介词

Prepositions

Definition

Prepositions are used to express the relationship of a noun or pronoun 
(or another grammatical element functioning as a noun) to the rest of the sentence
Some common prepositions are 
in, 
on, 
for, 
to, 
of, 
with, 
and about, 
though there are many others.

Prepositional Phrases

which can function as either adjectives or (more commonly) adverbs.
• “There is a film at noon we could see.” (adjectival, modifying the noun film)
• “He hit the nail with a hammer.” (adverbial, modifying the verb hit)
but it can also contain modifiers that add additional meaning to the object
• “He arrived to school in a red car.”
• “We keep the lawnmower in the shed out back.”

Adjective complements

• “Megan was afraid of thunderstorms.”
• “Philip is upset about what was said.”
• “We are very pleased with the number of donations we received.”

Choosing the appropriate preposition

Common Prepositional Errors

✖ “I had breakfast with cereal and milk.” (incorrect)
✔ “I had cereal and milk for breakfast.” (correct)
✔ “I had cereal with milk for breakfast.”

✖ “I go to work with my car.”
✔ “I go to work by car.”
✔ “I go to work in my car.”

Categories of prepositions

Prepositions vs. Infinitives

• “I often ride my bicycle to work.” (preposition of direction)
• “I often ride my bicycle to stay healthy.” (infinitive)
 infinitives always use the word to with the base or bare form of a verb,
while the preposition to is always followed by a noun, pronoun, or a grammatical element functioning as a noun.

Prepositional Phrases

Definition

Examples

• on the ground — On describes the location in relation to the ground.
• of the bedroom — Of specifies that whatever is being discussed is particular to the bedroom.
• down the dark alley — Down describes the direction of movement in relation to alley, while the adjective dark is a modifier specifying that the alley is not well lit.

Prepositional phrases can behave in two ways in a sentence: 
as an adjective modifying a noun, 
or as an adverb modifying a verb, adjective, or adverb.

Adjectival Prepositional Phrases

• Which one?
• What kind?
• How many or how much?

Examples

• “The cat on the shed is black.”
• “I would like to buy some flowers in a glass vase.”
• “People from many different countries have visited here.”

Adverbial Prepositional Phrases

• When?
• Where?
• How (in what way)?
• Why (for what purpose)?
• To what extent?

Examples

Verbs

• “She will leave after a short run.”
• “I ran a mile down the road.”
Even though the prepositional phrase down the road follows the noun mile, it actually describes the verb run. Here it is answering the question where: “Where did you run (a mile)?” “Down the road.”
An adverbial preposition can also be placed at different places in the sentence when modifying a verb, such as at the beginning. For example:
• “Because of my operation, I had to cancel my flight.”
The prepositional phrase because of my operation, which opens the sentence, is describing the verb cancel—in this instance, it is describing why the speaker had to cancel.

Adjectives and adverbs

• “I was delighted with the results.”
and it answers the question “Why are you delighted?” Even though delighted is paired with the linking verb was, the prepositional phrase very clearly describes the adjective rather than the verb.

• “I can get there more quickly on my new bike.”
Here, on my new bike describes the adverb more quickly, 	answering the question “How?” or “In what manner?”

Multiple Prepositional Phrases

Examples

• “During the Christmas break, I visited my old school behind our house.”
The first, during the Christmas break, is an adverbial prepositional phrase. We know this because it comes at the very beginning of the sentence, and it describes the verb visited (answering the question “When?”).
The second prepositional phrase is behind our house. It is an adjectival prepositional phrase, modifying the noun school and answering the question “Which one?”

• “We ended our game with the neighbors at once when we heard our parents calling.”
Here, two prepositional phrases occur one after the other. The first one, with the neighbors, describes the noun game, so it is adjectival. The second prepositional phrase, at once, describes the verb ended, even though it comes quite a bit later in the sentence. Because it describes a verb, it is an adverbial prepositional phrase.

