Bahasa Inggeris notes, unit 6

Prepositions, conjunctions and spotting errors

Textbook English Form 1 KSSM (2016, older edition) — skills-based units for the UASA, pages Skills unit (UASA Paper format)

What this chapter covers

I can use at, on and in correctly with times, days, dates, months and years (6.1)
I can describe where things are with prepositions of place such as under, next to, between, opposite and in front of (6.2)
I can use common verbs and adjectives with the right preposition, like listen to, wait for, good at and afraid of (6.3)
I can join ideas with and, but, so, because, although, when and while (6.4)
I can make the verb agree with its subject, like "My father drives" and "The students are" (6.5)
I can find and correct the underlined error in a UASA Paper 1 Part 2 text, step by step (6.6)

Small words cause big mistakes. In this unit you will learn the little words that show time and place (prepositions), the words that join ideas (conjunctions), and how to make the verb agree with its subject. Then you will use all of it in UASA Paper 1 Part 2, where you read a text, find the underlined errors and write the correct word. Part 2 has 8 questions, worth 8 marks, and you should spend about 15 minutes on it.

6.1Prepositions of time: at, on, in

A preposition is a small word that comes before a noun to show time, place or direction: at 7.00, on Monday, in the library.

For time, three prepositions do most of the work. Think of them as going from small to big.

Preposition	Use it with	Examples
at (a point)	clock times, meal times, short moments, night, the weekend	at 7.30 a.m., at noon, at lunchtime, at night, at the weekend, at the end of the lesson
on (a day)	days, dates, special days, a day + part of the day	on Monday, on Sundays, on 31 August, on Hari Raya, on my birthday, on Friday afternoon
in (a longer time)	parts of the day, months, years, seasons, centuries, long periods	in the morning, in the evening, in March, in 2026, in the school holidays, in the 21st century

Small to big

The sports day starts at 8.00 a.m. on Saturday, 12 September. It happens in September every year. My cousin was born in 2013, in the month of May, on a rainy Tuesday.

Look at what comes after the gap. A number with a.m. or p.m. → at. A day or a date → on. A month, a year or "the morning" → in. But one day + part of the day takes on: in the morning, but on Monday morning.

No preposition with these time words

Do not put at, on or in before last, next, this, every, today, tomorrow or yesterday.

Wrong	Right
We went to Melaka on last Saturday.	We went to Melaka last Saturday.
I will see you at tomorrow.	I will see you tomorrow.
She swims in every morning.	She swims every morning.

Other useful time prepositions

Preposition	Meaning	Example
before / after	earlier than / later than	Wash your hands before meals. We play futsal after school.
during	all through, or at some time in, an event	Do not talk during the test.
from ... to / until	the start and end of a period	The shop opens from 9.00 a.m. to 10.00 p.m. I waited until five o'clock.
for	how long (a period)	We stayed in Kuching for three days.
since	from a point in the past until now	Amir has lived in Johor Bahru since 2020.
by	not later than	Send your form by Friday.

Common mistakes: "My birthday is in 14 March" → on 14 March (a date). "The class starts on 8.00" → at 8.00. "I was born on 2013" → in 2013. "I have studied here ~~since~~ two years" → for two years (a period).

Fill in at, on, in or nothing (–).
(a) The bus leaves ____ 6.45 a.m.
(b) We have a spelling test ____ Thursday.
(c) Merdeka Day is ____ August.
(d) I visited my grandmother ____ last week.

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(a) at (a clock time) (b) on (a day) (c) in (a month) (d) – (no preposition before last)

6.2Prepositions of place and movement

Prepositions of place tell us where something is. Look at where the ball is in each picture.

Eight small pictures of a red ball and a box: in, on, under (a table), next to, between two boxes, behind, in front of and above — Where is the ball?

At, on, in for places

Preposition	Use it for	Examples
at	a point or a place where something happens	at the bus stop, at the door, at school, at home, at the counter, at the end of the road
on	a surface, a line, a floor of a building	on the table, on the wall, on the board, on the second floor, on Jalan Ampang, on page 12
in	inside a space, an area, a town or a country	in the box, in the classroom, in the canteen, in Ipoh, in Sabah, in Malaysia

Arrive in a town or country (arrive in Kuantan), but arrive at a building or a point (arrive at the airport, arrive at school). Never say "arrive to".

More prepositions of place

Preposition	Example
under / below	The cat is sleeping under the car.
above / over	The clock is above the whiteboard.
next to / beside	Mei Ling sits next to Kavitha.
between (two things)	The bank is between the bakery and the post office.
opposite (facing)	The school is opposite the mosque.
in front of / behind	The flag pole is in front of the office. The field is behind the canteen.
near	We live near the night market.

Prepositions of movement

Preposition	Example
to (a place you go)	We went to Langkawi by ferry.
into / out of	He jumped into the pool. She took the books out of her bag.
across (from one side to the other)	Use the bridge to walk across the river.
along (following a line)	We cycled along the beach.
through (in one side and out the other)	The train went through a long tunnel.
up / down	Farah ran up the stairs.

