In English, some verbs (and words) are followed by a preposition but, unfortunately, not always the same one! So you must learn the verb and the preposition that follows it. Examples: I apologised TO her for what happened. I don't care ABOUT them. Sometimes verbs can take different prepositions that totally change the meaning of the sentence. Examples: I threw the ball TO him. (Benevolent; playing a game.) I threw the ball AT him. (Hostile; to inflict injury) For the exercise, choose the correct preposition.

Here's a gift for you. <-- FOR is not stressed, and so it'll be replaced by a weak form, which will sound like FUR. What are you waiting for? <-- Exception: this FOR is nor stressed completely, but you could say it has a secondary stress, and so it's not reduced. This happens when you have prepositions or words that might take the weak form at the end of a statement. Another example like this: Give it to me ("to" is weak) - I don't want to ("to" is not weak).

Rules for Prepositions 7th grade8th grade9th gradeMiddle SchoolHigh SchoolCollege Prepositions are relationship words. They give clues and guidance regarding how the remainder of the sentence fits together. There are several important rules when using prepositions in the context of a sentence. These rules relate to how prepositions can be used, which prepositions can be used when, and where prepositions have to go in the sentence. What is a Preposition? A preposition is a word that explains the time, space or logical relationship between the other parts of the sentence. In other words, it links all the other words together, so the reader can understand how the pieces of the sentence fit. There are hundreds of prepositions in the English language. One easy way to remember prepositions is that they are words that tell you everywhere a bunny can run; for example, a bunny can run: up down near far by at around close always All of these words, and many more, are prepositions. Preposition Rules There are two major rules when it comes to the use of prepositions. 1.The first major rule deals with preposition choice. Certain prepositions must follow certain words, and the correct preposition must be used to make relationships between words in the sentences clear. 2.The second major rule deals with the prepositions place in the sentence. Prepositions must be followed by nouns, and prepositions can only go on the end of the sentence in certain situations. Preposition Choice Determining the correct preposition to use can be a tricky proposition. This can be especially difficult when dealing with idioms – expressions in the English language that don't necessarily make sense when taken literally. Idiomatic expressions are expressions you just have to memorize, and when errors are made, they are almost always preposition errors. idioms Here are some examples of idioms, along with the correct prepositions: Able to Capable of Preoccupied with Concerned by Prohibited from Each of the italicized words are the only acceptable prepositions to follow these words. It would not be grammatically correct to say "able with" or "capable to" What is a Preposition? A preposition is a word that explains the time, space or logical relationship between the other parts of the sentence. In other words, it links all the other words together, so the reader can understand how the pieces of the sentence fit. There are hundreds of prepositions in the English language. One easy way to remember prepositions is that they are words that tell you everywhere a bunny can run; for example, a bunny can run: up down near far by at around close always All of these words, and many more, are prepositions.

Preposition Rules There are two major rules when it comes to the use of prepositions. The first major rule deals with preposition choice. Certain prepositions must follow certain words, and the correct preposition must be used to make relationships between words in the sentences clear. The second major rule deals with the prepositions place in the sentence. Prepositions must be followed by nouns, and prepositions can only go on the end of the sentence in certain situations. Preposition Choice Determining the correct preposition to use can be a tricky proposition. This can be especially difficult when dealing with idioms – expressions in the English language that don't necessarily make sense when taken literally. Idiomatic expressions are expressions you just have to memorize, and when errors are made, they are almost always preposition errors. idioms Here are some examples of idioms, along with the correct prepositions: Able to Capable of Preoccupied with Concerned by Prohibited from Each of the italicized words are the only acceptable prepositions to follow these words. It would not be grammatically correct to say "able with" or "capable to"

