior — research about human behavior.
AT — A Specific Point
at the door · at the station · at 5 o'clock
A specific point in space or time. But at also shows up in a set of fixed abstract phrases you should simply learn as units: at risk · at work · at first · at least.
FOR — Purpose, Benefit, or Duration
Three different jobs for the same word
Purpose: a tool for learning — what is the tool's purpose? learning.
Benefit: exercise is good for health.
Duration: for three years · for many years — as in Researchers have studied the problem for many years.
WITH — Together, Having, or Using
with covers three related ideas
Together: People work with others.
Having: a person with experience — a person who has experience.
Using/means: write with a pen.
BY — Agent, Method, or Deadline
by is essential for reading the passive voice
Agent (very common in passive-voice sentences, from Lesson 3): The book was written by a psychologist. — Who wrote it? a psychologist.
Method: learn by practicing — How? by practicing.
Deadline: by tomorrow · by 5 p.m.
FROM — Source or Origin
from points back to where something originated:
information from a reliable source · a letter from a friend · people from different cultures
In each case, whatever follows from is the origin point the rest of the phrase traces back to.
TO — Direction, Target, or Relationship
Beyond simple direction
Basic: go to school — direction.
Target/connection: communicate to people · explain something to someone · a relationship to society.
ABOUT — Topic
about marks the subject matter something concerns:
talk about psychology · think about a problem · a book about leadership · research about human behavior
about and on can both mark a topic
In some contexts, on sounds more formal or natural than about: research on human behavior, a book on psychology — both are common in academic writing.
BETWEEN — Two or a Small Number of Distinct Entities
between two people · between theory and practice · the relationship between language and thought
Here there are clearly identified, separate entities.
AMONG — Within a Group
among people · among students · among different cultures
between vs. among
between two people — two clearly separate individuals.
among many people — distributed across a larger, less individually distinguished group.
THROUGH — Process, Means, or Across
through can mean 'by means of'
Process: learn through practice · develop skills through experience — experience is the means by which skill develops.
Across/inside: walk through the room — physical movement.
The Prepositional Phrase
Preposition + noun phrase = prepositional phrase.
in modern society — preposition in + noun phrase modern society of experienced managers · with several participants · through regular practice — all prepositional phrases.
Reading Prepositional Phrases as Chunks
Set the chunk aside, find the core, then reattach it
People in modern society face many challenges.
Core: People face many challenges. Extra: in modern society (context).
Researchers from different countries studied the problem.
Core: Researchers studied the problem. Extra: from different countries.
A Very Useful Reading Trick
Temporarily remove prepositional phrases to find the core
The opinions of experienced managers in large organizations can influence important decisions.
Remove the prepositional phrases first:
The opinions can influence important decisions. — that's the core.
Then reattach them: of experienced managers — whose opinions? in large organizations — in what context?
Reading any sentence dense with prepositional phrases
Multiple Prepositions in One Sentence
Several chunks, each doing its own job
People in modern society learn from information through many different sources.
Core: People learn.
Extra: in modern society (context) · from information (source) · through many different sources (means).
Preposition + Verb-ing
A verb right after a preposition usually takes -ing
before making a decision · after reading the book · by practicing regularly · without thinking carefully
People improve by practicing regularly.
by + practicing → the whole phrase by practicing regularly answers: how do they improve?
Watch Out for "To"
'to' is not always a preposition
Infinitive: want to learn — here to learn is an infinitive, part of the verb form, not a prepositional phrase.
Preposition: talk to people — here to people is a genuine prepositional phrase.
Telling these apart takes practice; we'll return to this distinction in more depth later in the course.
Common Verb + Preposition Patterns
depend on · focus on · deal with · learn from · communicate with · contribute to · result in · result from
Verb + preposition in real sentences
Success depends on practice. Researchers focus on behavior. People must deal with problems. People learn from experience. People communicate with others. Experience contributes to learning. Poor decisions can result in problems. Stress can result from pressure.
The Same Verb, a Different Preposition, a Different Relationship
Swapping the preposition can reverse the direction of causation
result in: Stress can result in poor decisions. Stress → causes → poor decisions.
result from: Poor decisions can result from stress. Poor decisions ← caused by ← stress.
The direction of the relationship has flipped completely — this is exactly why verb + preposition combinations deserve to be learned as whole units, not word by word.
Adjective + Preposition
interested in · responsible for · aware of · familiar with · similar to · different from
Fixed adjective + preposition pairs
People are interested in psychology. Leaders are responsible for their decisions. People should be aware of their biases. The two theories are similar to each other.
Noun + Preposition
reason for · effect on · relationship between · difference between · influence on · approach to
One noun, two relationships at once
the effect of stress on behavior
Two separate relationships packed into one phrase: effect of stress and effect on behavior.
Worked Example 1
Two prepositional phrases attached to one head noun
The effects of social pressure on human behavior can vary between different cultures.
Head noun: effects of phrase: of social pressure — effects of what? on phrase: on human behavior — effects on what? Main verb: can vary between phrase: between different cultures
Core: The effects can vary. Then the relationships are added back one at a time.
Worked Example 2
A prepositional phrase inside the subject itself
People with strong communication skills can often deal with difficult situations more effectively.
