Prepositions

Question 1

The formula, with variations
To describe a prepositional phrase we can borrow some math shorthand (although our description does not really function like an equation–the preposition must always come first!)

Answer 1

preposition + noun or pronoun = prepositional phrase

without Suzanna
without her

Stuff can be added between, usually in the form of various adjectives, but a prepositional phrase always begins with the preposition and ends with the noun (or pronoun):

preposition + adjectives + noun or pronoun = prepositional phrase

in a yellow submarine
of the best and brightest students
above it

Question 2

The noun (or pronoun) that ends a prepositional phrase is called the object of the preposition.

Answer 2

in a yellow submarine
of the best and brightest students

Question 3

prepositional phrases may also end with pronouns, and those pronouns must be objective pronouns: her (not she), him (not he), me (not I), them (not they), us (not we)

Answer 3

Rossi will come with her and me.
Why council members didn’t explain about it was beyond us.

Question 4

Example of Prepositions

Answer 4

about
below
inside
throughout
above
beneath
into
to
across
beside
like
toward
after
between
near
under
against
beyond
of
underneath
along
by
off
unlike
among
down
on
until
around
during
out
up
as
except
outside
upon
at
for
over
with
before
from
past
within
behind
in
through
without

Question 5

Prepositions – Time (IN)

Answer 5

Usage:
 months/seasons
 years
 time of day
 centuries and historical periods
 after a certain period of time

Example:
 in August/in the summer
 in 1985
 in the evening
 in the 19th century
 Mystic Market closes in two hours.

Question 6

Prepositions – Time (AT)

Answer 6

Usage:
 time of days
 noon, night, and midnight
 names of mealtime
 age

Example:
 at 2:30
 at night
 at breakfast
 I learned how to use a computer at 12.

Question 7

Prepositions – Time (ON)

Answer 7

Usage:
days of the week

Example:
on Friday
“On 12 March, I first learnt to swim.”
“Let’s all meet up on Tuesday.”
“She felt nervous on her wedding day.”
“I don’t want to work on my birthday!”

Question 8

Prepositions – Time (SINCE)

Answer 8

Usage:
from a period of time up to the present (when it started)

Example:
I have been a student since 2004.

Question 9

Prepositions – Time (FOR)

Answer 9

Usage:
how long a period of time has been

Example:
I have been a student here for 2 years.

Question 10

Prepositions – Time (FROM…TO…)

Answer 10

Usage:
the beginning and end of a period of time

Example:
My appointment is from 13:30 to 14:00.

Question 11

Prepositions – Time (UNTIL)

Answer 11

Usage:
a period of time up to a specific point in time

Example:
I cannot go dancing until I finish reading this chapter.

Question 12

Prepositions – Time (BY)

Answer 12

USage:
 in the sense of ‘‘at the latest’’
 due date

Example:
 You must return your book by April 21st.
 My essay is due by the end of the week.

Question 13

Prepositions – Place (Location and Direction) - IN

Answer 13

Usage:
when something is in a place, it is inside it (enclosed within limits)

Example:
 in class/in Victoria
 in the book
 in the car/in a taxi
 You look serious in this photo.

Question 14

Prepositions – Place (Location and Direction) - AT

Answer 14

Usage:
 located at a specific place (a point)
 for events
 place where you are to do something typical (watch a movie, study, work)

Example:
 at the library
 at a concert/at a party
 at the cinema/at school/at work

Question 15

Prepositions – Place (Location and Direction) - ON

Answer 15

Usage:
 being on a surface (not enclosed)
 for a certain side (left, right)
 for a floor in a building
 for public transport
 for television, radio

Example:
 I left the keys on the table.
 Go down this hall to the end, turn right, and it’s the third door on your left.
 My apartment is on the fourth floor.
 I forgot my phone on the bus.
 You can hear my brother on the radio.

Question 16

Prepositions – Place (Location and Direction) - TO

Answer 16

Usage:
moving toward a specific place (the goal or end point of movement)

Example:
Every morning, I take the bus to campus.