Prepositions In the Context of Sentences Prepositions must always be followed by a noun or pronoun. That noun is called the object of the preposition. A verb can't be the object of a preposition. The bone was for the dog. This is correct- the preposition for is followed by the noun "dog." The bone was for walked. This is not correct. The preposition for is followed by a verb "walked." Walked can't be the object of a preposition. This rule may seem confusing at first, because you may have seen words that look like verbs following the preposition to in sentences; for example: I like to ski. These boots are for skiing. However, in these examples, "ski" and "skiing" are not actually acting as verbs. In the first example, to ski is part of the infinitive. An infinitive is NOT a verb. An infinitive occurs when a verb is used as a noun, adjective, or adverb. Here, to ski is a THING that the person likes doing, not an action that they are doing. It is a verbal noun. In the second example, skiing is a gerund. Like an infinitive, a gerund is NOT a verb, but is instead a noun, adjective or adverb. Here, skiing is a THING that the boots are for. No one in this sentence is doing the action of skiing. Using Prepositions at the End of Sentences Because prepositions must be followed by a noun and have an object, they usually shouldn't be used at the end of a sentence. For example, it is not correct to say: The table is where I put my books on. end a sentence with a preposition end a sentence with a preposition However, there are certain circumstances where it is acceptable to end a sentence with a preposition. These exceptions exist where the preposition is not extraneous. In other words, the preposition needs to be there, and if it wasn't, the meaning of the sentence would change.end a sentence with a preposition In the above example, "The table is where I put my books on" the use of the preposition "on" isn't necessary. We could take the "on" out of the sentence and the meaning would be the same. So, the use of the preposition was extraneous or unnecessary and we don't need it. However, here is an example where it is perfectly acceptable to use a preposition to end a sentence: "I turned the TV on." If you removed the "on" from the end of this sentence, it would change the meaning. Instead of switching on the set, you would be saying that you turned the TV itself.

Why are words like 'on', 'at', 'for' and 'about' so tricky for learners of English and how can teachers help? Adam Simpson, winner of the British Councils Teaching English blog award, explains.blog award Prepositions and their importance in English Prepositions are tricky little beasts. The relative shortness of the words (most are six letters or under) and their often misplaced role in the overall scheme of things (why should prepositions be less important than nouns, adjectives or verbs?) mean that we should treat them carefully and perhaps give them more time in the classroom than is usually the case. What exactly are prepositions and how are they used in English? In a list of English prepositions you will find very common words such as 'in', 'up', 'behind', 'from', and 'with'. Prepositions hold a privileged position as parts of speech in that they are a closed class. In other words, they are a select group of words that dont accept new members to their club. This is in contrast to nouns, adjectives and verbs, which welcome new additions to their respective groups all the time.list of English prepositionsnew additions While prepositions are limited in number, they are important because they act as vital markers to the structure of a sentence; they mark special relationships between persons, objects, and locations. For this reason, we should think carefully about how we incorporate the teaching and learning of prepositions into our classes. What problems can prepositions cause for learners of English and their teachers? Its very difficult to use prepositions correctly in English and they present a number of problems for both teachers and learners. First, most prepositions, especially the common ones, have several different functions. The preposition at, for example, has as many as 18 different functions, depending on which dictionary you consult. As vocabulary items in their own right, prepositions can therefore present a major challenge and it's not unusual for learners of English to ask teachers to explain what a word such as 'at' means. Second, there is no logical way of deciding which preposition goes with a particular noun, verb or adjective. Consider these examples: the reason for, arrive at, angry with somebody, on a train. In many instances, the correct preposition cannot be guessed, so the expression must be learned as a whole. The problem is compounded when a particular vocabulary item – again its those commonly used ones that are often guilty – flirts with many different prepositions, making teaching and learning a longer process than we may initially account for. Consider the adjective 'available'. As a teacher, which of the following would you prioritise? Tickets are available from the box office. Not enough data is available to scientists. No figures are available for the number of goods sold. There are plenty of jobs available in the area. All of these sentences are correct, yet in each case the adjective goes with a different preposition. We need to consider how we would deal with phrases such as 'the reason for' and the best way to teach words such as 'available', that go with multiple prepositions. Finally, learners' native language can 'get in the way' of the learning process and interfere with correct English usage. This is perhaps never more true than in the form of prepositional errors. For example, some expressions in English do not use a preposition but the same expression in another language does, and vice versa. In my teaching context, where the majority of learners are native Turkish speakers, I constantly hear sentences like he married with her, I hate from that and I accessed to the internet. Another problem I regularly encounter among Turkish learners relates to the multiplicity of uses of particular prepositions. Turkish has one preposition serving the same purpose as 'in', 'on' and 'at' in English, making it difficult for my learners to distinguish between their various uses. A few tips for learning and teaching prepositions of place and movement Go with the tried and trusted basics Following the pattern that most course books take, i.e., dealing with prepositions in manageable chunks, is not a bad way to go. Teaching prepositions of time, place and movement, for instance, at different times, will enable learners to build up their knowledge of prepositions slowly and steadily. Doing so will be much more effective than, say, trying to teach every use of 'in' at the same time. What problems can prepositions cause for learners of English and their teachers? Its very difficult to use prepositions correctly in English and they present a number of problems for both teachers and learners. First, most prepositions, especially the common ones, have several different functions. The preposition at, for example, has as many as 18 different functions, depending on which dictionary you consult. As vocabulary items in their own right, prepositions can therefore present a major challenge and it's not unusual for learners of English to ask teachers to explain what a word such as 'at' means. Second, there is no logical way of deciding which preposition goes with a particular noun, verb or adjective. Consider these examples: the reason for, arrive at, angry with somebody, on a train. In many instances, the correct preposition cannot be guessed, so the expression must be learned as a whole. The problem is compounded when a particular vocabulary item – again its those commonly used ones that are often guilty – flirts with many different prepositions, making teaching and learning a longer process than we may initially account for. Consider the adjective 'available'. As a teacher, which of the following would you prioritise? Tickets are available from the box office. Not enough data is available to scientists. No figures are available for the number of goods sold. There are plenty of jobs available in the area. All of these sentences are correct, yet in each case the adjective goes with a different preposition. We need to consider how we would deal with phrases such as 'the reason for' and the best way to teach words such as 'available', that go with multiple prepositions. Finally, learners' native language can 'get in the way' of the learning process and interfere with correct English usage. This is perhaps never more true than in the form of prepositional errors. For example, some expressions in English do not use a preposition but the same expression in another language does, and vice versa. In my teaching context, where the majority of learners are native Turkish speakers, I constantly hear sentences like he married with her, I hate from that and I accessed to the internet. Another problem I regularly encounter among Turkish learners relates to the multiplicity of uses of particular prepositions. Turkish has one preposition serving the same purpose as 'in', 'on' and 'at' in English, making it difficult for my learners to distinguish between their various uses.

