| (away) from / at /to | a place | /'// meet you at the station. We walked from the station to the cinema. |
| out of / in / in (to) | a place | I'll wait for you in the car. Could you get in(to) the car? Can I get out of the car here, please? |
| off / on / on (to) | a surface or line | We need some pictures on the wall. Shall we take that picture off the wall? |
| Do you think we should put this on the wall? |
NOTES: We usually use on rather than onto. We use onto when we want to emphasize the movement from one place onto another:
/ drove onto the motorway. (I drove off another road and onto the motorway.)
/ drove on the motorway. (That's where I drove. / That's how I got there.)
• arrive at I in a place
get to I into a place
get in (without place)
in as an adverb: When does the train get in?
· on a train, bus, plane in a car
Preposition + noun
| by Elton John | A book by Stephen King, a film by Steven Spielberg, a song by Elton John. |
| for a walk | You can go for a walk, for a drive, for a run, for a swim. |
| in the morning (but at night) | You can go in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening. |
| by car (but on foot) | You can travel by car, by plane, by bus, by coach, by train, by taxi. |
| on the radio (but in the newspaper) | I heard it on the radio; I saw it on TV; I spoke to her on the phone (but I read it in the newspaper, in a magazine). |
| in the dark suit | The man in the dark suit (= wearing the dark suit); the woman in the red dress. |
| by mistake, by myself | I took his pen by mistake. (= I thought it was my pen.) |
| I did all the work by myself. (- on my own; without help from others.) | |
| by hand | The shoes are made by hand. (= not by machine.) |
| on strike | The workers are on strike. (= they refuse to work because of a problem over pav, hours, etc.) |
| by chance | I met them by chance. (= it wasn't planned - it was luck.) |
| on holiday | The children are on holiday. (= they are having a holiday.) |
| by accident | He broke the plate by accident. (= he did not want to do it - it was an error /mistake.) |
| on purpose | He broke the plate on purpose. (= he |
| wanted to do it and intended to do it) | |
| out of work | There are two million out of work. (= |
| without a job.) | |
| at least | There were at least fifty people at the |
| party. (= a minimum of 50.) | |
| on time / | Lessons begin at 8.30 and I always arrive |
| in time | on time. (= at 8.30) Lessons begin at 8.30 |
| and I always get there. (= before 8.30; I'm | |
| not late.) | |
| in the end / | In the end we went home. (= finally, after |
| at the end | a long period.) At the end of the book they |
| get married. | |
| in business / | The two men are in business. (= they are |
| on business | businessmen.) |
| The two men are in Germany on business. | |
| (= they are there for work and not for a | |
| holiday.) | |
| in a moment / | I'll see you in a moment. (= very soon) |
| at the moment | I can't speak to you at the moment. (= |
| right now.) |
Prepositions used with adjectives and participles
absorbed in
according to
accustomed to
afraid of
anxious for / about
ashamed of
aware of
bad at /for
capable of
confident of
to /for
involved in
keen on
liable for / to
nervous of
owing to
pleased with
prepared / or
proud of ready for
responsible for/to
scared of
exposed to
fit for
fond of
frightened of/at
good at /for
interested in
sorry for / about
successful in
suspicious of
terrified of
tired of
used to
He was absorbed in his book.
She is afraid/frightened/scared of the dark.
According to Tom it's 2.30. (Tom says it's 2.30.)
He is bad/good at chess, (a bad / good player.)
Running is bad/good for you. (unhealthy / healthy.)
They are very keen on golf.
Drivers exceeding the speed limit are liable to a fine.
The management is not responsible for articles left in customers ' cars.
I'm sorry for your husband. (I pity him.)
I'm sorry for forgetting the tickets.
I'm sorry about the tickets.
Prepositions and verbs
accuse sb of
apologize (to sb)for
apply to sb /for sth
ask for / about
attend to
beg for
believe in
beware of
blame sbfor
charge sb with (an offence)
compare sth with
comply with
conform to
consist of
deal in
insist on
live on (food/money)
long for
object to
occur to
persist in
prefer sb / sth to sb / sth
prepare for
punish sb for
quarrel with sb about
refer to
rely on
remind sb of
resort to
succeed in
depend on
dream of
fight with sb for
fine sb for
hope for
suspect sb of
think of / about
wait for
warn sb of / about
wish for
Do you believe in ghosts?
