OXFORD LEARNER''''S GRAMMAR 8 doc

Prepositions
E
Near,
close,
by,
and
next
to
Near
,
near
10,
and
close
to
mean
'nol
far
from
'.
MOlherwelf
is
flear
Glasgo/v.
'fIlere's
a
taxi
rank quite near
(to)
the
hOlel.

You
shouldn't put a healer close to curtains.
Here
close
is
pronounced
/klous/.
Near
(
to)
and
close
to
have
comparative
and
superlative
forms.
We
were
gradually
getting nearer (to) our destin.alion.
f
was
sitting closest to the door.
Nearby
and
close
by
mean

'
not
far
away'.
We
don't
serve
dinner,
bu.t
there
is
all
excellent restauranl nearby / close by.
By
means 'at the side
of
or
'very
near',
We
live
rigilt
by
the
hospllUI.
Come
and
sit
by
me,

Next
to
means 'directly at fhe
~ide
of'.
The
woman
siuing next
to
me was smoking the whole time,
Tllere's
a
flewsagent's
nexl
Lo
tile post office.
N
OT
E
N
OW
/litre
near
mean
s '(1 long way
from'
Blfmillghnm'
tS
nowhere
near

Gln
sgow.
F
In
front of, before,
behind,
after,
and
opposite
When
we
cue
talking
about
position,
we
prefer
ill
front
of
to
before.
There
's
(l
statue in
fronL
of
the museum.
Tina

s
pends
hours
in
front
of
the mirror.
We
prefer
behind to
after,
The
car
behind
uS
ran
into the
back
of
us.
Before
usually means 'earlier in
tun
e',
and
after
means
'later
in
time'

.
But
we
also
usc
be/ore
and
after
to
talk
about
what
order
things
come
in.
J
comes
before
K.
K
comes
after
).
Opposite
means 'on the
other
side
from'.
Compare

in front
o[and
opposite.
Simon
was
sitting
in
front
of
me in the cinema.
Simon
was
Silting
opposite me at lunch.
G Between
and
among
2911
We
use
be
t
ween
with a
sma
lJ
number
of
things
,

especia
lly
with
two
things.
Tile
bungalow
is
between two hous
es.
(=
There
is
a house
011
bOlh
sides
of
the
bungalow.)
Tile
ball
went
belween
the player
's
legs.
It's
an
ar

ea a/countryside between three quire large
TOwns,
For
expressions such
as
a conflict between
and
a
link
between, >
2260.
212
At,
on,
and
In
expressing
time
Among
suggests a larg
er
Ilumber.
I
thought
I caught sight oJ
someone
among
the trees.
H
(A)

round
,and
about
Around
or
round
mcans
movement
in a
circle>
209A. We
can
also
use
it
to
mean 'in differcnt
directions'
or
'in
different
places'.
We
just
like tiriIJing
arollndlround
the
country
visiting different places.
There were piles

oJ
old
magazines lying
aroundJround
the ]Iat.
Ameri
cans
use
around
rarher Ihan round.
We
can
use
about
in
the
sallle way.
t:veryone
was
rus/ling
around/about
the
place in a panic.
,
[
212
At,
on, and
in
expressing

time
A
We
usc
at
wiLh
a ptHticular time
such
as
a clock
time
or
a meal lime.
The perJormance stal"ls
at
eight o'clock.
I'll
see
you
at
breakfasl,
At
that
lime
there were no mobile phones.
We're velY busy
at
the
mornenl.
We also lise

at
with
short
holiday periods.
The
family
IS
always wgeliler
at
Christmas/at Thanksgilling.
Are
you
domg
anything
at
the weekend? (US:
on
I.he weekend)
We
also
use
at
with ages.
A sporling career can
be
over
at
thirty.
B We
usc

on
with a day.
The
meeting
is
on
Tuesday/on 7 August.
I
have
to
go
to
an
interview
on
thac day.
Do
they
play
foolball
games
on
Christmas Day/oil. EaSler Sunday?
On
can mean 'immedialC
ly
after'.
On
his arrival,
the

President
held
a press conference.
C We u
sc
ill
with
lon
ger
periods.
I'll
have
to
make
my
mind
up
in
the
next
few
days.
We'll halle lots
of
rime
in
the
summe
r holidays.
The term starts

in
September.
The
company
was set
up
in
1997.
III
the 16th
cenfury
only
about
5
million
peopl
e spoke English.
We also lise
in
with a
part
of a day.
Why
don't
you
come
over in the afternoon?
I always work better
in
the mornings.

299
Prepositions
But we usc on if we say which day.
Why don 't
YOll
come over on Friday afternoon?
The
in
cident occurred 011 I.he evening
of
12
May.
NOTE
We
say
In
IIle
nigllt
but
at flighl wIthout lhe
I heard
(J
no
u;c
ill
the night. (= in the
middle
or the night)
The willdows are shut
at

night. (=
when
it
is
night)
D
We
can use in
to
say how l
ong
something
takes.
Ha
ve you read 'Around the World
in
Eighty Days?
Lots
of
athletes can run a mile
in
four
minutes.
We
can also
use
in
for a
lime
in

the future
measured
from the present.
We
take our
exams
in
three weeks.
(=
three weeks from
nowlin
three weeks' time)
Compare these examples.
YOLI
can walk there
in
half
an
hour.
(It
takes half
an
hour.)
I'm going oW
in
half
an
hour. (= half
an
hour

from now)
E Sometimes we
can
use
an
expression
of
time without a preposition.
300
I received the leller last Thursdny.
I'm slarting a
new
course next year.
We've got visitors this week.
The same thing
happens ellery time.
You
aren't going
to
lie in bed all day, are you?
Don't be
fate tomorrow morning.
A week later I got a reply.
We
do not normally use
al,
on,
or
in with last, next.
or

lllis, with every
or
aff,
with yesterday
or
tomorrow.
or
wi[h the adverb later.
In some contexts we can either use
the
preposition
or
leave it out.
Something
unusual
happened (on)
that
day.
Profits we
re
£50 milliol1, compared with £35 million (in) the previous year.
They agreed to play the match (on)
the
following Sunday.
In informal En
gl
ish.
and
especially in American English, we
can

somet
imes
leave out 011 before a day.
I'll
see
you (on) Monday.
NOT
E
a
We
can use ol.her prepositions with
laH
, (Wery, etc.
After this week,
I'll
'II!(.'(/ a holiday. J feel
ncruou.s
during
every jliRIIt.
b
We
do
not
use
a preposilion
wi
th these
day
s (
0:0.

no
wada
ys).
It's
0./1
dOTle
by
comfJute
rs
these days
213
For,
Sin
ce,
and
ago
1
13
For, since, and
ago
A
We
use
for
wilh a period of time
10
say how long
something
continues.
The kids play computer games

faT
hours on end.
1 once stayed
at
that hotel for
(l
week.
I
ju.'it
watll
to
sit down for fiue minutes.
We
do not use for before a phrase with ali.
/I
rained
all
day
. (NOT }/-mittet1-fo,.aJl-day.)
And
we
do
not usua
lly
usc
for
before a phrase with whole.
It
rained the whole
day.

