Prepositions · CEFR B1 · Independent
Fixed phrases — English prepositions
These are whole phrases, not a preposition plus a noun. Learning them as units is faster than reasoning about each one.
The shape
on time · in trouble · at last · by mistake · in charge of
Recognise the phrases you cannot work out from the words.
In Hindi
ये पूरे वाक्यांश हैं, अलग-अलग शब्द नहीं। इन्हें एक इकाई की तरह सीखना ही आसान है।
CoCap explains every structure in both languages, because a rule you understand in Hindi is a rule you can use in English.
The mistake to fix first
The sentence Indian-English speakers actually produce, and the reason it is wrong.
| Commonly said | Correct English |
|---|---|
He came in time for the meeting, exactly at nine. | He came on time for the meeting, exactly at nine. "On time" means punctual; "in time" means with enough time to spare. |
Questions people ask
- What is the fixed phrases used for?
- These are whole phrases, not a preposition plus a noun. Learning them as units is faster than reasoning about each one. In practice: recognise the phrases you cannot work out from the words.
- How do you form the fixed phrases?
- on time · in trouble · at last · by mistake · in charge of.
- What is the most common mistake with the fixed phrases?
- Saying “He came in time for the meeting, exactly at nine.” instead of “He came on time for the meeting, exactly at nine.”. "On time" means punctual; "in time" means with enough time to spare.
Where fixed phrases fits
Where this structure sits in the ladder, and what surrounds it.
Fixed phrases is a CEFR B1 structure — the independent band — and it belongs to prepositions. CoCap’s syllabus files every structure this way so you can learn in order instead of jumping between whatever a search happened to return.
Reading it is not the same as saying it.
CoCap turns this page into practice: Hindi sentence in, English sentence out, corrected one thing at a time. Free, no card.
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