Prepositions. (Like conjunctions and determiners, prepositions can be seen as a kind of sentence glue)

Transcription

1 Prepositions (Like conjunctions and determiners, prepositions can be seen as a kind of sentence glue)

2 The role of prepositions Prepositions act as joining words. They also add information to a sentence by telling us something about the relationship between other words. Prepositions often occur as single words, but can also be multiple-word constructions. (Always try to use a single word preposition if you possibly can. In both academic and professional contexts, it is better to be concise.)

3 What sort of information do prepositions add? As the grammarian Graham King (2000, p.147) says, prepositions have a particular ability to unite two elements in terms of space (to), time (at) and reason (for). That is, prepositions can tell us more about the relationship between two things or ideas in these three ways.

4 Examples of prepositions Space: above, between, over, into, near, beside, along, amid Time: after, at, before, during, since, until, past Others: as, for, in, to, by, with, without

5 Some prepositional phrases Adverbial prepositional phrases: The farmer drove her tractor through the gate. He was sitting in the dining room. The businesswoman vanished with the cash. (In each of these examples, the phrase tells us more about the verb of the sentence. That is why we call such phrases adverbial even though they are led by prepositions. One role played by adverbs is to tell us more about verbs.) Adjectival prepositional phrases: She drove along the road to the farm. He sat at a table near the window. She was one of those responsible for the company s collapse. (As adjectives do, each of these examples tells more about a noun or pronoun.)

6 How do I know which preposition to use? Firstly, think about your intended meaning. For instance, did she drive her car near the house, under the house or into the house?

7 Which preposition to choose? Secondly, try to use a short preposition rather than a long one. Here are some long-winded examples, with shorter, preferable alternatives in brackets. as a consequence of (because of) in the course of (during) for the purpose of (to) in the neighbourhood of (about) in addition to (besides) prior to (before) in case of (if) subsequent to (after) on the grounds that (because) in excess of (more than) for the reason that (because) in order to (to) (Drawn from King, 2000, p. 149)

8 Which preposition to choose? Thirdly, speak and read as much in English as you can so that you get a feel for which verbs and contexts demand particular prepositions. In many cases, the choice is a matter of idiom usual practice. For instance, we aim at something, we feel disgust for certain kinds of behaviour, we may feel superior to some kinds of people or we may be oblivious of looming disaster.

9 More about choice of preposition You need to read, listen to and speak English as much as you can in order to learn and reinforce that you go to the theatre, or have a good time at the cinema, but have a holiday in Italy and land on the moon, or to learn that although you feel anger with somebody you feel regret for some aspect of the past.

10 Preposition rules It used to be taboo to end a sentence with a preposition, perhaps because many literate English-speaking people knew Latin, a language in which such an ending was simply not possible in written form. These days, we are more relaxed about this rule. However, in formal written English, it is still a good idea to avoid ending with a preposition if it makes a sentence look and sound clumsy. For instance, an awkward construction such as, The Health Department conducted an inquiry into the manufacture of the cereals the supermarkets were supplied with would be smoother and easier to process if it were phrased: The Health Department conducted an inquiry into the manufacture of the cereals with which the supermarkets were supplied. On the other hand, especially in everyday English, if you are sure that it is necessary to end a sentence with a preposition to avoid clumsiness and think that there is no better way of phrasing the sentence then just go ahead! (For instance, I can t think of anyone I d rather go with. )

11 Below are some prepositions in use in sentences: Because he was such a moody man, I did not enjoy working for him. The firm invited its biggest clients to drinks before the meeting. The firm s representatives said that they would meet us at six o clock. The airline said that her suitcases were over the baggage weight limit. She was promoted instead of her colleague. The company s offices are near the station. During the lecture, he could not help daydreaming. She works until midnight every night.

12 References Jose, J. (2000). Study Skills Online. King, G. (2009). Improve Your Grammar. Glasgow, UK: Collins. Thomson, A.J. & Martinet, A.V. (1977). A Practical English Grammar (2 nd ed.). OUP, Oxford. Loberger, G. & Shoup, K. (2009). Webster s New World English Grammar Handbook (2 nd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Practice Resource: Murphy, R. (2004). English Grammar in Use (3 rd ed.). Cambridge, UK: CUP. Units