This
is
more usual
than
It
rained for lhe whole day.
B
We
often lISC
for
and
since with the perfect.
fnr
/lachel has worked for I.he company
for
fl/Je
yea.rs
now.
We
ha/Jen't been to the lheatre
for months.
rile
been waiting here for twenty
minutes.
We
lise for + length
of
time.
for two years for a week
for

four days for a few minutes
We
can
somc
times Icave out for
in
jnformal English.
I've been waiting twenty minutes.
NOTE
since
Hachel has worked for
the company
since
1999.
We
h01
)en ', been
to
the theatre
since April.
rrJe
been waiting here since twelve
o'clock.
We
use since +
time
when.
since 2003 since last week
since Monday since
hal!

past. two
We
sometimes
also use since with
an event.
I hal/en't heen anywhere since
the concer
t.
For
mor
e examples with
for
and
sillce. > 46D.
We
can
al
so use S
II'lU!
a~
a conJunction. >
2311A
For
the
pattern
It'
s
momh
s since
we

last wmJt
CO
file Ihealre, >
461:.
C
We
use
the
adverb ago for
something
that
happened
in the past
at
a
tIIllC
measured
from
the
present.
Rachel joined the company
jil
le years ago. (= five years before now)
We
last went lO the theatre months ago. (=
months
before now)
An
hour
tlgO

I was still in b
ed.
(;:
an
hour
hefore now)
Ago
comes
after the length
of
time
(fi
ve
years,
month
s, an hour
).
When we look back from the past
to
an
even
ea
rli
er
lim
e,
we usually
li
se
the

adverb
beJore.
Rachel left the company last year. She'd joined them jille years before.
(;:
five
years before last year)
This
is
more
usual than She'd joined
them
five years
ago.
3
01
Prepositions
o Compare these examples referring
to
the past
and
the
future.
Looking
inro
the
past
!
'fle
be
en

