وبلا گ آموزش زبان انگلیسی

What's in a Preposition?

Josef Essberger

Prepositions can be divided into:

• one-word prepositions (eg at, into, on)
• complex prepositions (eg according to, in spite of)

The name "preposition" (pre + position) means "place before". Prepositions usually come *before* another word, usually a noun or noun phrase:

• noun (I will meet you IN *London*.)
• pronoun (Give it TO *her*.)
• noun phrase (I'm tired OF *all this work*.)
• gerund (verb in -ing form) (It crashed ON *landing*.)

If a preposition does not come before another word, it is still closely associated with another word:

• *Who* did you talk TO?
• TO *whom* did you talk?
• I talked TO *Jane*.

Notice that many prepositions can also be adverbs:

• He walked DOWN the hill. (preposition)
• Please sit DOWN. (adverb)

A few prepositions can also be conjunctions:

• Everyone came BUT Tara. (preposition)
• I asked her BUT she didn't answer. (conjunction)

How many prepositions are there in English? It is not possible to give a definite answer, partly because complex prepositions are "open class", which means that new ones could be invented at any time. But for a list of almost all the one-word and complex prepositions in common use, see English Prepositions Listed which includes 370 example sentences.

Many words are associated with a particular preposition. When you learn a new word, try to learn the preposition associated with it. A good dictionary usually gives you examples.

Here are some common verbs that are associated with a particular preposition:

• to agree WITH somebody
• to agree ABOUT a subject
• to agree ON a decision
• to agree TO a proposal
• to arrive AT/IN a place
• to ask FOR something (but to ask a question/the time/directions etc)
• to borrow something FROM somebody
• to depend ON somebody/something
• to explain something TO somebody
• to insist ON -ing
• to laugh AT somebody/something
• to listen TO somebody/something
• to participate IN something
• to pay FOR something
• to be rude TO somebody
• to shoot AT somebody/something
• to smile AT somebody
• to succeed IN something
• to talk TO somebody
• to talk WITH somebody (US)
• to worry ABOUT something
• to write TO somebody

Here are a few common expressions with particular prepositions:

• to be afraid OF somebody/something
• to be angry WITH somebody
• to be angry ABOUT something
• to be bad AT something
• to be clever AT something
• to be good AT something
• to be interested IN something
• to be kind TO somebody
• to be nice TO somebody

Everyone knows that there are four skills in learning a language, namely listening, speaking, reading and writing. They are always related in terms of usage, and speaking is viewed by learners as the most desirable skill in face-to-face communication in the globalization era. However, what is the answer to the following questions?

• What do you have to do before you can speak?
• What does a child learn before he talks?
• What do we do before chatting?

Listen, of course!

Naturally, children begin listening to their parents when they are babies. They are often greeted, spoken to and admired without any response expected. Though nobody knows if the baby understands the spoken words, the process continues. Children automatically acquire such language over some time, and later on gradually produce it through actual experience. The production may be incomplete at first, but successful at last. That leads to speaking skill which is quite applicable to daily conversation.

In learning English, listening can help improve speaking considerably. Although it is the first of all skills, it is neither the easiest nor the most meaningless. We need to hear various types of English repeatedly and continuously if we want to communicate properly, meaningfully and naturally.

Why is listening good?

1. When listening, we are reviewing a lot of English usage such as vocabulary, grammatical structures, intonation, accent and our own interpretation.
2. We can learn new words and expressions by hearing them frequently.
3. Besides the English revision, general knowledge from news, features, or even advertising spots is certainly beneficial for regular listeners.
4. We can imitate what we hear and apply it with great confidence.
5. Listening can be a good "hobby" while we do other things such as cooking, ironing, exercising, relaxing etc. In other words, we have no wasted time at all.
6. Listening is also a great way to train our attention.

How can we listen to English?

Nowadays, radio cassette recorders are household appliances, but we often overlook their radio function. We can experience English language radio programmes almost anywhere in the world. They are usually picked up on FM bands and aired particularly for foreigners. Short wave radio programmes are another option. Two of the most easily found English language broadcasters are the BBC and Voice of America. Today, you can even access them by internet.