Part One: The Prepositions How to Use Part One Unit 1: About Unit 2: Above Unit 3: Across Unit 4: After Unit 5: Against Unit 6: Ahead Of* Unit 7: Along Unit 8: Among Unit 9: Around Unit 10: As Unit 11: At Unit 12: Back To*/Back From* Unit 13: Before Unit 14: Behind Unit 15: Below Unit 16: Beneath Unit 17: Beside Unit 18: Besides Unit 19: Between Unit 20: Beyond Unit 21: But Unit 22: By Unit 23: Close To* Unit 24: Despite/In Spite Of* Unit 25: Down Unit 26: During Unit 27: Except Unit 28: Far From* Unit 29: For Unit 30: From Unit 31: In Unit 32: In Back Of* Unit 33: In Front Of* Unit 34: Inside Unit 35: Instead Of* Unit 36: Into Unit 37: Like Unit 38: Near Unit 39: Next To* Unit 40: Of Unit 41: Off Unit 42: On Unit 43: Onto Unit 44: On Top Of* Unit 45: Opposite Unit 46: Out Unit 47: Outside Unit 48: Over Unit 49: Past Unit 50: Through Unit 51: Throughout Unit 52: To Unit 53: Toward Unit 54: Towards Unit 55: Under Unit 56: Underneath Unit 57: Until Unit 58: Up Unit 59: With Unit 60: Within Unit 61: Without Part Two: Prepositions by Function How to Use Part Two Unit 1: Time Unit 2: Location Unit 3: Direction Unit 4: Number Unit 5: Weather Unit 6: Source of Information Unit 7: Affiliation Unit 8: Description Unit 9: Wearing Unit 10: Topic Unit 11: Recipient Unit 12: State Unit 13: Separation Unit 14: Attitude Unit 15: Behavior Part Three: Using Prepositions How to Use Part Three Unit 1: Prepositional Phrases Unit 2: Prepositions in Questions Unit 3: Prepositions in Noun Clauses Unit 4: Prepositions in Adjective Clauses Part Four: Phrasal Verbs How to Use Part Four Unit 1: Nonseparable Combinations Unit 2: Must-Be-Separated Combinations Unit 3: Separable Combinations Unit 4: Nonseparable Combinations with an Additional Preposition Unit 5: Separable Combinations with an Additional Preposition Unit 6: Intransitive Combinations Unit 7: Intransitive Verb-Adverb Combinations Followed by a Preposition Unit 8: Phrasal Verbs Used as Nouns Unit 9: Phrasal Verbs Used as Adjectives Part Five: Prepositions as Nouns, Adjectives, and Verbs Unit 1: Nouns Unit 2: Adjectives Unit 3: Verbs Appendices Appendix 1: Answer Key Appendix 2: Index of Phrases *Two- or three-word combinations that function as prepositions Introduction Prepositions pose more problems for the non-native speaker or learner of English than any other part of speech. Why? Prepositions are just little words that never change in form; they are pronounced softly, in unstressed syllables; they aren’t even given capital letters in book titles; native speakers choose the correct ones without thinking. How can they be confusing? The word preposition has a straightforward definition: a word placed before a noun or pronoun to define its relationship with another word in the sentence. For the learner of English, however, prepositions are anything but straightforward.
• Prepositions are difficult, if not impossible, to define without using other prepositions. Example: In the sentence, “The book is on the table,” what does on mean? On means “above and supported by.” • In no other language are the prepositions (if they exist at all) the exact equivalents of English prepositions. Examples: Spanish English Tíralo a la basura. Throw it in the trash.
Vamos a la casa de tu hermano. Let’s go to your brother’s house. Está a la izquierda. It’s on the left.
La celebración empieza a medianoche. The celebration starts at midnight. Italian English Abita a Washington. He lives in Washington.
I’m thinking about/of you. Lui e all’aeroporto. He’s at the airport. German English Er wohnt auf der New Jersey Avenue.
He lives on New Jersey Avenue. Er ist auf dem Flughafen. He is at the airport. Ich denke an dich.
I’m thinking about/of you. Werfen Sie es an den Abfall. Throw it in the trash. • Many preposition words can also be adverbs or conjunctions.
Examples: the preposition down She walked down the hill. the adverb down He put the book down. the preposition after She took a nap after lunch. the conjunction after She went outside after she put the book down.
• Many prepositions can indicate more than one meaning or relationship. Examples with after: later than We rested after lunch. in pursuit of The cat is after the mouse. because of He was angry after the way she acted.
in the style of This is a painting after Picasso. She worked night after continuously night. • Two or more prepositions can have the same meaning. Sometimes these prepositions are interchangeable.
Examples: She is disappointed in her new job. She is disappointed with her new job. Sometimes they are not interchangeable. Examples: He is fascinated with his new job.
(but not in) He is interested in his new job. (but not with) He is bored by his new job. (by or with, but not in) • Many prepositions are also used in expressions where their meaning is entirely different from any of their predictable meanings. Expressions like this do not follow any pattern or logic, and do not allow for substitutions.