here ([or) ten minutes,
f'v
e
been
here since twenty to four,
~
.
~~~jv~d
ten
mitlltles
ago
.
Looking
into
the
future
1'''
stay ([or;
len
minutes.
I'll
Slay
until
four
o'clock. >
214C
I'nz
Leaving
in
ten

minutes.

-
214
More prepositions
of
time
A
Place
and
time
Some prepositions of place
can
also be used as a
preposition
of
time.
l'l/
be
with
you. between three
and
halJ past.
Il
nW.H
have
been close to ten
when
J finally got
home.

tots
of
people work
from
nine
o'clock
to
five. > D
You can do the journey
inside
an
hour.
I had a stream
of
visilOrs
throughout
tile day.
Towards midnight
peopLe
were
starting
to leave.
We
ca
n
park
here
up
to
six o'clock. > C

AI, on, and in cim also express either place
(>
210)
or
time
(>
212).
B During and
over
look
at
these
examples.
302
Nobody does
any
work
during
the
[eslival.
1he
office
will
be closed
during
Augu
s
t.
We
use

during
with an event (lhe
!e
stilJal)
or a specific period (August).
It means the whole period.
We
cannot usc during + length
of
time.
The
offICe
will
he
closed
for
a
monlh
(N
OT
aud
ilg
a
mmtth
)
The
festival
luetll
on
for

five
days
.
(NOT
dttt'i:ttg-fibl dtt)3)
But we can
LIse
during with a specific period of time.
No
one
does
any
work
during
the
five days
of
th
e festival.
J'ue
been extremely busy
during
the
last few weeks.
We
can also use during for a period
in
which a
shorter
action

takes place.
The
e-mail
arrived
during
lh
e rneeling.
I have to
make
several trips
abroad
during
the
n
ext
few
week
s,
During
is
a preposition;
while
is
a
conjunct
ion.
My
phone rang
during
lunch.

My
phone rang while J
was
having
lunch.
2
14
Mor
e prepositio
ns
of
time
We
can also use
Oller
for
a
whole
period
of
lime
.
Over/During the
past
year, 25,000 r
ef
ugees Izalle elllered tile coulJl
ry.
Free meals will
be

served to the
poor
over
/
during
the C11rislmas pe
nod
.
NOTE
a When so
methmg
continue~
for
a complele period,
\'\Ie
Coin also
li
se
,"rOlls'wlll
or
all
tllTOugh.
The
population
grew rapIdly
during
/I/Jruughrmr ,/u: 19
1/l
I.W
l!

Ury
.
lJle
man at
tlw
end
of
the table kept s
tanng
at
fill!
tlmillg
/
all
tlmme" IllIIch .
. b The adverb ouer can mean
'filllshcd'.
The
meetillg
was
soon oloer.
C
Till/until
and
by
We
lISC
Lilli
umilm
say

wh
en
something
t.:
ornes
to
\:Ill
end.
We sat there
till/until
th
e end
of
the
shau
),
I'll
be
working
here till/until
next
April.
Till
is
more
informal
than
until.
We
can

also
li
se
up
lO.
I'll
be
working
here
up
to
next
April.
Not
.

till/until
means
th
at
something
happ
ens lalCr thull
ex
pected,
We
didn't
gel
home
tilYuntil

half
pa
sl
tw
o in
the
morning
On
Sundays
I s
om
e
tim
es
don't
get
up
tillluntilllln
chtime
The flew
law
will
not
come
into
for
ce
ulllil
next year.
By

means '
not
lat er
than'.
I h
aIJ(}
in
be
at
work
by
!lin
e.
(= at
nine
or
earlier)
They
should
halle replied
to
my
l
elle
r
by
now
.
(=
now

or
earlier)
Debbie
is
going to
pay
me
back
by
Friday.
(=
on
Friday
or
earlier)
Co
mpar
e the lise
of
before.
DefJbie
is
going to
pay
me
back
before
Friday.
(:::
earlier than Friday)

NOTE
<I
Tilllil
l/
ul
does not
ex
pr
ess plm:c.
We
walked
(0
tile
hridge!
IllS
far
(L
"
the
bridg
e.
{
NOT
till/until
tl
'll'!
fJj
ldgt:l
b
We

can use till! 1,
/lUi!
as II conjunction,
We
/,ualk
(:!
d 0
/1
all/fmtil
we
got
10
Ihc bridge.
We
cannot use hy on
it
s own as a
COIl
JllnC
TiOn
, but we
can
use by tile t
ime
.
II
wm
I'fIlnlllg by
til
e

t.im
e
we
gO
I
(f)
a,e
brulge
o From

.
to/till/until
We
li
se
from
for the time when some
thing
starts.
Tickets will be OIL s
al
e
from
next Wednesday.
•.
From
SeIJe
l1
in the
morning

th
ere's c
onslant
traffic noise.
\'\le can use
fr
om

to
or
from
,.,
till/until for the times when
something
starts
and
finis
he
s,
Tile cricket
se
a
SO
n
la
sts
from
April to September.
The roatl will
be

closed
from
Friday
evening
till/until Monday morning.
Americans
li
se
through
,
e.
g.
from
Friday
through
Monday.
003
Prepositions
E
Before
and
after
Look at these ex
am
ples.
I /J
su
ally
go
jo

ggi
ll
g before hreakfasl.
/:'lIeryo
ne
will n
eed
to
stu.dy
th
e
propo
sals prior to
ou.r
disc
us
sion
s.
People felt nervous after the
alla
ck
on
tile World
Trad
e
Ce
n
te
r.
Fol/owing a change

of
sponsor, the competition
flO
W
ha
s a
new
nam
e.
Prior
to
(formal)
mea
ns 'before'. Follo
wi
ng
mean
s 'after'
or
'os a result
of.
215 Prepositions:
other
meanings
A
Pr
epositions
can
have meanings
oth

er than place
or
tim
e.
Iler
e
arc
s
ome
examples.
We
we
re
arguin
g
about
politic
s.
According
10
tile opinion poll
s,
th
e
gOI
J
ernment
is
very popular.
The r

es
ort was very crowded.
And
as for the
accommodalion,
it
was awful.
We
need some advice as to
what
we should do next.
I'm
reading a huok by Thomas Kenea
ll
y.
Contrary to pupular belief, prisons are
not
holiday c
amp
s.
The
co
uple
want
to stay logelher
for
th
e
sake
of

the children.
Th
e product should he assembled
in
accordance
with
the inslruccion
s.
Who
's
in
charge
of
this
departm
e
nt
?
Alm
os
t all lhe voters were
in
favour
oj
independence.
Profits
ha
ve
fallen len per
ce

m,
in line
with
foreeasl
s.
The
furnitur
e
has
to
be the
ri
g
ht
size
ill
relalion
10
the
si
ze
of
t.h
e
room
.
Can I use a pencil instead
of
a pen?
J-Jow

eff
ec
ti
ve
are speed cameras
in
terms
of
road safety?
On
behalf
of
the company, I wou.ld like to express
my
thank
s.
No action has been taken rega
rding
/ with regard to
my
complaint.
The book
is be
uer
than
Ih
e
film
. >
206A

Brazil won the g
ame
thank
s
to
a late goal
from
Ronaldo.
/l's up to you
what
you do nex
t.
You decid
e.
This train goes to Birmin
gham
via Oxford.
B
For
has a
numb
er
of
differe
IU
m
ea
nings. Here are s
om
e

of
th
em.
Could yo
l.l
do s
ome
thing
for
m
e,
please? (=
to
help me)
J'/Je
called in
for
a chal.
(p
urpose. > 240C)
She's a
/Jery
clever child
for
her age.
(~
c
on
S
id

er
ing her age)
Are
pe
ople
for
rhe scheme or
againsl
it? (= in
favour
of
/s
upp
o
nin
g)
VV-hen
f
or
m
eans
'in
fa
v
our
of', it is
normall
y s
tre
ssed.

C With has these
meaning
s.
304
J
wenl
1.0 the co
ncert
with a friend.
(We
were together.)
Matthew is
th
e
man
with
long hair.
(I
-Ie
ha
s long hair.)
I c
ut
th
e wo
od
with
an
el
ec

tric saw. (I used
an
electric sa
w.
> D)
We all
seI
to
work
with en
thu
siasm. (
::::
enthu
siastically)
With people w
at
c
hing
J fell
em
barrassed.
(
~
Because peo
pl
e
\!.,
'ere watc
hing,

.

> 128
B)
2
15
Pr
eposit
ions:
other
mean
angs
Without
is the opposite or
with.
Who's the
man
without
any
shoes
on?