Common mistakes: "I go to home" → I go home (no to before home). "He is in the bus stop" → at the bus stop. "The poster is at the wall" → on the wall. "We arrived to the hall" → arrived at the hall.

Choose the correct word.
(a) Put your shoes (in / on) the rack outside the door.
(b) The surau is (between / opposite) the library and the hall.
(c) We arrived (in / at) Kota Kinabalu at night.

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(a) on (a surface) (b) between (two places) (c) in (a city)

6.3Verbs and adjectives with prepositions

Some verbs and adjectives always go with the same preposition. There is no rule; learn them as pairs, like one word.

Verb + preposition

Pair	Example
listen to	Please listen to the announcement.
wait for	I am waiting for my father.
look at / look for	Look at the board. I am looking for my pencil case (trying to find it).
belong to	This bottle belongs to Hakim.
depend on	Our trip depends on the weather.
agree with (a person)	I agree with you.
talk about / talk to	We talked about the match. I talked to the teacher.
apologise for / thank someone for	He apologised for being late. Thank you for the gift.
take care of	My sister takes care of our cat.

Adjective + preposition

Pair	Example
good at / bad at	Aiman is good at badminton.
afraid of / scared of	My brother is afraid of the dark.
interested in	Are you interested in joining the Scouts?
proud of	We are proud of our school choir.
full of	The pasar malam was full of people.
kind to	Be kind to animals.
different from	Sabah food is different from Kelantan food.
famous for	Penang is famous for its street food.
worried about / excited about	Siti is worried about the test.

Common Malaysian mistakes, where no preposition is needed:
"We ~~discussed about~~ the project" → We discussed the project.
"She ~~entered into~~ the room" → She entered the room.
"He ~~reached to~~ school late" → He reached school late.
"Please ~~return back~~ the book" → Please return the book.
And "I ~~am agree~~" → I agree (agree is a verb, so no am).

Correct the mistake in each sentence.
(a) Kumar is very good in Mathematics.
(b) We must discuss about the trip tomorrow.
(c) I am agree with Puan Zura.

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(a) good at Mathematics (b) discuss the trip (take out about) (c) I agree with Puan Zura (take out am)

6.4Conjunctions: joining ideas

A conjunction joins two words or two ideas: and, but, so, because.

Each one has its own meaning, so choose it by asking: how are the two ideas connected?

Conjunction	Meaning	Example
and	adds a similar idea	Hana likes reading and she writes poems too.
but	shows a contrast (the opposite idea)	The shoes are nice, but they are too expensive.
so	gives the result	It was raining, so we stayed indoors.
because	gives the reason	We stayed indoors because it was raining.
although	a surprising contrast in one sentence	Although he was tired, he finished his homework.
when	at the time something happens (often a short action)	When the bell rang, everyone stood up.
while	during a longer action	Mum cooked dinner while I was bathing my brother.

So and because are opposites in direction. Reason + so + result: I was hungry, so I ate. Result + because + reason: I ate because I was hungry. If you swap them, the sentence becomes nonsense.

One fact, four ways

Fact 1: Danial missed the bus. Fact 2: He woke up late.
Danial woke up late, so he missed the bus.
Danial missed the bus because he woke up late.
Danial woke up late, but he did not miss the bus. (a different story: contrast)
Although Danial woke up late, he did not miss the bus.

Commas

Put a comma before but and so when they join two full sentences. Put a comma after the first part when a sentence starts with although, when or because: When I reached home, I had a shower.

Common mistakes:
"~~Although~~ it was hot, ~~but~~ we played football." Use only one: Although it was hot, we played football. or It was hot, but we played football.
"~~Because~~ I was sick." on its own is not a full sentence. Join it: I stayed at home because I was sick.
"I was tired, ~~because~~ I went to bed early." The second idea is a result, so use so.

Join with the word in brackets.
(a) Mira studied hard. She passed the test. (so)
(b) We could not swim. The sea was rough. (because)
(c) The food was cheap. It was delicious. (although)

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(a) Mira studied hard, so she passed the test.
(b) We could not swim because the sea was rough.
(c) Although the food was cheap, it was delicious. (or: The food was delicious although it was cheap.)

6.5Subject-verb agreement

The subject is the person or thing that does the action: My father drives. The students walk.

In the present tense, the verb must agree with the subject: one person or thing (he, she, it, my father, the dog) takes a verb with -s; more than one (they, we, the boys) takes the verb with no -s.

Subject	be	have	Other verbs
I	am	have	I play
He / She / It / one person or thing	is (past: was)	has	She plays, My father drives, The shop opens
You / We / They / more than one	are (past: were)	have	They play, The students walk

Rules that catch people out

Rule	Example
Two subjects joined by and are plural.	Ali and his sister are in the choir.
Each, every, everyone, everybody, nobody are singular.	Everyone is here. Each student has a locker.
One of + plural noun takes a singular verb.	One of my friends lives in Miri.
Find the real subject; ignore the words in between.	The boys in my class are noisy. The box of crayons is on the table.
There is + singular, There are + plural.	There is a cat. There are two cats.
After does, did, can, will, to: the base form, no -s.	Does she like durian? She can swim. He wants to go.