Engage learners in physical movement The game Simon Says is great for reviewing prepositions of place and movement with young learners, as you can give directions for students to move around, such as Simon Says stand on your chair or Simon Says get under your desk. Learners respond well to the movement and start using the prepositions naturally. With adult learners, a competitive timed review game can work really well. Start by dividing the class into teams, say a sentence and then have them take turns drawing it on the board. If you say the dog is behind the chair, the learners have to draw a corresponding image, which can be graded according to speed or accuracy, depending on which is more enjoyable for the class. Use visual stimuli Infographics provide learners with strong images to help visualise the preposition – Picktochart is a great resource for creating these. Bitstrips is a great resource for creating cartoon images, which are universally popular and very easy to comprehend. You can start off by preparing infographics and cartoons for your learners, but an effective way to get them working with the language is to have them prepare infographics themselves.PicktochartBitstrips

Why are words like 'on', 'at', 'for' and 'about' so tricky for learners of English and how can teachers help? Adam Simpson, winner of the British Councils Teaching English blog award, explains.blog award Prepositions and their importance in English Prepositions are tricky little beasts. The relative shortness of the words (most are six letters or under) and their often misplaced role in the overall scheme of things (why should prepositions be less important than nouns, adjectives or verbs?) mean that we should treat them carefully and perhaps give them more time in the classroom than is usually the case. What exactly are prepositions and how are they used in English ? In a list of English prepositions you will find very common words such as 'in', 'up', 'behind', 'from', and 'with'. Prepositions hold a privileged position as parts of speech in that they are a closed class. In other words, they are a select group of words that dont accept new members to their club. This is in contrast to nouns, adjectives and verbs, which welcome new additions to their respective groups all the time.list of English prepositionsnew additions While prepositions are limited in number, they are important because they act as vital markers to the structure of a sentence; they mark special relationships between persons, objects, and locations. For this reason, we should think carefully about how we incorporate the teaching and learning of prepositions into our classes.