We all SN
LO
work, bill
without
enthusiasm.
NOTE
We c
an
usc witll

oj.
noun
\()
rOm}
an
advcrbial cxp
res:o
illg
mann
er or
reelmg
I lIStened
10
lite
(Il
:.
cussioll wi
th
;nleresL
\Vith
cc
nain
nouns
we
usc
ill.
Ti
le
h))(
~

n
sank
10
lI,
e
gruund
in
despair.
For to in a
co
mm
enl adverbial such
as
10
my
hor
ror,
;;.
201C
o We use
with
and
by
to express means. We use
with
to
talk about an
instrumcnl, something we use
Lo
help us do something.

The
thi
eves broke
t.h
e door down
with
a
hammer
.
Just stir this
wilh
a wooden spoon,
could
you?
We
can
al
so lISC
by
means
of
to
explain how something
is
done,
The site was
made
secure by
means
of

a so
phi
sticated alarm system.
Vve
li
se by before an ing-form.
The tltielles got
in
by
breaking
the
door
down,
By
stirring
th
e
mixture
, you s
top
it
sticking to the ran.
]n a passi
ve
sentence we
lis
e
by
before the agent. >
U!)A

The door was broken
down
by
the thieves/wi
th
a
hammer.
The
motor
is powered
by
electricity.
No rE
::-'omelimes
we
can lise either
Wil
li
or
by
.
I
paid
willI
a credit card/by
crI
'dlt card.
/\fter by expressing
means
we

do not
LIse
ala
ll
or lhe.
E
Wc
li
se
by
+ noun for a
means
of transport.
J usually prefer to travel
by
train,
We
do not use
al
an or th
e.
(NIH
1-ff!IttttIIy
'prefer-
CtHrtlllei-1Jj
"
E.
am
)
~lIc

h
phrases with
by
inclu
de:
by
aeroplane.
by
air,
by
bicyc
le,
by
bik
e,
by
baal,
by
/JlJ
S,
by car, by
co
ach, by fer
ry
, by
hov
ercraft,
by
hydrofoil, by plan
e,

by
rail
,
by
road, by sea. by s
hip
,
by
taxi, by traill,
by
tube,
by
und
erground.
We
do
nO{
normally u
se
by
to mcan n specific
bi
cy
cl
e,
car, etc.
I'lf
go
on
my

bike, (Not
Pll-go
hy
my
-hike.)
We
can use phrases
lik
e i
ll
th
e/my
car,
in
a taxi,
on
the
/
our
boat,
all
the
bitS/
coach/ferry/tra
in
, et
c,
We
sayan
fo

ot
and on horseback,
I
came
here on
foot
. (= I walked h
ere
.)
0
11
fOOl
is more usual than
by
jl)ot.
We
can also use
by
for m eclllS of communication, e.g.
by
e-
mail
,
by
fax
,
by le
it
er,
hy

pilon
e,
by
post, by radio.
I
sen
t the
information
hy
post.
I
spoke
to
Tim
by
phon
e / (m the phone.
305
Prepositions
NO
TE
We
c
OIn
usc
otht'r
prepo
si
tions
wllh

11
ib
.
(.flr
. etc Th
ese
ex
ample
s expre
ss
IIHlVt"lllcnL
11w
pa
sst
mgp
,-s
!,'O(
int%ul
vlllie
{'
,ar
/
tax,
.
l;:
mmfl
gvt
on
/
off

IICr I}lke/
tlle
bll
s/
1I1('
Imm
We
weill
vn
board tile s
illp
.
F
O/has
a
numb
er
of
dirfere
nt
m
e~
ning
s.
a tin
of
soup >
138A
some
of

my
friends>
1
68
tile elld
of
,h
. gallle > I:JJC
our
firsl sight
of
land
> 257
We
ca
n also u
se
of
in lhis
patt
ern.
71l
ese
souvenirs are
of
no
value. (They have
no
valuc.)
She's an

actress
of
great ability. (She has
great
ab
iliry.)
G
We
can
usc as
to
ex
pr
ess a role
or
fUllc[ion.
Maria lias co
rn
e along as
our
guide. (She is
our
gUide.)
I'm having to use Ihe sofa as a l
>ed.
(It
is a bed.)
Afler as we
normally
u

sc
a
determin
er
(e.g.
Ollr,
a),
but
for a
phrase
like
as
Queen
without
th
e,
> 159F.
We
u
sc
like to make a
comparison.
A hang-glider
ca
n soar through
the
air like a bird.
I think I.ouise looks a bit like Kylie Minogue.
Like
everyone el

se,
I
ha
ve
to
pa
y
my
lar
es.
Compare as
and
like.
He speaks as
all
ex
pe
rt
.
He
is
ajier all a professor.
lI
e wlks Uke
an
expert,
but
really ',e knows
/Je!y
lilt/e.

NOTE
a
We
ca
n
lISC
a"yllling
or
nothing
10
mOdify
like.
D/w
llrse " lSu't my coaL
It
's
'Wtll;II!: Ilkt!
1I111/(
!.
i
.~
If
?
h Ufllike
i~
the upposlte
of
like.
It
's

unlike
Sarah
to
be
late. SI,e'
!>
mllal/y
II
C')'
PIIIICWIII,
H
We
u
se
excepl. (for). aporl from.
with
the exc
ep
lion of.
and
bIll
(for)
to
talk
30n
a
bout
an
exception.
Everyone was there except (for)lbut (Jor}/apart

from
james,
who
was ill.
Everyone
was
there
with
the
exception
of
jam
es.
I
hat
e fish. I can eat anyl/ling excepUbut fis
h.
I swear
10
tell
th
e truth,
the
whole truth, a
nd
IImhirl
g bu.t lite truth.
So
me
prepo

sitions have a s
imilar
m
eani
ng to
LI
co
njul1l;liun.
1 studied physics
as
well
as
chemistry. (= a
nd
I s
tudi
ed
chemistry)
11J
e barbecue was cancell
ed
due
to the wellllle
r.
(= be
cause
the
weather
was
bad

)
Such
pr
epos
iti
ons
include
the
following:
as well as, besides, in additiun to. along wilh,
fUg
e
ch
er
with>
233D
iff
spite
oj;
despite>
2350
as a result
of>
2360
hecause of,
due
to,
owing
to, in view of. 0/1 a
Cc(}

uf1I
of,
cO
fl
sillering >
239C
216
Id
iomat
ic
phrases
with
prepositions
216
Idiomatic
phrases
with
prepositions
A T
here
are
many
idiom(lt
ic
phrases
bcginning
wi
th a preposition.
MOSI
of

lh
cm
are
without
a/an
or the. Here
are
so
me
examples.
Abolle
all
we
don't
want
any
accidents.
Atfirst
/ coul
dn
't see a thing,
but
then
my
eyes adjus/.ed
to
the dark.
I've
managed
lo

finish this crossword
at
last.
Of
course /
know
you. / recogni
zed
you
at
once.
I'd like
to
buy
this picture
if
it's
for
sale.
Tly
to
see it
from
my
point
of
view
.
You have
to

pay
half
the cost
oj
the
holiday
in
advance.
Yes,
/
am
thinking
of
leaving.
In.
fact
I've resigned.
Of
course
you
can't
trust
the
weather
in
Britain.
/ drive
about
len
thousand

miles a year
on
mlerage.
I'll
be
on
holiday
next
lJ.Jeek.
/ heard the news either on television
or
all
the
radio
.
There are
so
many
diJJc!rcra
computers
on
the
markel.
There were
one
or
two problems,
but
on.
the

whole
things wenl smootl/iy.
I've been
out
of
work, bllt J'm starlIng a
new
job
soon.
The
govemmenr
is
under
pressure to do
somelhing
about
the problem.
B
In
lime
(fOr/lO)
mean
s 'early
enoug
h',
hut
on
lime
means
'

punctu
al(ly)'
.
Oh, good. You're back in
time
for
tea.
1he
train left
Oil
time
at /1.23.
N
ute
alsu
in
~()ud
lime
ami
jusl
in
lime.
We
gal
back
in
good
lime
for tea.
(::

with
plenty
of
timc
to
spare)
We
gal
back
just
in
time
for tea.
(::
with
lillIe
time
to spare)
C
In
the
beginning
means
'at
firs t' ,
and
at
the
beginning
of

+
noun
phrase
refers
to
the
lime
when
somclhing
starts
.
In
the
beginning
/
At
fi rst the
company
struggled
LO
survive,
bur
/lOW
it
is
very successJui.
The
studenls
return
to

Oxford
at
the
beginning
of
the
academic year.
/n.
lhe
end
means
'finally', and
at
t.he
end
of +
noun
phrase
refers
to
the
time
when
some
thing
finishes.
There were arguments, hilt
in
the
end

/ finally we
managed
to
reach
an
agreement.
Most sllJrien.ts
have
jobs
to
gu to
at
the
end
of
the course.
D In
t.he
way
means
'b
locking
the
way',
and
on
the rvay
mcans
'on
a journey".

Don.'t
leave
your
bike
there. It'll
he
in
the
way.
/t's a long
jo
urm
ry
. We can slOp
for