• “While I was home for the summer after my first semester of college, I decided to work in a store to earn some extra cash.”
This sentence features four prepositional phrases, three of which occur in succession.
The first is for the summer. It is functioning as an adverb to describe the verb phrase was home, specifying when the speaker was at home. (In this case it is describing a duration of time.)
Even though the second prepositional phrase, after my first semester, seems to describe the first one, it is actually also describing the verb phrase to further clarify when the speaker was home. In this instance, you can reverse the prepositional phrases—“While I was home after my first semester for the summer”—and still have the clause make complete sense (even if it’s not as clearly written).
However, the third prepositional phrase, of college, is an adjectival prepositional phrase— it is describing the noun phrase my first semester, which is the object of the second prepositional phrase. Here, it serves to answer the question  which (or even what kind) about the semester being discussed. 
As such, it is “tied” to that preposition: it would not make sense to place it elsewhere in the sentence. 
For instance, “While I was home for the summer of college after my first semester” does not make sense. The final prepositional phrase, 
in a store, is much easier to understand. It is an adverbial prepositional phrase modifying the verb work, and specifies where the speaker is going to work

Categories of Prepositions

Defining Categories

Prepositions of time

Prepositions of place

Prepositions of direction or movement

Prepositions of agency

• “The house was built by the three siblings.” (passive)
• “The three siblings built the house.” (active)
• “Her heart is filled with emotion.” (passive)
• “Emotion filled her heart.” (active)

Prepositions of instrument or device

• “Aunt Patricia returned home by ferry.”
• “She opened the locked door with an old key.”
• “May I finish my homework on your computer?”

Prepositions of reason or purpose

• “Everything I did was for you.”
• “Through her bravery, we were able to escape unharmed.”
• “Because of the delay, I was late to the parade.”
• “The employees refused to work on account of their low pay.”
• “He knows from experience how to deal with them.”

Prepositions of connection

• “The Statue of Liberty is located in New York Harbor.”
• “A well-written essay is impressive to teachers.”
• “Lisa wanted to go to the concert with Victor.”

Origin

• “I met the most delightful couple from Italy.”
• “I’m from New York originally, but I’ve lived in Dallas for many years.”
• “The new professor is of Turkish descent.”
• “The new computer from the tech giant should be revolutionary.”

Common Prepositional Errors

Verbs of motion — to vs. in

Static verbs — at vs. to

to with motion verbs when we describe the movement from one location to another
at, which is used to indicate being in a location.

Possession and access — to vs. of

Different media — in vs. on

in printed media
on televised or digital media

Containment and nativity — in vs. of

 in refers to being inside or within someplace
omeplace to which a person or thing is native, we use of

Performance — in vs. at

how well someone does something
“My brother is good at English.” (correct)
 “My sister does well in school.” (correct)

Over, on, and at the weekend

• “I will do my homework on the weekend.” (American English)
• “I will do my homework over the weekend.” (American and British English)
• “I will do my homework at the weekend.” (British English)

Transitive and intransitive verbs

Prepositions with intransitive verbs

express a direct relationship between an intransitive verb and something that
seems to be receiving its action, we often use a preposition
✖ “I listened the radio last night.” (incorrect)
✔ “I listened to the radio last night.” (correct)
✖ “I’ll wait you.” (incorrect)
✔ “I’ll wait for you.” (correct)

Prepositions with transitive verbs

✖ “I’ll answer to the phone.” (incorrect)
✔ “I’ll answer the phone.” (correct)
✖ “She is going to marry with a lawyer.” (incorrect)
✔ “She is going to marry a lawyer.” (correct)

Prepositions and indirect objects

动词+间接宾语+直接宾语
动词+直接宾语+介词短语
✔ “John sent me a letter.” (correct—indirect object)
✔ “John sent a letter to me.” (correct—adverbial prepositional phrase)
not all transitive verbs can take indirect objects. 
✖ “I’ll explain you the problem.” (incorrect)
✔ “I’ll explain the problem to you.” (correct)

Verbs that take both to and at

Shout to vs. shout at

• “I shouted to Mary, but she was too far away to hear me.”
• “He just kept shouting at me, even though I had apologized.”

Throw to vs. throw at

• “She threw the ball to the dog. He caught it and ran away with it.”
• “She was so angry with her husband that she threw her wedding ring at him.”

Point to vs. point at

• “She pointed to the sky.”
• “‘You’re the one who stole my bag!’ she shouted, pointing at the thief.”

