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Prepositions are difficult to pin down because there are only a few rules, and these rules have many exceptions. We Filipinos find
prepositions particularly problematic because we have only a handful of prepositions.
Let’s see how we use the preposition sa:

Take note of prepositional pairs. No one really taught us to say I am familiar with this song or This song is familiar to me, or to
spot the difference between the two. Somehow we just knew which one works because we had heard or read these prepositional
pairs. The best way to learn prepositions is to read, read, read.
Prepositions are words that connect or relate to nouns and pronouns to preceding words and phrases:

Examples:

Margaret moved to a new apartment.

 The case against the mayor will not prosper.
 Women throughout the country rejoiced when the RH bill was enacted.
 There is truth in what you say.

Allow me to share a method that has helped me choose the correct preposition. I’ll try not to use technical terms.
A preposition does not exist by itself. It relates to either:

— its HEAD (verb, noun or adjective, which comes before) or

— its OBJECT (noun or pronoun, which comes after it).

How do we choose the correct preposition?

a. First, look to the head. Does the verb, noun or adjective require its own preposition? If yes, then look for the proper pairing.
For reference, check out http://www.learnersdictionary.com or any other dictionary to find out which preposition is used for the
head (verb, noun or adjective).
b. If not, look to the object, which is often a noun or a pronoun. Does the noun require its object? If yes, then look for the proper
pairing. For reference, check out the dictionary to determine which preposition is paired with the noun.

The head can be a verb, noun or an adjective. These are examples of head + preposition pairs:

VERBS

Check out a partial list of verb phrases at Dave Sperling’s ESL Cafe.
NOUNS

There’s a partial list of noun phrases at a site for speakers of another language–it looks like a pretty good list.
ADJECTIVES
The object in a prepositional pair is often a noun. These are examples of a preposition relating to the object:
PREPOSITIONS OF TIME
What prepositions can we use for time? We can use at, on, or in, among others.
At

On

In
We learned about using in, at and on for time in a previous post. Here are some more prepositions we can use. Just
click on the column if you find the font size too small.
Preposition: Conveyances
What preposition can we use to refer to how we travel from one place to another—the mode of transportation we are
taking?

One preposition we can use is by.

 Martin traveled to Baguio by helicopter.
 They are going to Cebu by sea, not by air.
 The easiest way to reach Paranãque is by car.
 He is headed to school by bus.
 I am exploring Amersfoort by bike.
Note: Do not insert the following pronouns or articles after by:
 a possessive pronoun such as my, her, his, their, our
 an article a, an, the
Thus, it be would be awkward to say:

 Martin traveled to Baguio by a helicopter.

 They are going to Cebu by the sea, not by air.
 He is headed to school by our bus.
 I am exploring Amersfoort by my bike.
But when we refer to our location while we are traveling, we use either on or in.

Exception: When we use the term on foot—a phrase that means “to walk instead of traveling by car or using any other
conveyance.”
Now if we refer to what we can find within the coverage, area or confines of the conveyance, then we use in. In this
case, we refer to the conveyance as merely an area, not as the mode we use to transport ourselves.
 I left my bag in the bus.
 The baby’s car seat in the van is too warm.
 There is too much food stored in the ship.
 The dining room in the train bound for Turkey is packed with Filipinos.
 The newspapers in the plane are a day old.