a
meal
on
the
way
.
307
Phrasal verbs and
prepositional idioms
217 Verbs
with
adverbs
and
prepositions'"
Audio

A Verb + adverb
A
ve
rb
+ adverb is
ca
lled a 'phr
asa
l
ve
rb
',
Come in
and
.flit
down.
What
lime did you get
up
?
You'd beller take
off
you.r
shoes.
I threw away
myoid
briefcase.
The adverbs (e.
g.
in, down, up) are

so
metime
s called '
adverb
particl
es', They
combine with verbs to f
orm
phrasal verbs (e.g. come in, take off).
B Verb + preposition
A verb +
preposition
is called a '
prepositional
ve
rb'
.
I
was
looking
at
the
phOlU.
We
didn't
go
inlo
a
lllll
e dewils.

Wlua did
you
think
of
th
e
film.?
Prepositions
(e
.g.
aI
, inlO. oft
combine
with verbs
10
form prepositional ve
rb
s
(e.g.
look
at
,
go
i1l1O,
Chink
oj).
The
pr
eposition has an o
bj

ect
(e.g. the photo,
all the details, the ji
lm
).
For
more
examples of
prepo
siti
ona
l verbs, > 222.
NOTE
Not everyone agrees
about
what
to
call
the
se
verbs.
Some
times
'phra
s
al
ve
rb' IS used
10
mean

both verb + adverb and verb + preposition.
II
1
~
of
course
m
ore
imp
or
l
lHlt
to
lI
~e
the
words correctly
than
to
worry about w
hat
(Q
call
th
em.
But
remember that thert
:!
lire
differences between

,he
use
of
adverbs
an
d the usc of prepositions.
:>
2
19
218 The
grammar
of
phrasal
verbs
A
Word
order
30B
So
me
phra
sal verbs
are
intr
ansi
tive,
but
other
s
have

an
o
bj
ec
t.
Inu
ansitive: Suddenly the lights wellt out.
A chair
had
fallen over.
Transitive: Someone
turned
out
tile
Ii
g
/H
S.
Someone
had
kno
c
ked
over a chair.
When a
phra
sa
l verb
has
an

object, [he ad
ve
rb
ca
n usua
ll
y go
eit
h
er
be
fore
or
after the object.
Before
the
obj
ec
t:
After the object:
I threw
away
my
old briefcase.
We
woke
up
the neighbours.
1
thr

ew
my
oM
briefca
se
lllvny.
We
woke t
he
neighbours lip.
•
I
219
DIfferen
ces
between
phrasal
and
prepos1tlonal verbs
When lhe ohject is a pronoun, the
adverb
goes afler it.
Myoid
briefcase was fulling
to
pieces,
so
I threw
it
away

.
The neighbours weren't
ve
ry
pleased. We woke them
up
.
Paul borrowed some money from Surah
and
Hever
paid
her back .
\"'hen lhe objec{ is a long phrase,
the
adverb usually gocs before it.
J threw
away
tliat rather bauered old briefcase.
We
lvoke
up
ju
st abolll
ellery
'one
;11
rhe street.
Paul never
paid
back all that

money
he borrowed.
B Adverb in
front
position
To
give the adverh extra emphasis, we
Ciln
somc
times put
it
in
front position,
especially wh
en
it
expresses movement.
The door opened,
and
oul
rail
tile
ch
ildr
en.
Five
minutes later, along came anolher bus.
There is usually inversion of suhj
ect
and

verb:
in
the
first example ran comes
before
the
children.
But
when the
sub
ject
is
a pronoun, there
is
no inversion.
The door
ope1led,
and
out they
"111.
C Nouns
formed
from
phrasal verbs
Some
ve
rb + adverb combinations can be used as a noun.
a
walkout
by key workers information on the handout

a hold-up at tile
bank
a lake-away meal
a
Illkeover hid for the company a
stand-in
for the leadillg aclar
an h
OU
f before
take-off
a car breakdown
The stress is u
sua
lly
on the
fir
st syllable: 'take-off.
NO
'1 I!
II
So
me
n
ou
ns
ha
ve
th
e

adverb
before the
verb.
CHI
outbreak
of
notillg
tile
amused onlookers
b
We
can
al
so sometim
es
usc
<I
p,l
ss
lve participle +
ad
ve
rb
before
a noun
a rolled-up newspaper a
broklm
-down
c:ar
219

Differences between phrasal and
prepositional verbs
l
A Adverbs and prepositions
A phrasal ve
rb
is
a verb + adverb, e
.g.
give away> 21
8.
Adverbs include away,
hack, and out.
A prepositional verb
is
a verb + preposition, e.g.
pay
for > 222. Preposi
tions
include at. for, from, i
lll
O,
of,
and wilh.
Some words can be eith
er
an adverb
or
a preposition. They include ahout.
along. flrol.lnri, down, in, off, on, ouer, round, through, and up.

Whell
J heard the
uoice
, I
lo
oked
round
. (adve
rb
)
We
were looking
rou"d
rile
museum. (
pr
eposition)
'1
09
Phrasal verbs
and
prepositional idioms
B
Word
order
with
an
object
Look
at

the difference between
the
possible word orders with the adverb
away
and the preposition for.
Phrasal verb
Lisa gave
away
her jewellery.
LiSt'
gave I

r jewellery away.
The
adverb
can
go
before or after
the object.
A pronoun always goes before the
adverb.
She gave it away.
C
Stress
With a phrasal verb, the stress
usually
falls
on the adverb,
especiaUy when
it

comes
at
the
end
of
a clause

Audio
Usa gave her jewellery a'way.
Let's
go.
Come
'on.
D The passive
Prepositional verb
- -
-_._-
Lisa
paid
for
the meal.
(NO'l'
fi,a-paid-thHnealfor.)
The preposition
goes
before its
object.
A pronoun goes after the
preposition.
She paid

for
it
.
But the preposition
comes
at the
end in
some
patterns. > 20aF
What
did
Lisa
pay
for?
With
a prepositional verb, the stress
usually falls on the verb and not the
preposition

Audio
Lisa
'paid for the meal.
It
de'pends 011 the weather.
Many
phrasal and prepositional verbs
can
be passive.
310
Phrasal verb

The
alarm has been
switched
off.
The building was pulled
down
last
year.
We
usually stress the adverb:
pulled
'down
Prepositional verb
The matter will be dealt with.
The
children are being looked
after by
a neighbour.
We
do not usually stress the
preposilion: 'looked after.
220
Ph
rasal verb meanmgs
E
Word
order
with
adverbials
Phrasal

ve
rb
Prepositional verb
An
adverbial usua
ll
y goes after the
phrasal verb.
An adverbial
ca
n
ofte
n go between
the verb and
pr
eposir.ioTl.
The
plane
wok
off
on
tim
e.
The candidate stood
up
nerllous[y.
I can',
CO
IJ
Ce

lJlrUl
e properly
on
my work.
fl
ooked
ca
r
ef
lllly
at
the photo.
It
do
es
not go hetween the verb and
It
does not go between the
its adverb. preposition and its object.
~
N
~o~
T~H~e~st~B~"~d:
'
~le:,
~
1J(
~_:
.~Ij
~

.
~
!t
~p
:
.
__
__ _
:
N~O~T~
"
~.
l
tJ~tJked a'-ettrefuIlr the-p
h(jl(j
.
F Verb + clause
A phrasal verb can sometimes be
foll
owed
by a gerund clause, a
wh-dausc
,
or
a that-clause,
('lie gillen
up
skiing.
Read
th

ro
ugh
what
you'!!e written,
We
found
O
Ul
(thai)
th
e story was Ulilrue.
A prepositional verb can sometimes he followed by a
ge
rund
cl
ause or
a wh-clause.
1 don't belielle in
paying
lax
es.
>
11
5
The
answer
you
gel depends
Oil
who

you
ask. > 255
Vy
e cannot use a
th a
t
-c1a
ll
~e
after a prepositional verb.
NO
T
f-tlttrt4
-bel
iette-itl-thal
-/-
-$
h
tJU
/d-pa
y-faxes.
~
20
Phrasal verb meanings
A Some phrasal verbs are easy
to
understand if
YOLI
know
th

e mcanmg of
each word,
You'll hatJe to
turn
round
here
and
go
ba
ck.
The
man