Question 17

Prepositions – Place (Location and Direction) - FROM

Answer 17

Usage:
for the origin or starting point

Example:
 I used carrots from my garden.
 I received a suspicious email from my bank.  I will be on vacation from July 31 for a week.

Question 18

Prepositions – Place (Location and Direction) - TOWARDS

Answer 18

Usage:
movement in direction of something

Example:
I suddenly saw a dog running towards me.

Question 19

Prepositions – Place (Location and Direction) - ACROSS

Answer 19

Usage:
movement from one side to another

Example:
 There is a coffee shop across the street.
 I swam across the lake.

Question 20

Prepositions – Place (Location and Direction) - THROUGH

Answer 20

Usage:
movement from one side to another but ‘‘in something’

Example:
 I entered the room through an open window.
 You have to go through the kitchen to get to the bathroom.

Question 21

Prepositions – Place (Location and Direction) - BETWEEN

Answer 21

Usage:
a place ‘‘in the middle’’ of two or more separate people or things

Example:
 I was standing between my friend and his parents.
 The gap between the rich and poor keeps growing.

Question 22

Prepositions – Place (Location and Direction) - AMONG

Answer 22

Usage:
a place ‘‘surrounded’’ by more than two people or things together as a group (in the sense of ‘‘included in’’)

Example:
 France is among the countries of Western Europe.
 Among the advantages of exercising regularly are lower risks of depression and a better quality of life.

Question 23

Prepositions - Connections - OF

Answer 23

Usage:
 between two noun phrases to show that the first belongs to or is part of the second
 to say how people are related

Example:
 The keyboard of my computer is pink.
 Richard is the son of Audrey/He is a good friend of mine.

Question 24

Prepositions - Connections - WITH

Answer 24

Usage:
 Between two noun phrases when the second is a particular feature of the first
 to say that people or things are together
 for the specific thing used to perform an action

Example:
 I spilled coffee on the computer with a pink keyboard.
 I think Sarah is studying with Tara/I went to a workshop with my friend.
 My roommate killed a spider with a book.

Question 25

Prepositions - Connections - BY

Answer 25

Usage:
when we want to describe an action in a more general way

Example:
My roommate saved my live by killing the spider.

Question 26

Prepositions in Academic Writing (ABOUT)

Answer 26

Usage:
For topics (in the sense of ‘‘with regard to/concerned with’’)

Example:
She was the author of many books about the history of ancient Egypt.

Question 27

Prepositions in Academic Writing (FOR)

Answer 27

Usage:
with a purpose/giving a reason (associated with an action; shortened form of ‘‘for the purpose of’’)

Example:
 The concept of class is important for understanding how society works.
 Theories about strategies for linking nouns and verbs

Question 28

Prepositions in Academic Writing (FROM)

Answer 28

Usage:
the origin, cause or agent of something

Example:
The meaning is often hard to guess from the individual words.

Question 29

Prepositions in Academic Writing (IN)

Answer 29

Usage:
inclusion, location or position within a time period or limits

Example:
You can see this in works by contemporary authors.

Question 30

Prepositions in Academic Writing (ON)

Answer 30

Usage:
the basis for something

Example:
Many engineers proceed on the assumption that the digital age is unique.

Question 31

Prepositions in Academic Writing (OF)

Answer 31

Usage:
 belonging to, relating to, or connected with  describe a relation/causation
 the origin, cause, motive or reason of something

Example:
 The results of the investigation are still relevant.
 The root of the problem is the absence of any evidence supporting our thesis.
 Henderson discovered that the king died of poisoning by analyzing blood samples.

Question 32

Prepositions in Academic Writing (BY)

Answer 32

Usage:
describe a direct cause or agent

Example:
According to folklore, he was killed by strangulation by the Mad King when he protested the new tax.

Question 33

Prepositions in Academic Writing (WITH)

Answer 33

Usage:
 connected to something and near something
 using something

Example:
 Respondents were asked to indicate levels of agreement with statements regarding immigration.
 It is difficult to infer any definitive conclusion with the available data.

Question 34

Prepositions in Academic Writing (BETWEEN)

Answer 34

Usage:
marking a connection

Example:
In this study, they investigated the relationship between education, diet and health.