The 5-Minute Preposition Workout

A Little Daily Practice Transforms Everything

After 25 years of teaching English, I've learned one truth:

Consistent practice beats occasional cramming.

Just 5 minutes of focused preposition practice daily will transform your ability to hear these crucial word patterns.

Let's build your daily workout routine.

The Workout Plan

This 5-minute workout has three parts:

1. Listen (2 minutes)
2. Shadow (2 minutes)
3. Dictate (1 minute)

You'll cycle through three core preposition patterns we covered this week:

• Verb + preposition combinations
• Time preposition rules
• Phrasal expressions with "to"

Workout #1: Verb + Preposition Combinations

This exercise focuses on the most common verb-preposition marriages.

Listen (2 minutes):

Listen to sentences with essential verb + preposition patterns:

• "I listen TO music every morning. I wait FOR the bus."
• "She looks AT the screen. We talk TO our friends."
• "He thinks ABOUT the problem. They depend ON electricity."

Shadow (2 minutes):

1. Listen to each sentence
2. Repeat immediately, keeping verb and preposition connected
3. Don't pause between the verb and preposition

Dictate (1 minute):

1. Listen to three new sentences
2. Write them down word for word
3. Check if you caught all the prepositions correctly

Workout #2: Time Preposition Patterns

This exercise targets the AT/ON/IN time system.

Listen (2 minutes):

Listen to sentences with time expressions:

• "I wake up AT 6 AM ON weekdays IN January."
• "The meeting is AT noon ON Monday IN the conference room."
• "We study AT night ON weekends IN the summer."

Shadow (2 minutes):

1. Listen to each sentence
2. Repeat immediately, emphasizing the time prepositions
3. Feel the rhythm: AT (precise), ON (days), IN (periods)

Dictate (1 minute):

1. Listen to three new sentences
2. Write them down word for word
3. Check if you used the correct time prepositions

Workout #3: Phrasal Expression Challenge

This exercise focuses on complete phrasal units with "to."

Listen (2 minutes):

Listen to sentences with tricky phrasal expressions:

• "I'm looking forward TO seeing you.”
• “I'm accustomed TO getting up early."
• "She objects TO smoking indoors.”
• “We're committed TO improving."
• "I prefer coffee TO tea.”
• “He's devoted TO helping others."

Shadow (2 minutes):

1. Listen to each sentence
2. Repeat immediately, treating phrasal expressions as single units
3. Remember: after these phrases, use -ing forms

Dictate (1 minute):

1. Listen to three new sentences
2. Write them down word for word
3. Check if you used -ing after "to" in phrasal expressions

Using The Less Said Podcast

The Less Said Podcast is perfect for practicing preposition patterns:

1. Choose any episode
2. Listen for one minute, focusing on one preposition type
3. Try shadow speaking for one minute
4. Pause and write down three sentences you heard
5. Check if you caught the prepositions correctly

Daily Practice Schedule

Rotate through the three workouts:

Monday/Thursday: Verb + preposition combinations Tuesday/Friday: Time preposition patterns
Wednesday/Saturday: Phrasal expressions Sunday: Mix all three patterns

The Preposition Priority List

Focus on these high-frequency combinations first:

Essential Verb + Preposition:

• Listen TO
• Wait FOR
• Look AT
• Think ABOUT
• Talk TO

Essential Time Patterns:

• AT + clock times
• ON + days/dates
• IN + months/years/longer periods

Essential Phrasal Expressions:

• Looking forward TO + -ing
• Used TO + -ing (accustomed)
• Object TO + -ing

Remember:

Prepositions aren't random words.

They follow patterns that native speakers feel instinctively.

With daily practice, your ear will develop the same automatic recognition.

You'll stop translating and start feeling which preposition sounds right.

Next week, we'll explore word order and structure challenges. How can you train your ear to expect English word patterns instead of translating from your native language? Stay tuned!