They were charged with receiving stolen goods.
You haven't complied with the regulations.
For a week she lived on bananas and milk.
It never occurred to me to insure the house.
They persisted in defying the law.
When arguments/ailed he resorted to threats.
Prepositions / adverbs
Many words can be used as either prepositions or adverbs:
He got off the bus at the corner, (preposition)
He got off at the corner, (adverb)
The most important of these are above, about, across, along,
before, behind, below, besides, by, down, in, near, off, on,
over, past, round, since, through, under, up:
They were here before six. (preposition)
He has done this sort of work before, (adverb)
Peter is behind us. (preposition)
He's a long way behind, (adverb)
She climbed over the wall, (preposition)
You 'II have to climb over too. (adverb)
When the meeting was over the delegates went home, (adverb; here over = finished)
The shop is just round the corner, (preposition)
Come round (to my house) any evening, (adverb)
He ran up the stairs, (preposition)
He went up in the lift, (adverb)
Many of these words are used to form phrasal verbs:
The plane took off. (left the ground)
He came round, (recovered consciousness)
Practice
1. Choose the correct words in the conversations.
A
JAY: Oh, look. Here's a photo taken in my classroom at primary school. Can you recognise me in / on it?
ANNA: No, I don't think so. Unless that's you right in/ at the back.
JAY: No, that's not me. I'm the one standing in / at the corner.
ANNA: In trouble as usual!
В
PIA: I don't understand this.
LILY: What?
PIA: Well, I want to check something with the college, but it says in / on this letter that I must give a reference number when I phone, and I can't find it.
LILY: It's in that little booklet, in /on the first page.
PIA: Oops! So it is. Thanks.
С
LEN: Where's your sister?
SUE: She's at / in wedding.
LEN: Oh? Where?
SUE: At/In Paris.
LEN: Who's getting married?
SUE: She is.
LEN: Oh.
D
GARY: What was that?
NICK: What?
GARY: I'm sure I saw a face at/in the window.
NICK: Don't be silly. It's the television, reflected on/ in the glass.
E
MEL: Did you see Yves in / at the dance?
JAN: No, of course not. He went back to / in France last week.
MEL: But I'm sure I saw him in / on the bus yesterday. In fact, he waved to me when we arrived to/at the bus station.
JAN: How strange. We'll have to investigate what he's up to!
2. Choose the correct prepositions.
Trouble at Norton Mining
The entire workforce of Norton Mining has gone on / in strike following a serious accident at the mine in Coolooma. The cause for / of the accident is unclear, but the union is blaming management attitudes on / to safety regulations. A spokesperson said, "Damage of/ to equipment was frequently ignored and union demands for / of safer working practices were rejected. The managers' relationship with / to the union was very poor, so although we pointed out that there'd been a rise of/ in the number of minor accidents over the past year, they said there was no need for / of a change in working practices".
John Norton, the chairman of Norton Mining, is away on / m a business trip. His secretary said she had spoken to him by / on the phone. The news of the accident had come like / as a great shock to him, she added. She was unable to say when he would be back.
It is understood that the police would like to speak to Mr Norton in connection with / to a number of his financial dealings.
3. Complete the gaps with a preposition (or adverb) of position or movement.
Two friends, Polly and Maria, are talking.
P: I didn't see you at the club last night. Where were you? Did you stay... home?
M: Yes, I thought it was time to stay... for a change and, besides, I didn't feel very well. I just lay... bath reading for ages. I decided I wasn't going to get... the bath until I'd finished the book. But then Rosie turned up... the doorstep so I had to get... to see her.
P: So are you feeling well enough to come out later on?
M: I think so.
P: Well, I'm going round... Helen's at 5.00 and we're going to take the train... Highbury... Richmond. So we should get... Richmond by 6.00. Then we can walk... the station... that nice cafe... the riverbank. And if we see Charles there, he might invite us... his boat.
M: Oh, that would be nice.
P: Did he tell you about Kate pushing him... last week?
M: No. So, he fell... the boat, did he?