They must be learned as vocabulary units. Examples: It’s about time. They are never on time. She got here in time to see the whole show.
• A preposition in combination with another word may have multiple meanings. Example: make up your bed -arrange make up your face -paint make up your mind -decide make up a story -invent make up a list -write down make up the difference -equalize make up last week’s homework -do overdue work make up for lost time -compensate make up with your girlfriend -reestablish a relationship • Different prepositions can follow the same verb to change its meaning completely. Example: break down -collapse break in -enter by force break off -remove break out -erupt break out of -leave by force break through -establish a successful idea break up -end a relationship • New preposition combinations continue to become part of the language. The following examples are relatively new: boot up -restart a computer key in -type text on the computer log on -connect to the Internet act out -misbehave (traditionally act up) change out -replace with swap out -replace with scope out -make a survey of listen up -pay attention • Preposition words are sometimes “made into” other parts of speech.
Examples: prepositions as nouns I want to learn the ins and outs of prepositions. prepositions as The hospital has only a few in patients. There is a down sid adjectives to his idea. prepositions as verbs I heard they were upping the price.
• There are some regional differences in preposition usage among native speakers. Examples: Most of the United States: stand in line New York City: stand on line Most of the United States: graduate from Northeastern United States: graduate high school/college/etc. high school/college/etc. As if all this weren’t enough, English sentence patterns can also be troublesome, especially when prepositions are involved.
The use of articles and pronouns and the formation of questions, adjective clauses, and noun clauses can be tricky. Prepositions is designed to take the mystery out of prepositions for those whose first language is not English. It is a comprehensive handbook and guide that explains in detail the sixty-one commonly used English prepositions and their usage. It is easy to read and understand, and easy to use for quick reference or for more serious study.
Part One consists of a unit for each of the prepositions. Each unit includes all of the predictable definitions of the preposition, with typical grammar patterns, example sentences, and lists of the verbs and nouns that are most often used for each meaning. Idiomatic expressions and phrasal verbs are also defined and illustrated with examples. Part Two provides charts and diagrams that illustrate and compare the functional usage of different prepositions.
Each unit includes exercises and answers that will help the reader remember the guidelines. Part Three gives formulas and examples that describe the use of prepositions before pronouns and verbs, in adjective and noun clauses, and in questions. Exercises at the end of each unit provide practice with these patterns. Part Four is an exploration of phrasal verbs—idiomatic combinations that consist of a verb + a preposition—and of all the different ways these combinations can be used.
Exercises follow each unit. Part Five details cases where prepositions have merged with—and become prefixes to —certain nouns, adjectives, and verbs, giving them more specific meanings. In the appendices you will find answers to the exercises as well as a glossary for reference. This glossary is an alphabetical list of over 3,800 common adjectives, nouns, and verbs with the prepositions that normally precede and/or follow them, with the preposition name and section number of the text where the expression can be found, for further explanation of its meaning and use in a sentence.
To the Teacher This book is designed to be used as a reference, rather than a textbook to be followed unit by unit. It is adaptable for use with students of every level of proficiency—from beginners to those who are quite advanced and are seeking perfection. You are encouraged to pick and choose the units that best fit your particular classes—and order them in a way that works with your own approach and teaching plan. Exercises are included in every part of the book, but you may wish to devise your own instead, or supplement these with types that you know work for your students.
Emphasize to your students that proficiency is best achieved through practice of correct usage, both oral and written, and that repeating the exercises can help them internalize preposition usage so that they will feel confident in speaking and writing. There are explicit instructions throughout that are meant to help students improve proficiency in using prepositions and to get over occasional plateaus, where they feel they are not progressing. When they begin to see the patterns—and follow those patterns—soon they will be using prepositions naturally and will confidently move on to greater proficiency. To the Student No matter what your level of English is, use this book to become more familiar with the patterns of English sentences.
Train your ear to hear prepositions in conversations, and your eye to see them when you read. Ask yourself if you know the underlying meaning of each one. By all means, add new words you hear to the lists in the sections where they belong, and write down new expressions and phrasal verbs as you come across them. Mastering English prepositions is a challenge, but a valuable skill that will enhance your understanding and help you express yourself with confidence.
Following are some specific suggestions: 1. Read the introduction at the beginning of the book. If you are a beginning student of English, begin with Part Two. If you are more advanced, begin with Part One, Part Two, Part Three, or Part Four.
Do the exercises that follow each unit. Write your answers on a separate sheet of paper, not in the book. Check your answers with the Answer Key on p. If you have mistakes, write the correct answers down, and make sure you understand them.
Repeat the exercises until you have no mistakes. Repeat the exercises at different times in the future. This will help you memorize hundreds of expressions, correct usage, and perfect word order. How to Use Part One 1.
Each preposition is described the following ways: - by its basic meaning This is usually a meaning that can be demonstrated and contrasted with the meanings of other prepositions. - by its inclusion in common expressions Many expressions include prepositions that do not carry their basic meaning. The preposition is invariable—it cannot be replaced with a different one. Each expression should be learned as a single unit.