stopped
and
put
down
hi
'1
suitcase.
These verbs
ex
press movement.
But often the phrasal verb has an idiomat
ic
meaning.
I've given
up
sm
oki
n

g.
(= stopped)
Th
e idea has
ca
ught
on
in a big
wa
y.
(;;;
become
popular)
, ,
B Sometimes there is a one-word verb with the same 'meaning
as
th
e phrasal
ver
b.
The phrasal verb is usually more informal.
Are
you
going to carry
on
/c
ontinue
you
r studies?
Experts are trying

to
find
out/discover the
caw
'e
of
the accident.
We
must
[IX
up
/
arrang
e
(J
meettng.
o J J
Phrasal verbs
and
preposilional idioms
JlIe problem
looU"
ju
s, go
away
/
disappear
.
You
1IQ1

1e failed to keep
up
/
maintain
your
momhly
pa
yments.
}/
m/ve
left oue/
omitted
two
nam
es
from
the li
sl.
I'd like
to
put
offipOSl'pDlle a decision as long as possible.
They
'
lle
pill uplrai.sel/ pri
ces
by
20
per

cenJ.
} got s
om
e
Olle
10
take
away
/r
emove
all tile
rubbi
sh.
C Some
ve
rbs
combine
with a
numher
of
different adverbs.
The child rook two steps
and
fell
down
.
f:1II}lUsiu
sm
for
the sporl has fall

en
off. (
:;;:
become
less)
Simon.
and
Chloe
hal
l
!!
fallen
out.
(:;;:
quarrelled)
I'm afraid the deal fell through. (= did,,'t
happen)
And rhe
1110st
co
mmon
adverbs can combine with
many
different verbs.
'
lhe
cal got
up
a tree
and

couldn't
climb
down
.
These trousers are so light I c
an
', bend
down
.
A ped
es
/rian was
knocked
dow"
by a c
ar
.
IllI
er
es
t rates
may
come
dowll
soon.
o A phrasal verb
can
have more
than
one

meaning.
There
wa.s
a
park
ed
car
bloc
king
lhe lall
c,
and
lJ.Ie
co
uldn't gel
by
. (;:
pa
ss il)
Tom
"as ve,y lillie income. but
fi
e gelS by. (
:;;:
manag
es
to liv
e)
E
We

can
li
M:! an adverb
WIth
the
verb be.
We
'
ll
he
away
OTi
holiday next week.
(:;;:
in
another
place)
Will you be in tomorrow?
(=
at
home
/work)
Long
skirts are
ill
at
the
mom
ent. (=
in

fa
shion)
The barbecue
is
off
because
of
the weather.
(=
not taking place)
Is the
re
anything
on
aL
the cinema?
(:;;:
showing. happening)
I rang
but
you
were out.
(:;;:
not
at home
/w
ork
)
Th
e party's

over
.
It'
s
time
to
go.
(=
at
an end)
What
's
up
? (
;::;
What's the maHer?
IWha
t's ha
ppening
?)
221
Some
common
adverbs
in
phrasal verbs
3
12
TIP
Many

phra
s
al
verbs have idiomatic
me
anings,
but
the
verbs
do
not
necessarily have to
be
learned separately. For example,
if
you l
earn
that
calling someone back
means
returning
a
phone
caJ
I,
th
en you
can
gue
ss

that
phone ba
ck
and
ring
back
mean
the
same
(hing.
It
may
he
lp
to
mak
e
li
sts
of
phrasal verbs
that
you
come
across. Where
pos
sible. try to
group
th
em

according 10 the
meaning
of
the
adverb.
221 Some common adverbs In phras
al
verbs
Here arc
~ome
adverbs o
ft
en used in phrasal verhs.
dowll =
10
the
ground
kno
c
ked
down
/
pull
ed down
III('
old hospital,
burn
down
, cuI down. a tree
d

own
:::::
on
paper
write
down
lhe
nu
mher, copy dowll, !lote
down
,
take
dow11
down::.
becom
i
ng
less
turn
down
the
voLu
me,
slow
down, a fire
dying
down
down:::
stopping
co

mplete
ly
a car thal broke
down
, a !actOlY closing
down
off= away
set
off
on
a.
journey, a piune
laking
off, see someone
off
at
the airport,
lake
a
day
off
sell goads
off
cheaply
off
= disco
nne
cted
turn
Off1SWiICh

off
lhe television,
cu.l
ofi
the electricity, ring
off
off
= succeeding
the plan
didn
't
come
off. we
manag
ed
to
pull
it
off
on.
::.
wearing
had
a
jumper
on
,
put
my
shoes on, trying a

coal
on
on
=
connected
tUrn on/switch
on
the light, leave the radio 011
on = continuing
carry
on
/go
on
a bit longer, keep
on
doing
something
, work
all
lar
e,
hang
on /
hold
on
(=
wail)
out
:::::
away. disa

pp
earing
put
out
a fire,
blowout
(J
cand
l
e,
wipe
oW
a.lllhe
data, cross
out
the word
out
::::
completel
y,
to
an
end
clean au! a Clipboard, fill
out
a form,
work
out
the
an

sw
er, write
out
in
full,
wear
out
the motor, sort
out
th
e mess,
it
turned
out
OK
Ul
the
end
out
=
to
different people
give
out/hand
out
COPleS
of
the worksheet,
share
out

the food betlveen
u.s
out = aloud
read
out
aLL
the names,
shout
out, cry
out
,
speak
out
(= say sth publicly)
out::: clearly
see
n
can't
mak
e
out
the words,
point
out
a mistake,
pick
out
the best
over:::
from

start
to finish
read over/chet'k
olJer
what I've written,
think
over /
talk
over a probl
em
,
go over
th
e details
up
= growing, increasing
step
up
production,
turn
up
the volume,
blow
up
f
pump
up a lyre
up
=
com

pl
ete
ly
eat/drink
it
all
Ull,
use lip
alL
lhe pap
er,
clear
up
/ti
dy
up
the mess,
pack
up
my
filin
gs, lock
up
before lecwing,
cut
up
in
to pieces,
sum
up

(::::
s
ummari
ze)
3D
Phrasal
verbs
and
preposilional
idioms
222 Prepositional verbs
A
1\
pr
epositional ve
rb
is a verb + preposition.
I don't believe in eating meal.
Who does this bag belong to?
J
ca
n't concentrate
on
this hook.
The
flat consists
of
four room
s.
The fare depends

on
when you
uavel
.
I
was
listening to the weather foreca

"i/.
An.
idea has
just
occurred to m
e.
What dues this
number
refer to?
We'll have to
wait
for
a taxi.
Which
prepo
sition goes after
the
vero
is mainly n
matt
er
of

idiom.
NOTE
Pur
more
ex
ample
s with verb

prepo
sition

ger
und
(c.g. bel,eve ill eating
),
:;;.
l15A.
B Some
ve
rb
s can take a
number
of differ
ent
prepos
iti
ons. Each
comhinalion
has a different
mea

ning. Here
are
some exa
mples
with
look.
I
had
to
scay
at
home
and
look after
my
little hrother.
Come
and
look
at
a,e
view.
('.a
n you
help'
me
look
for
my
mobile?

The police are looking into lhe illcident.
Peop
le
look on this neighbourhood as
very
desirable.
We
sp
ent a couple
of
hours looking
round
the s
hop
s.
Here are s
ome
other
verbs wh
ic
h
combine
with differelH
pr
e
po
sit
ion
s.
The doctor will be calling on a

nwnbe
r
of
patient
s.
(::::
visiting)
J'l
l call for you at about seve
n.
(I'll
co
me to yo ur
home
so
that
we can go s
omewhere
together
.)
The United Nations has called
for
a cease-fire.
(::::
de
mand
ed)
J dart'l care
about
the exam. (I

am
not
worried
ahout
or
interes
ted
in
il.
)
My parents don't c
ar
e for modern art. [
fhey
don
't like it.)
Someone has
co
care for the sick.
(::::
look after)
I will deal
with
the maUer immediately.
(::::
do
someth
ing
about)
The

co
mpan
y deals
in
commercial properties
.'
(=
buys
and
se
ll
s)
People are dying
of
hunger. (They
are
dying
because
they
are
hung
ry.)
I was dying
for
so
me fr
es
h
air.
(=

wanting
very
much)
Compare these t"
vo
examples.
Poor
managemelll r
es
ulted
ill
huge
losses.
The
hu
ge
los
s
es
resulted from poor management.
