Whatever relation exists between two or more parts of a sentence, prepositions come in handy for such an illustration, and no matter how small these little parts are, they are undeniably significant because they aid in specifying time, location or movement. The understanding of prepositions is crucial for the successful communication of ideas in English because prepositions, unless there are exceptional circumstances, will be encountered in the majority of the English sentences as they are employed to link nouns, pronouns, and phrases with other elements of the sentences.

1. Prepositions of Time

WNT Applications (2002) defines time's prepositions as those that are used to point out the time of action. Just like the other ones, these prepositions also show relation because and event and the time it was performed.

In

Such a proposition is for a long period for months, years, centuries and a certain part of the day.

• Used with months, years, and seasons. The Acceptable phrasing would be "in October" or "in Autumn" meaning the action commenced and finished in the month or a span of a season.
• Used for parts of the day. For example in the morning. "In the middle of the day" is another common use for these star parts of a adjoining timeframe-based proposition.

On

Days & dates are referred to by "on".

• Used for specific days: "on Wednesday" where the speaker refers to using a particular day or date among others.

At

The preposition "at" denotes a particular moment: a time of the clock, a date, or an event.

• Used for specific moments, in time: For instance, "I will meet you at noon" makes use of this preposition to emphasize an exact hour.

2. Prepositions of Place

Prepositions of place indicate the position of the object or person. They argue the position of the other, or object, or location in terms of distance.

In

'In' indicates the position of inside, or within the limits of a space, or area, which is closed.

• Used with greater places: 'In' is used for locations designed 'in a city', 'in a room', 'in the world'.

On

"On" explains that an object is resting on the surface of another object or where the object is placed a certain distance along a line.

• Used with areas: 'On' designates the position of an object above a flat horizontal surface.
• Used for certain modes of transportation: For instance, "on a bus," "on the train" are appropriate usages in that case, as one is using common transport.

At

The term "at" bears a connotation of a particular geographical point. It used to signify being present in a particular place without necessarily meaning being on or in something.

• Used for a particular places: In this case "at" is simple as in "at the door" or "at the office".

3. Prepositions of Movement

These prepositions of movement can be taken as descriptive of the movement from one place to another, of the movement itself or the particular path taken by an object or person. Subjects are related to how a movement is made or where a given direction leads.

To

When movement is directed to a specific location, the word "to" is preferred. This addresses the point where one or something is heading.

• Used with destinations: As in 'To' there is destination. It goes in front of the verb which describes movement or direction.

Into

"Into" indicates movement, not merely position, from outside to the inside of a given area, thus stressing the change of position.

• Used for gaps in a boundary: "Into" can be used when a subject in a movement from outside to inside an enclosed or other defined boundary.

Onto

"Onto" serves to indicate movement toward being on or in a position on a surface. It interests in the change of a situation- to being on something.

• Used for placing on a surface: A concentration on the direction of how something moves onto or is placed upon a surface.

From

"From" is used to show the starting point of a movement or a journey towards another point. It tells the place from or where someone or something will move to another place.

• Used for starting locations: "From" tells a person where he comes or originates from, where he/she was before moving to another place.

Across

"Across" shows movement from one side of something to another side of something, usually encased in or traversing across a surface.

• Used for crossing spaces: "Across" serves the purpose of spanning over an area and crossing it so that something goes from one side –to the opposite side.

Common Mistakes with Prepositions

Understanding the correct use of preposition can be challenging due to the absence of direct translation rules. Conveys locations, movement through places which is applied to some, not all prepositions. Frequent mistakes occur due to misuse of prepositions with similar meaning but different usages.

• "in," "on," and "at" – "in," "on," or "at" are words used along with places. It is important to note that "in" denotes being in bigger enclosed areas, "on" refers to a surface, while "at" is for precise locations.
• Prepositions and their usage: At times, learners tend to orthographically insert prepositions which are not obligatory, adding superfluity where none is required – for example "enter into", where enter conveys the idea of moving inside something already.
• Prepositions omission: The absence of prepositions that must be present is another common mistake. An example of this is the phrase, "arrive the station" where 'the' should be replaced by 'at', thus 'arrive at the station.'

Prepositions and Idiomatic Phrases

Some prepositions could be used in nominal phrases, which is, they are exceptions to the rules governing the application of prepositions and should be memorized as unchangeable phrases. Such phrases are "on time," "in charge of," "at risk," and "on foot." In such instances, the two prepositions complement the expression and cannot be replaced or deleted.

In mastering English, it is always a must to master the prepositions of time, place, and movement. These little, but meaningful words are connecting links in the sentences, providing answers to the questions 'when', 'where' and 'how' is something performed.