P: Yes, and straight... the river. He was soaked, and pretty cold too.
4. Complete the gaps with a suitable preposition or adverb of time or place.
It was 8 o'clock on cold morning... January. She was still asleep. She usually stayed... bed... about 9 o'clock... the winter. Suddenly she was woken up by a knocking at the door. She got... bed and went... the door. There was a man... the doorstep. She thought she recognized him. "Hello, Edna", he said. "It's Tom. Can I come...?" And then she knew who it was but she didn't quite believe it. She hadn't seen him... thirty years, not... the summer of 1940 when she'd said goodbye to him the night... his final departure. That was when he went off... war. It was two years... that when she received the letter... the War Office which said that Tom had been missing... some time and was now presumed dead. She kept on hoping that they were wrong right up... the end of the war. But then she gave up.... then, she'd continued to think of Tom every day.... his birthday, she always stayed... home all day because she couldn't bear to meet anybody. She'd met Tom... the age of sixteen and they'd had a wonderful time together... the start of the war. She was nineteen when war broke out and they'd been together... three years. They were going to get married... the war.
She looked at his face. It was still the same face but with quite a few lines... it and there was a bit less hair... his head. He put his hand... his pocket and took out a small photograph. It was one she 'd sent him just... his disappearance. It was a picture of her... a teenager... the war. She held it... her hand and remembered back to those times. She felt rather hot and dizzy and thought that she might fall... the floor at any moment. She asked him to come... the living-room and they sat down together to tell their stories.
5. Finish these questions with the correct preposition, then write a short answer for each one.
1. What exactly is she worried...?
2. Who is she waiting...?
3. What subjects is she good...?
4. What job is she applying...?
5. What programme is she listening...?
6. What did she complain...?
7. What did she apologise...?
8. Who does this car belong...?
9. I know she was angry but who was she shouting...?
10. What kind of films is she interested...?
11. What will the decision depend...?
12. What is she afraid...?
6. Complete these sentences in a way that is logical and grammatically correct.
1. My steak was overcooked, so I complained.......
2. When I was a child I sometimes wore clothes that belonged
3. I want to help poor people, so I have decided to apply.......
4. I work quire hard but I'm not very good.......
5. In the summer a lot of people suffer.......
6. I've always been interested.......
7. I'm very keen.......
8. A lot of people are afraid.......
9. People in my country are very different.......
10. When I went to.......I was very surprised.......
7. Fill the gaps to complete the phrasal verb in each sentence.
1. We went round the school and... up all the rubbish.
2. I don't think they ever... out how the man escaped.
3. This milk smells horrible; I think it has... off.
4. Do you think they'll... through the exam next week?
5. They had a bad relationship at first, but she... on very well with him now.
6. The price has... up three times this year.
7'. I agreed to... after my sister's cat when she goes to France.
8. We can... on until the teacher tells us to stop.
9. Why didn't your alarm clock... off this morning?
10. I'm afraid this photocopier has... out of paper, but you can use the other one in my office.
8. Complete these sentences with the correct preposition.
1. I saw it...TV.
2. They came... car.
3. They are all... strike.
4. He is here... business.
5. I did it... my own.
6. It was written... Goethe.
7. We went... a walk.
8. I read it... a magazine.
9. He's... holiday this week.
10. She took it... mistake.
11. I went... the afternoon.
12. He came... foot.
13. The clothes are made... hand.
14. She broke it... accident.
15. He did it... purpose.
16. I'll see you... a moment.
17. I'm very busy... the moment.
18. It's very quiet... night.
19. We met... chance.
20. She's... least 25 years old.
9. Replace the underlined words with a suitable prepositional phrase. Look at the example first.
Model: The meeting was planned for 11 a.m. and we got here at 11 a.m. on time.
1.1 wrote the reports without any help from anyone else.
2. Did you get to the cinema before the film started?
3. Thousands of people are without jobs in my town.
4. She's making a phone call.
5. I saw the advertisement when I was watching TV last night.
6. He opened her letter because he thought it was addressed to him.
7. It was a very long journey but finally we got there.
8. He gets killed in the last scene of the film.
9. I'm afraid I'm very busy right now.
10.1 saw her yesterday but I didn't plan to see her.