C We can usc aho
ut
after
many
different verbs
expressing
sp
eec
h
or

t
hou
ght.
314
We
were
talking
about
renting a flat.
Our neighbours
complai
ned
about
the noise.
We
'll
have
to
decide
about
our holiday.
Co
mpare ask abou.t
and
ask for.
222
Prepositional verbs
We
asked
about

c
li
eap tickets.
('
Please te
ll
LI
S
ahout
cheap tickets.')
We
askell
for
cheap rickets.
('
Please give
LI
S cheap tickets.')
For
mor
e
about
patterns with
ask
, >
2640.
We
can
sometimes
use

of
meaning
'ahom',
but it is
rather
formal.
The
Prim
e Min.isTer spoke oftaboul his vision
of
the country's fuw.re.
With
some
verbs, about and
of
have different meanings.
I was
thinking
about
my
work.
(::
turning
over
in
my
mind)
I couldn't
think
0/ the

man
's
name
.
(It
wouldn't
co
me
into
my
mind.)
What
did
you
think
0/
The
hot
el? (What was
yom
opinion?)
We're
thinking
opabout starting
our
own business.
(=
deciding abuut)
I
heard

about
your
recent success. (Someo
ne
told
me
about
iL)
I've never Izeard
of
Bagley. Where
is
it?
(T
he
name
is unfamiliar
to
me.)
LaSl
night I
dreamed
about
something
thal
happ
e
ned
years ago.
(=

imagined
in my sleep)
I used
lO
dream
about/of
making
a
number
one
hie.
(= think how
much
I would like)
I
wouldn't
dream
a/criticizing
you. (
It
wouldn
't e
nter
my mind.)
D
We
usually
use
to before
the

per
::.
on
our
words
are
directed
at.
We were
talking
to/with
our
friend
s.
11zey
complained
to eheir neighbours
about
the noise.
But we say laugh at,
sm
ile at,
and
argue Wilh.
ElJeryone
laughed
at the clown.
Are
you
arguing

with
me?
Show
at
can
suggest
anger
.
The
farmer
shouted
at
us to keep out.
Matthew
shouted
to his friends across the streel.
We
comm
unicate with some
on
e.
The
government
even
mad
e
it
an
uffence to
communicate

wilh foreigners
But we
communicate
so
m,elh
ing
to someone. > 223C
When we use
the
telephone
, we ring, (tele)phone,
or
call a person.
We
do
not
use
£0.
I
had
to
phone
my bo
ss.
E
So
me
verbs have a similar
meaning
to

a
prepo
sitional
ve
rb, but they take a
dire
ct
object
and
not
a preposition.
711
e troops
have
entered
lhe
City.
(NOT Rte-troo(JS-hf1:tJe-t!mereti-irtfO-tite'Clty.)
We were discussing politi
cs.
(N
OT
We
WtJ
e tlisettssing-flbttttt-poUli
es.
)
We
reached
our

destination. (NOT ,
WtH'et1
ched fo-tJtff-fie 'f
ituuitJt!
.)
Such
verbs include: accompan.y,
answer
(> Note), approach, control, defnand,
desire,
di
scuss, e
n.1
er
(> Note
),
expect, influence, lack, marry, obey, reach,
rem e
mb
er, request, re
semb
le, seek,
su
it
The equiva
lent
noun
takes a
pr
eposition.

tlieir
entry
into
the city a discllssion
about
politics
uur
demand
for
justice
315
Ph,rasal verbs
and
prepositional idioms
Some
verbs can take either a direct o
bj
ect
or
a
pr c
po
~ ition.
de
pending
011
(he
meaning.
/
paid

fhe w.xi-driver I
paid
the hill.
/
paid
for
lhe
taxi
I
paid
Jor
the meal.
Th
e police searched
lh
e whole
IWLL
'ie.
They were
searching
for
drugs / looking for drugs.
The
comm
ittee
approved
the
plans. (=
accepted
, allowed)

I d
OIl'l
approve
of
cruelty
to
animals
. (I don't think it is right
.)
The traill leaves Exeter
at
ten
fif
teen.
(:
goes from Exeter)
The train {eaves
for
Exeter
at
len fiftee
n.
(::;
leaves
on
ils
journey
to
Exeter)
NUTE

a
We
usc answer
10
,lIld enter
/fIto
only W
llh
!>
pc(;
ml
m
ea
nm
gs.
I)(m
'
~
forgc~
IIw
!:umpcmy
I1(L
~
to ansUler
to
it
s s!Jfirelw
ld
ers
.

(=
explain
11
S
aC
ll
un
s to)
r
ite
two
sIdes
Ita/
Ie
e
ntered
inlO negotlnflQlI
s.
(= beg
un
)
b
Meet
and
visit
often lakc a
dire
t.:
t
obJct.:t.

btl(
yOll
may
he~
lr
meer uJIlh
;,\
nd
I//$Jl
wUh,
especia
ll
y
III
American EnglIsh.
223 Verb +
object
+
preposition
A Some
pr
epositional
~
erbs
ha
ve
an
obje
ct
he

tw
een
th
e verb and
prepo
si
tion.
-




Verb
Object
Prepo~ition
We
have to
translate
the
article
into
You cafl
insure
your
belonKings
against
'f1le
company
spends
a

/01
oJ
money
on
In the passive, (he
pr
epusition co
mes
directly after the ver h.
Ute article has
LO
be
translat
ed
into
English.
Your belongings can be
insured
against thell.
A lot
of
money
is
spent
ou
adv
ertising.
-

-

Ellg/elk
ffl
ef
f
adv
ertising.
Here arc
some
more exampl
es
of this type
of
prepositional
ve
rb.
lu
st
compare
these figures
with
those for last year.
I'd like to
congratulate
you
on
)Iour success.
The press c
riticiucl
the
gOIJI!

rnm
e
nl
for
doing n
ot
hing.
Most people prefer fhe
new
syst
em
to the
old
on
e.
The old cinema has
/'Je
en
turn
ed
into
a
night
club
.
Old you
lhank
Daniel
for
helpil/g us?

NOTE
For more examples with
vc
rh
~
ob
Jcct
~
preposition t ge
rund
le.
g.
t/,m
lk
I)11IIic/
for
l1elplIIg
),
:>
1158
B Co
mp
are
the
se pairs
of
s
entence
s.
3

16
You can't
blame
the gover
nm
em
for
el
le
ry thing.
YOII
can't
blam
e everything
un
t/te gOl'ernmellt.
Ule artist
pr
ese
llted
th
e Presidelll with a portrait
of
the Wh/I.e Ilou.se.
224
Verb
+ adverb +
preposition
The arl.isl presented a portrait
of

the
While House to the
Pr
es
ulent.
Tile
c;omprll1Y provides its custom.ers
with
a .firsl-class
se
rvi
ce.
The
co
mpany
prolJides
II
first-class seruir.e
tol[Ol'
irs custome
rs.
C
We
call u
se
a.bout after tell/ask + object.
lIas
anyone
told
you

about
the
new
tim
etable?
]'u
e been a.sking people
about
their plans
for
next
year.
We
can
al
so
ask
someone Jor something.
We
asked
our
j;'iends for some help.
This
means
that we asked them to give us s
ome
he
lp
_
After illform

and
warn we can
use
about
or
of
We will il1form customers
about/of
any
c
hang
es
to
the arrangements.
I should warn
you
about
/of the difficulties
you
may
fac
e.
When warning
someone
not
to
do something, we
can
use
ag

ainsl.
My
frie
nds
warned
me
against decidin.g in a
huny.
A
rt
er
comm
unicate. describe, expinin,
and
write, we lISC lO before the person
receiving the
mes
sage.
Paul I,
Vas
eager
to
communicate
the /lews
to
hi
s neighbours
Ca
ll
you

llescribe the
man
to me?
I
ex"laillell
our
problem
to
the
(.Our
guide.
I.
ot
s
of
people
wrile
fellers to the Queen.
For
more
details
about
this pattern with conunuflicale, describe, etc, > 6F
D Sometime:; the verb + object + preposition
has
an
idiomatic meaning.
It's
the nurse
's

job
to
tak
e care
of
the
patient
s.
(
::::
look after)
We
ought
to
make
the
most
of
this lovely weather.
(0::
gel the
maximum
benefit from)
The speaker
took
no
notice
of
the interruption.
(::::

ignored)
Perhaps I
should
pllt
my
failh
in alternalive medicine. (
::::
full
y be
li
eve in)
Sometimes the
v~b
and
prepositional
