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Many students when learning English seem to get confused about exactly how to use prepositions correctly. The problem is that new English students either try to compare them, or to use them in the same way that they are used in their own language. This is something that does not always work. Although they CAN often be used in the same way, sometimes there are exceptions to the rule that just have to be excepted. For example: 1. I go home after work. And not (I go to home after work). 2. I am playing football at the weekend. And not (I am playing football in the weekend). They are all the little words that we use to join up phrases and sentences, so that they either sound right when we speak, or they look right when we write. There are over 150 of these joining words used in the English language. At, in, on, of, to, off, for, by, with, into, onto, after, about, after, before, behind, down, than, through, etc., are all such words. When trying to use these words correctly, it is best to learn them in a drip feed fashion. For example: One day could be spent learning how to use them with time, e.g. on Sunday, at night, at the weekend, at seven o' clock, etc. Another day could be spent learning how to use them with places, e.g. The pencil is on/in/next to/by/under the table, etc. Something else that also leads to confusion are phrasal verbs. With these verbs the list just seems to go on and on. But first let us take a quick look at the difference between a preposition, and an adverb. 1. The cat climbed up the curtain. (up is the preposition since it has an object, the curtain). 2. The cat ran off in the morning. (off is an adverb since it has no object, and talks about the verb ran). Now that we have that a little clearer in the mind, we can continue! When we talk about a phrasal verbs, we are not talking about prepositions as such, but adverbs. This is when they are used with either a verb, or adverb to create a different meaning. The difference is the usage of the word. For example: Give (verb) + up (preposition) = surrender. If a phrasal verb is followed by an object, it is transitive. Give up something = stop doing something. If a phrasal verb is NOT followed by an object, it is intransitive. Give up = surrender. Some transitive phrasal verbs are separable, meaning that an object can be placed either between, or after the preposition and the verb/adverb. Give something up = give up something = stop doing something. These verbs are common in the English language, and as there are thousands of them, a new English student has plenty to learn. buy essay papers online
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