10. Complete the sentences with during, by, until, at, on or in.
If no word is needed, leave a space ( —).
1. We usually finish work early on Fridays.
2.... the time you get this letter, I shall be in Miami.
3. She wrote this article... her holiday.
4. He won't hand over the parcel... we pay him.
5. The children aren't here... the moment, but they'll be back... a few minutes.
6. Can you come to tea with us... next Sunday?
7. I want to be at the stadium early so that we're... time to get good seats.
8. Please don't touch anything... the police arrive.
9. I should be free by 3 p.m. If the meeting doesn't end... time, I shall have to make my apologies and leave.
10. She was reluctant to help us at first, but... the end she agreed to do what she could.
11. I'm not sure whether it'll be Thursday or Friday, but I'll definitely be back... the weekend.
12. Will you finish work... time to do the shopping?
13. We always used to have a party... the end of term.
14. I'd like to hold our next meeting... 23rd March. Will that suit you?
11. Write the correct preposition in each gap.
The CND
The Campaign... Nuclear Disarmament (CND) is celebrating thirty years of calling... the removal... Britain's nuclear weapons.
CND believes... unilateral disarmament. The chairman of the organization, Bruce Kent, says "Ideas... disarmament have changed... the years. Russian and American leaders now agree that an equal number of weapons... both sides is not necessary... security, and that major cuts... nuclear arms should be made. These ideas stemmed... groups like CND, who have argued... reductions for years". CND was launched in London in 1958... a meeting... five thousand enthusiasts.
... that time, Britain had just begun to test its own H-bomb, and the policy... having its own nuclear weapons to stop other countries... attacking had been made official.
By 1961, there were nearly one thousand CND groups in Britain protesting... increased expenditure... nuclear arms.
But since then, there has been a decline... membership. Bruce Kent explains, "We failed... our attempt to make people see the connection... declining social services and the fact that the government is spending twelve billion pounds... Trident missiles".
12. Write the correct preposition in each gap.
Television and Reading
I pride myself... the fact that I read two or three books a week.... this rate I'll be familiar... local library soon.
I blame TV.... every book in our the way people don't seem to read as much as they used to.... my way of thinking TV is responsible... many ills in our society.
I wonder... the amount of TV watched by my sister's children. I have warned her... the dangers of this but... vain. She refuses to get involved... a discussion... the subject.
..." one time I used to watch a fair amount of TV but I restricted myself... particular programmes such as documentaries and an occasional good film. However I soon grew tired... even this. I was indifferent... many of the topics in the documentaries and there is always something missing... films or TV plays which are based... the stories in books. However good the film, it is no substitute... the original story. At last 1 think I am beginning to convince my sister... the bad effect of TV... her children. She has agreed... my suggestion of selective viewing and at the beginning of each week her family agrees... which programmes they want to watch and the TV is only turned on at those times. It's taken a long time to get her to agree... me but I'm sure the school work of my nephews and niece will benefit as a result.
13. Write the correct preposition in each gap.
To Join or not to Join?
At no point in my life have I been keen... the idea of joining any kind of club or group. I rebelled... it... a very early age, when my mother tried to force me... becoming a member of the Girl Guides. I went once, or at least, I got as far as looking in the door of the church hall, but I couldn't cope... the sight of all those confident-looking girls in blue, competing so heartily... each other... those games and activities, so I ran home... tears. My mother despaired... me, but persisted... her attempts to get me to join something. She was keen... me to go to ballet classes. I actually got in through the door this time, and
the whole this was more successful than the guides. I emerged... my first lesson, eyes shining with the dream... being a prima ballerina. Unfortunately I had not reckoned... being totally lacking... talent, so my enthusiasm ballet lasted a little less than a year.... Later in life I puzzled over my friends' de-
sire to Join tennis clubs, bridge clubs. Young Wives Clubs. Old Wives Clubs, pottery classes and the like. They me to go with them, but pleaded... I couldn't bear to. Such clubs didn't interest me... the slightest. Why am I so allergic... groups? I don't suffer... shyness. I can't really understand it. Perhaps the key... my problem lies in the fact that I'm an only child. I just don't know.