Noun phrase: People with strong communication skills — head noun: People · prepositional phrase: with strong communication skills.
Verb phrase: can often deal Prepositional phrase: with difficult situations Adverb: more effectively
Core: People can deal with situations. Then the details are added back.
A Preposition Reference Table
Thirteen prepositions, thirteen core relationships — keep this table in mind as a reference, not a set of rigid definitions:
| Preposition | Core relationship |
|---|---|
| of | relationship / belonging / part |
| in | inside / context / period |
| on | surface / topic |
| at | a specific point |
| for | purpose / benefit / duration |
| with | together / having / using |
| by | agent / method / deadline |
| from | source / origin |
| to | direction / target |
| about | topic |
| between | relationship between distinct entities |
| among | within a group |
| through | process / means |
These are core meanings — real context can still shift them, so always check what relationship the phrase is actually building in the sentence in front of you.
Vocabulary in Context
Several patterns from today are worth learning as whole collocations, not single words:
Today's collocations, worth memorising as whole units
depend on · focus on · deal with · learn from · communicate with · contribute to · result in · result from · be aware of · be responsible for · be interested in · be familiar with · relationship between · effect on · reason for
focusverb
to give most of your attention to one particular thing (মনোনিবেশ করা)
“Researchers focus on behavior rather than on isolated events.”
awareadjective
having knowledge of a fact or situation (সচেতন)
“People who are aware of their own biases can make better decisions.”
familiaradjective
well known to you, or having good knowledge of something (পরিচিত)
“The two theories are familiar to most researchers in this field.”
responsibleadjective
having a duty to deal with or take care of something (দায়িত্বশীল)
“Leaders are responsible for the decisions their teams make.”
similaradjective
resembling something else without being identical (সদৃশ)
“The two studies produced results that were similar to each other.”
reasonnoun
a cause or explanation for something (কারণ)
“One reason for the disagreement was a lack of clear communication.”
effectnoun
a change that results from something else (প্রভাব/ফলাফল)
“The effect of stress on decision-making is well documented.”
Guided Reading Practice
Read the paragraph once, slowly, naming the relationship each preposition is building rather than translating it.
People learn from different sources of information, including books, teachers, personal experience, and other people. The quality of the information they receive can have a significant effect on the decisions they make. People who are aware of the limitations of their information are often better able to deal with uncertainty. Through careful analysis and discussion with others, they can develop a more complete understanding of complex problems.
Sentence 1 — learn from different sources (source) · sources of information (belonging/relationship).
Sentence 2 — effect on decisions (an effect relationship).
Sentence 3 — aware of limitations (an awareness relationship) · deal with uncertainty (a verb + preposition pattern).
Sentence 4 — Through careful analysis (method/process) · discussion with others (together/interaction).
Golden Rule
Golden Rule
Don't translate a preposition the moment you see it — ask what relationship it's building between the word before it and the word after it.
the effect of stress on behavior
Read it mentally as: effect ← stress and effect → behavior. Once you see prepositions as arrows connecting ideas rather than as words with a fixed Bangla meaning, long academic sentences stop being intimidating.
Lesson Summary
Today you learned to treat a preposition as a small arrow connecting two ideas, rather than a single word to translate. You covered the core relationship behind thirteen common prepositions, practised removing prepositional phrases to find a sentence's core and reattaching them afterward, and met fixed verb+preposition, adjective+preposition, and noun+preposition combinations — including the important warning that swapping a preposition (result in vs. result from) can completely reverse the direction of a relationship.
Practice: Test What You've Learned
Work through every question yourself before checking anything.
Before you start
Do not use Google Translate or any other translation tool for these questions. If a preposition trips you up, name the relationship you think it's building — that's the part worth getting right, more than the label.
Part A — Identify the Function
For each phrase, say what relationship the underlined preposition is building.
- people in modern society — what kind of information does "in modern society" add?
- learn from experience — what relationship is "from experience"?
- improve through practice — what does "through practice" express?
- responsible for the decision — what relationship is "for the decision"?
- aware of the problem — what relationship is "of the problem"?
Part B — Find the Prepositional Phrases
- The opinions of experienced managers in large organizations can influence important decisions.
- People with strong communication skills can deal with difficult situations more effectively.
- Researchers from different countries have studied the effects of social pressure on human behavior.
Part C — Choose the Correct Preposition
- Success depends ___ regular practice. — (a) in (b) on (c) at
- People learn ___ experience. — (a) from (b) at (c) on
- Leaders should be aware ___ their own biases. — (a) of (b) for (c) with
- Stress can result ___ poor decisions. — (a) in (b) to (c) with
- Poor decisions can result ___ stress. — (a) in (b) from (c) about
Part D — Decode This Sentence
- The effects of social pressure on human behavior can vary significantly between different cultures. Identify the main subject, its head noun, the first prepositional phrase, the second prepositional phrase, the main verb, the third prepositional phrase, and the core sentence.
Part E — Own Sentences
- Write one sentence using from.
- Write one sentence using with.
- Write one sentence using through.
- Write one sentence using because together with a prepositional phrase.
Next: Lesson 8 — Conjunctions & Logical Connections: and, but, because, although, therefore, however, while, as a result — how to read an author's logic.