Learning the correct prepositions

Prepositions with Nouns

Definition

to	
for
of	
in
on
at
from
with
about
between

Rules

Synonymous nouns

• “I could never lose respect for you.” (original)
• “I could never lose admiration for you.”
• “I could never lose esteem for you.”
• “My addiction to coffee is unhealthy.” (original)
• “My obsession with coffee is unhealthy.”
• “My dependence on coffee is unhealthy.”

Verbs with prepositions

• “He discussed his reaction to the results.” (noun)
• “He discussed how he reacted to the results.” (verb)
• “I have knowledge of that particular issue.” (noun)
• “I know of that particular issue.” (verb)
• “I have deep sympathy for him.”
• “I deeply sympathize with him.”

Examples of common pairings

Noun + to

Noun + for

Noun + of

Noun + in

Noun + on

Noun + at

• “Though new to skiing, he made an attempt at the highest slope.”
• “I have no chance at winning this game.”
Often, we use the preposition in conjunction with which, as in:
• “This is the age at which you are eligible for military service.”
• “There’s always a point at which trying to reason with him becomes futile.”

Noun + from

• “The town sought protection from bandits.”
• “His transition from pauper to prince was something out of a fairy tale.”

Noun + with

• “What’s the matter with you?”
• “I noticed a small problem with the story you submitted.”
• “Her close relationship with her sister is enviable.”
• “If you’re having trouble with the assignments, consult your teacher.”

Noun + about

• “His anxiety about public speaking is so bad that he sweats when he’s onstage.”
• “Do you have any information about the changes in the schedule?”
• “She wants to hear the story about her favorite superhero again.”

Noun + between

• “For her thesis, Stacy submitted a comparison between classical music and contemporary rock.”
• “The connection between good and evil is fascinating.”
• “Is there a difference between green onions and scallions?

Nouns with multiple prepositions

• “My opinion of her is the same as yours.”
• “My opinion about her is the same as yours.”
• “Abby is an expert in changing tires.”
• “Abby is an expert at changing tires.”
• “I appreciate his newfound love for animals.”
• “I appreciate his newfound love of animals.”

• “No one can deny the positive impact of France.” (France has a positive influence.)
• “No one can deny the positive impact on France.” (Something positively affects France.)
• “Her transition from vegetarian to vegan wasn’t difficult.” (She started as a vegetarian and ended as a vegan.)
• “Her transition to vegetarian from vegan wasn’t difficult.” (She started as a vegan and ended as a vegetarian.)

Prepositions with Verbs

Definition

• for
• to
• about
• with
• of
• in
• at
• on
• from

Usage

✔ “He listens to classical music every night.” (Correct — the prepositional verb is not separated, and the object comes directly after the preposition.)

Prepositional verbs vs. phrasal verbs

Literal meaning of the verb

Prepositional verbs use the literal meanings of verbs, whereas phrasal verbs tend to be idiomatic.
• “Kelly asked for a raise.” (The literal meaning of to ask is to inquire. Kelly inquired
about a raise, making it a prepositional verb.)
• “Kelly asked out Chad.” (Ask out means to invite someone on a date, making it an
idiomatic phrasal verb.)

Word order

the object of prepositional verbs always
comes immediately after the preposition, 
which in turn comes immediately after the verb.
adverb is used to modify the prepositional verb, 
in which case it can appear between the verb and the preposition
✔ “Kelly asked for a raise.” (correct)
✔ “Kelly asked politely for a raise.” (correct)
✖ “Kelly asked a raise for.” (incorrect)

however, prepositions and objects can often be rearranged without issue:
✔ “Kelly asked out Chad.” (correct)
✔ “Kelly asked Chad out.” (also correct)

Examples of common pairings

Verb + for

Verb + to

Verb + about

Verb + with

Verb + of

Verb + in

Verb + at

Verb + on

Verb + from

Prepositions with Adjectives

• “I am interested in astronomy.” (adjective)
• “I have an interest in astronomy.” (associated noun)

Idioms that start with on

Idioms that start with out of

Idioms that start with at

Idioms that start with for

Idioms that start with by

Idioms that start with from

Idioms that End with Prepositions

This type of prepositional idiom is used like a normal verb (describing the action of a subject) 
and may come at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence.
Idioms that end with prepositions are typically phrasal verbs and consist of a verb followed
by either a preposition, a particle, or a particle with a preposition

Idioms that end with on

Idioms that end with off

Idioms that end with with