Grammar for English Language Teachers - Prepositions Flashcards
Why are prepositions so problematic for learners?
a) English has such a range of prepositions
b) there is often little meaning attached to the choice of preposition used
What can teachers and learners do to assist preposition learning?
Teachers can teach them as part of longer chunks, rather than individually, as single words.
Students can learn to use dictionaries to assist them.
What are prepositions?
The traditional prepositions are very short words, like at, to, etc…
There are also longer words/phrases that function as prepositions, such as ‘in the event of’, and participles, such as ‘concerning’.
Where do prepositions come in a sentence?
Usually, just before a noun, at the beginning of a noun phrase, or immediately after a verb.
They can come at the end of a clause in questions with wh- words, passives, and relative clauses.
It is also possible to put them, rather formally, before direct questions, e.g. At what time is the dinner?
What are prepositions?
The traditional prepositions are very short words, like at, to, etc…
There are also longer words/phrases that function as prepositions, such as ‘in the event of’, and participles, such as ‘concerning’.
Where do prepositions come in a sentence?
Usually, just before a noun, at the beginning of a noun phrase, or immediately after a verb.
They can come at the end of a clause in questions with wh- words, passives, and relative clauses.
It is also possible to put them, rather formally, before direct questions, e.g. At what time is the dinner?
Which prepositions show place and time?
at in into on to
Which prepositions show logical relationships?
Cause and Effect: because of, owing to, as a result of
Contrast: despite, in spite of
Exemplification: like, such as
Exception: apart from, except
Service: for, on behalf of
Which prepositions show place and time?
at in into on to
Which prepositions show logical relationships?
Cause and Effect: because of, owing to, as a result of
Contrast: despite, in spite of
Exemplification: like, such as
Exception: apart from, except
Service: for, on behalf of
What is a dependent preposition?
These are prepositions which function as linking words, and often carry no meaning. They combine with adjectives - afraid of, crazy about - nouns, process of, difficulty in - and verbs - combine with, listen to.
Are there any patterns to dependent prepositions?
Yes.
abstract nouns and nouns which express likes and dislikes often carry ‘of’.
nouns which express communication often carry ‘with’.
What are idiomatic preposition phrases?
Some prepositions are used in fixed expressions containing a noun, such as ‘beneath contempt’ and ‘on good terms’.
Are there any important variant uses?
Yes.
different from is sometimes changed to different to.
speak to is sometimes changed to speak with.
similar to is sometimes changed to similar with.
oblivious to is sometimes changed to oblivious of
What other word classes can common prepositions function as?
Words such as ‘along’ and ‘past’ function as adverbs if they come last in the sentence.
Words such as ‘after’ and ‘before’ can be preposition or conjunctions.
