Sunday, March 7, 2010

GRAMMAR NO. 1: Prepositions and Prepositional Verbs

EXPLANATION

General classification of prepositions

Prepositions in English can have different meanings. Below is a summary of some of the most usual meanings for the most common prepositions in English

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Prepositions of Time


Prepositions of Place (Position and Direction)



Other important prepositions



Verbs + prepositions: Prepositional Verbs

Some English verbs are special in the fact that they require specific prepositions to complement the meaning of the action they represent. Some examples are: listen + to, look + at, talk + about, etc.

Another type of compound verb is the so-called "phrasal verb". Phrasal verbs and prepositional verbs are different: in phrasal verbs, the meaning of the action cannot be inferred from the sum of the parts. Some examples are: look into (investigate), look after (take care of). In prepositional verbs, the meaning of the verb is basically the meaning of the main part of the verb: listen to, look at, talk about can all be described as conveying the meaning that is carried out by the lexical verb: listen, look, talk.

There are no rules to understand which prepositions come after which verbs. The only way to acquire this part of the English vocabulary is by practicing the language: reading and listening, especially.

List of the most common prepositional verbs in English

Click for Audio to listen to the pronunciation AS you are reading them.



The following is a list of verbs and prepositions which commonly appear together.

accuse (someone) of ([doing] something)
add (something) to (something else)
admire (someone) for ([doing] something)
agree on (topic)
agree with (someone)
apologize to (someone) for ([doing] something)
apply to (a place) for (something)
approve of (something)
argue with (someone) about (topic)
arrive at (a building, room, site, event)
arrive in (a city, country)
ask (someone) about (someone/topic)
ask (someone) for (something)

believe in (something)
belong to (someone)
blame (someone) for ([doing] something)
borrow (something) from (someone)

care about (someone/something/topic)
comment on (topic)
compare (something) to/with (something else)
complain to (someone) about (something)
concentrate on ([doing] something)
congratulate (someone) for/on ([doing] something)
consist of (some things)
consent to ([doing] something)
contribute to (something)
count on (someone) to (do something)
cover (something) with (something else)

decide on (topic)
depend on (someone) for (something)
discuss (something) with (someone)
distinguish (something) from (something else)
dream about/of (someone/something)

escape from (somewhere)
explain (topic) to (someone)
excuse (someone) for ([doing] something)

forgive (someone for ([doing] something)

get rid of (something)
graduate from (a place)

happen to (someone)
help (someone) with (something)
hide (something) from (someone)

insist (up)on (something)
introduce (someone) to (someone else)
invite (someone) to (an event)

keep (something) for (someone)

matter to (someone)

object to (something)

participate in (something)
pay (price) for (something)
pray for (someone/something)
prefer (something) to (something else)
prevent (someone) from ([doing] something)
prohibit (someone) from ([doing] something)
protect (someone) from (something)
provide (someone) with (something)

recover from (something)
rely (up)on (someone/something)
remind (someone) of (something)
rescue (someone) from (something)
respond to (someone/something)

save (someone) from (something)
search for (something)
separate (something) from (something else)
scold (someone) for ([doing] something)
smile at (someone) for ([doing] something)
speak to/with (someone) about (topic) /br>stare at (something/someone)
stop (someone) from ([doing] something)
subscribe to (something)
substitute (something) for (something else/someone)
subtract (something) from (something else)
succeed in ([doing] something)
suffer from (something)

take advantage of (someone/something/ situation)
take care of (something/someone)
talk to/with (someone) about (topic)
thank (someone) for ([doing] something)
travel to (somewhere)

vote for (someone)
vouch for (someone)

wait for (someone/something)
wish for (something)
work for (company/something/someone)




PRACTICE
http://www.english-zone.com/preps/vp-a.html
Time Prepositions 1
Time Prepositions 2
Location Prepositions
Location Prepositions 2
Direction Prepositions
Direction Prepositions 2
Position Prepositions
Position Prepositions 2

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