Common mistakes: "He go to school by bus" → He goes. "My mother ~~cook~~ nasi lemak every Sunday" → cooks. "The students is ready" → are. "Everyone ~~are~~ happy" → is. "She ~~don't~~ like fish" → doesn't. "Does he ~~plays~~...?" → Does he play...?

Spelling the -s: most verbs add -s (plays, reads). After -s, -sh, -ch, -x, -o add -es (watches, washes, goes, does). Consonant + y → -ies (study → studies, but play → plays).

Choose the correct verb.
(a) My uncle (sell / sells) fish at the market.
(b) The books on the shelf (is / are) new.
(c) Each of the girls (have / has) a badge.

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(a) sells (one person) (b) are (the subject is books, not shelf) (c) has (each is singular)

6.6Spotting and correcting errors (Paper 1 Part 2)

In Paper 1 Part 2 you read one text with eight underlined words (questions 9 to 16). Each underlined word is wrong. You write one correct word for each. There is always an example, (0), at the start.

The commonest error types

In real UASA Form 1 papers, the answer schemes name the grammar point of each error. These come up again and again:

Error type	Wrong (underlined)	Correct	What to check
Tense	Yesterday we visit the zoo.	visited	Time words: yesterday, last week, ago → past
Subject-verb agreement	She always help her mother.	helps	Is the subject one or many?
After a modal or to	We should saved money.	save	can, should, must, will, to + base form
Pronoun	He lost he wallet.	his	Before a noun: my, his, her, our, their
Preposition	The match is in Saturday.	on	Time/place rules and fixed pairs (6.1 to 6.3)
Article	She is a honest girl.	an	a / an / the; an before a vowel sound
Conjunction	I was hungry, because I ate.	so	How are the two ideas connected?
Singular or plural noun	one of my friend	friends	one of / many / two + plural; a / another / each + singular
Word form	She sings beautiful.	beautifully	Describing a verb → adverb (-ly)

The method: five steps

Read the whole text once without stopping. Find out what it is about and whether it tells a past story (past tense) or gives facts and habits (present tense).
Look at the example (0). It shows you how to answer: one word only.
For each underlined word, ask "what kind of word is it?" A verb? Check tense and agreement. A pronoun? Check it fits the noun. A small word (at, on, but, so, a)? Check the rule.
Look left and right. The clue is usually next to the error: the subject before a verb, the noun after a preposition, the time word in the sentence.
Write one word, spelt correctly, then read the sentence again with your word in it. Does it sound right?

Worked example

My brother Irfan (0) love football. Every evening he (9) play with (10) he friends at the field near our flat. Last Sunday, his team (11) win a match in Ipoh. He was very proud (12) with his team.

No.	Thinking (steps 3 and 4)	Answer
0	Verb. Subject = my brother (one person), a habit → present with -s.	loves
9	Verb. Subject = he, every evening = habit → -s.	plays
10	Pronoun. It comes before a noun (friends), so we need the possessive form of he.	his
11	Verb. Last Sunday → past tense. Win is irregular.	won
12	Preposition after an adjective. The pair is proud of.	of

In the real paper, every underlined word is an error. If you think a word is correct, you have probably missed the clue: check the subject, the time words and the word after it.

Answer mistakes that lose marks: writing the whole sentence instead of one word; copying the wrong word again; spelling the correction wrongly (beautifuly, studys); writing two words when one is asked for.

Correct the underlined errors.
Our school canteen is very clean. The canteen operator, Puan Salmah, (a) wash the tables every afternoon. Students must queue (b) at front of the counter. Last week, the canteen (c) win a prize for the cleanest canteen in the district. We were all happy (d) but proud.

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(a) washes (subject-verb agreement: Puan Salmah = one person, habit) (b) in (the phrase is in front of) (c) won (past tense: last week) (d) and (conjunction: two similar ideas, not a contrast)

Summary

Topic	Remember
Time	at 7.00, at night; on Monday, on 5 May; in May, in 2026, in the morning. No preposition before last, next, every, tomorrow.
Place	at a point (at the bus stop); on a surface (on the wall); in a space or town (in the hall, in Ipoh). Go home, not go to home.
Pairs	listen to, wait for, look at, belong to, depend on; good at, afraid of, interested in, proud of, full of. Discuss / enter / reach with no preposition. I agree, not I am agree.
Conjunctions	and (add), but (contrast), so (result), because (reason), although (surprising contrast), when (at that time), while (during a longer action). Never although ... but.
Agreement	He / she / it / one thing + verb-s; they / we / many + verb. Each, every, everyone = singular. Find the real subject.
Part 2	Read all → look at (0) → what kind of word? → look left and right → write one word, spelt correctly, and reread.