The Conjunction
1. The conjunction is a part of speech which denotes connections between objects and phenomena. It connects parts of the sentence, clauses, and sentences.
My favourite flowers are roses and tulips which I grow in my garden.
It has stopped raining, but it's still cold and windy.. Let's take a taxi or we'll miss the train.
2. According to their morphological structure conjunctions are divided into the following groups:
a) simple conjunctions: and, but, or, till, when, where, etc.
b) derivative conjunction: until, unless, etc.
c) compound conjunctions: however, wherever, etc.
d) composite conjunctions: as well as, as long as, in case, for the reason that, etc.
Some conjunctions are used in pairs (correlatively): both...and, either...or, neither...nor, whether...or, etc.
3. As to their function conjunctions fall under two classes:
a) co-ordinating conjunctions
b) subordinating conjunctions
Co-ordinating conjunctions connect words, and clauses that are independent of each other:
| and -и, а | but - но |
| as well as - так же как (и) | or - или, иначе |
| both... and и... и, как... так и | either... or или... или |
| not only... but also не только..., но и | neither... nor ли... ни |
Subordinating conjunctions connect a subordinate clause with the principle clause.
Conjunctions: that - что, if, whether- ли introduce subordinate subject clauses, predicative clauses, and object clauses.
That he was in trouble was clear from the very beginning.
Whether I help you or not depends on your behaviour, my boy.
Ask him whether (if) he will help us tomorrow.
The problem is that he needs money to start his business.
Conjunctions used for introducing adverbial clauses:
1) of place:
where — где
wherever - где бы не
2) of time:
after - после того как
as -в то время как, когда, по мере того как
as long as - пока, до тех пор пока
as soon as - как только
since - с тех пор как
until (till) - до тех пор пока... (не)
before - прежде чем
whilst = while - в то время как, пока
3) of reason or cause:
as — так как
because — потому что, так как
for - ибо, так как
seeing (that) - поскольку, принимая во внимание
since — так как, поскольку
4) of condition:
if- если
on condition (that) - при условии если
provided /providing (that) - при условии если
supposing (that) - если
unless - если... не,
допустим (что),
предположим (что)
5) of purpose:
in order that, so that, that - для того чтобы
lest - чтобы...не
6) of comparison or manner:
as - как
as if(as though) - как будто, как если бы
so... that - так (такой) что
such... that- такой... что
as... as - так (такой) же... как
(not) so... as — (не) так (такой)... как
than - чем
7) of concession and result:
though (although) - хотя
in spite of- несмотря на
so that - так что
NOTE: It should be pointed out that a number of conjunctions are homonymous with prepositions, adverbs, and pronouns.
/ haven't heard from him since we left school.
Everything has changed since that time.
The child had his last meal three hours ago and hasn 't had anything to eat since.
Practice
1. Read the following texts and analyze all the conjunctions used in them. Discuss the contents of the texts.
Does Anyone Care?
In 1985 a French television company sent its reporters to the Paris Metro. They took cameras to see what passengers would do if they saw someone attacked on the platform or trains. The incidents looked real but they were all done with the help of actors. However, very few people tried to help, and most passengers pretended not to notice. In one incident a foreigner was attacked by three men. The attack was on a train which was quite full, and although one man tried to get the other passengers to help, they all refused.
This is not only a French problem. A British newspaper reported in 1981 that a professor of Social Psychology in New York had sent his students out to rob their own cars. The students didn't try to hide what they were doing. About 8000 people watched 250 car thefts, and only twelve people tried to stop the student robbers. In a typical incident, one man stopped, looked, and then put his hands over his eyes and shouted, "I didn't see that!" About forty people offered to help the thieves, and two people actually sat down next to the car and waited to buy a camera and television-set a student was taking from the back seat of his own car.
The Professor thought that some people might be afraid to stop and help in case the thieves attacked them. So he got a policeman to stand within 15 metres of a robbery. Everyone walked past, except for two people who told the thieves that a policeman wasn't far away.
It seems that such behavior is not unusual, but the question is why? Is it a problem of big cities, or would the same thing happen anywhere? Was the problem with the experiments? To discuss these questions we have in the studio Professor Wilson who is an expert in the subject...