phrase
ha
ve
an
idiomatic meaning.
We haue to
take
a
numb
er
oj
facr.ors
into
consideration.

Co::
consider)
The latest crisis
ha
s
thrown
everyolle
intu
a panic.
(0::
made everyone
panic
)
Th
e constant.
noi
se
driv
es
me to distra.ction.
(::::
makes
me
very annoyed)
He has been
pill
out
of
action
hy

a back injury.
(::::
s
topped
from working)
224
Verb +
adverb
+
preposition
A A
ve
rb can
ha
ve both
an
adverb
and
a preposition after it.
- - -
Verb Adverb Preposition
My
sisler
fell
down
Oil
lhe
ice.
The
roOtll

looked
out
over
farmland.
The astronomer
gazed
lip
at
the
stars.
~
J
7
Phrasa
l verbs and
prep
ositional idioms
Co
mbinations
like
th
ese
are
callcd
'p
hr
asa
l-
preposition
al verbs'.

Sometimes
th
e
meaning
is
id
i
omat
ic. H
ere
arc some
exam
ples.
The
olhers lefl
half
an
hour ago.
1'1/
nel
le
r c
at
ch
up
with
them
HOW
.
(=

go faster a
nd
reac
h)
I'm
tryillg to c
ut
down
on
my
calorie intake. (= reduce)
You've got
to
fa
ce
up
to lhe siluation.
(=
not avoid)
I dotl't have t
hat
information rig
hl
now. C
an
I get back
to
you?
(=
answer

at a later
time
)
I'll
gel
round
to
filling lhut form in some time. (= find rime)
My
cousin lias decided to go
in
for
leac
hin
g.
(= begin a career)
Are you l
ooking
forwar
d to
your
holiday?
(= think.ing with
pl
easure
abo
ut
a future
even
t)

Why
s
hould
we !laue
10
put
up
with poor
se
ndee?
(=
tole
rat
e)
B There can be an
object
between
th
e verb and adverb.
Verb
Objecl
Adverb Pr
epositio
n
Are we going lO l
et
anyone else
in
all
ch

e secret?
lAura
llas
taken
us
up
all
our invitation.
Each
enquiry.
brought
lhe police
up
against
a
blank
wall.
225
Adjective
+ preposit
ion
A Some adjectives can be
fo
ll
owed by a
pr
epos
iti
on.
3 18

Tile place was crowded
wi
lh tourists.
The town
is
famous
for its huge market.
111e
man
was
found
gu
il
ty
of
burglary.
You
'
ll
be l
at
e
for
work.
We're
ready
for
action.
We're
ralher s

hort
of
lime.
The job is s
imilar
to the one I
did
before.
That
kil1d
of
remark is typical
of
a
man
.
Many of th
ese
adjectives
express feelings.
afraid
of
rhe
dark
confident
oj
ViClO1)1 crazy
about
CO
lUZCry music

eager for news
fed
up
with housework
[and
of
s
et1{ood
impr
essed
by
/witll your performance interested in ballet.
jealous
of
ocher people's su
ccess
ke
en
all
fishing
pl
eased wi
lh
/
abou
t
my
ex
am
results

proud
of
her ach
iewmenls
satisfied with
my
sco
re
surprised
at
/
b}1
what
h
appe
n
ed
thrilled
Il
l/by lhe prosp
ec
t tired
of
walking
worried
about
/
by
chis setback
NOT

E
For
adjecti
ve
+ preposition +
gerund,
> 11
6.
225 Adjective +
prepo
siti
on
8 S
ome
adjectives can take different prepositions, depending on the meaning.
We
arc angry
with
someone
about
s
om
ethirz
8.
Th
e lOurists were angry
about
the
mi
x

·up
over tickets.
Wh
y are you
angry
with
me?
Je's
not
my
fault.
We
ar
e
anxious
about
a problem.
Everyone was
anxious
about
terrorist
atta
cks.
Anxious
for
means 'wanting
'.
The
whole
family

were
tlnxious
for
news about the
mi
ss
ing
boy.
We are c
on
cerned
abouc
or
com.
:emed at a problem.
The
gouemment
is
concerned
aboutlat
the rise in crime.
Concerned
for
means 'wanting'.
We
are concerned
for
the
child
's

welfare.
Conc
erned
with
means
'about'
or 'involved
in
'.
My
research
is
concerned
with
social
tr
e
nd
s.
\Vc
can be sorry
about
som
e
thing
or
sorry for
doing
s
om

c
lhillg
.
rile
kept
you
waiting
. Sorry
about
that
.
I'm
sorry
for
keepinglw keep
you
waiting
.
We
also reel sorry for
peop
le.
I feel
sorry
for
Kate living ill
that
awful
plac
e.

C
We
use
good
at,
bad
at
, etc to talk
about
ability.
Mike
is
good
at
sk·
ating
. (He can skate welL)
I was always
bad
at
any
kind
of
sport.
(1
couldn't
do
sport very we
lL
)

You're
brilliant
at
matllS,
you
know
. (brilliant = ve
ry
good)
They say the f:lIglish
a.r
e hopeless
at
learning
fur
eign language
s.
(hopeless =
very
bad)
We
use
at
with an activity and with to ta
lk.
abollt other things.
I'm
no
good
at

budg
eting.
I'm
no
good with
money
.
We
use
good
for
and
bad
for to say if s
om
ething bene
fit
s you or not.
Regular
ex
ercise
is
good
for
YO"
.
Eating too
mu
ch
fatty

food is
bad
for
any
on
e.
To say how we behave towards s
omeon
e, we can usc good
to
,
rud
e l
a,
et
c.
Thank
you
. You've been very
good
to
m e/
kind
(0
m
e.
I
thought
you
were a hit

rude
to
your
teacher.
The waiLer
wa
s barely polite to
us
.
3 19
Phrasal verbs
and
preposilional idioms
226 Noun +
preposition
A So
me
nOlln
s can
co
mbine
with a
pr
eposition.
I
th
i
nk
Ih
ere's a good

chance
of
fin
e we
ath
er.
/-I
ere's
all
example
of
what
J
mean
.
11lis is
th
e key
to
the
whole
problem.
My
main
problem
is a
lack
of
mon
ey.

""/tar's
th
e reason
for
lhis
sudden
c.:/1ange
oJ
mimi?
There's
pl
e
nty
of
room
for
all
our
luggag
e,
Til
L"
pu
t a
tax
on
tobacco.
I'm
11a
villg trouble with tile

compw
er.
I'
ve
Jound
a
way
oflmethad
a/getting
round
fhe
problem
.
Some nouns can take different prepO
Si
ti
ons.
I
was
listening to a
discussion
opabout
/
olJ
the
politi
c
al
s
ituation.

The
8eatl
es
had
a great
influence
on
/over
Ih
eir generation.
The
s
taff
halJe a
ralher
aggressive
attitude
to
/
towards
CUS
TOmer
s.
B Look
011
Ihese
examp
les.
32
0

Verb/Adjective +
pr
e
pp
siti
on
No
un
+ pre
po
siliun
~ ~~~

I
used
10
be
afraid
of
flying
. I conquered
my
fear
of
flying.
He's int.erested
in
art
.
/-I

e
talk
ed
abow
hi
s
inter
est
in
art,
We
we
re
illvired.
to the parey,
We
had
an
invitation
to
rile
part
y.
No one
objected
to
the
id
ea.
There was

no
obj
e
ction
to
Ihe idea.
It
prot
e
ds
you
from
/
against
It gives protection
[rom
/
against
the
wind
the
wind
,
I'm
researching
i1l10
GM
Jood,
1',.,.1
doing research

into
GM
Jood
.
Here
we
use the same preposition after the
noun
as we
do
aflCr a related verb
or adjcclive,
Now
compare
Ihcse examples.
Adjective
+
pr
e
po
sition
Tile
ath
le
re
was
proud
of
hi
s

perf
o
rman
ce.
You're /lery
fond
oJ
ch
oco
lar
e,
aren't
you?
Nou
n +
pr
e
po
sition
His
pride
in
hi
s
pelformallce
was
obviou
s.
We've
noti

c
ed
yo
ur
fondn
ess
for
c
ho
co
lat
e.
Here we
li
se
a differe
nl
pr
epos
ition after Ihe
nuun
.
Some
times the verb has a
dir
ect object,
but
the
noun
lak

es
a
pr
e
po
sition.
Ve
rb
I c
un
'l,
(mswer
the
qu
estion
Th ey
attacked
th
e
gOlJen
un
e
nt
.
I've
damaged
my
c
ar
.

NO
LIn
+
preposition
WlJal.'S the
answer
to th
e
que
s
tion
?
Their
attack
on
the
gUlIernment
mad
e
headline
s,
111ere
's
s
om
e
damage
to
my
c

ar
,
226 Noun + preposition
Verb
-
-~

- -
The oppositwtl parties
demanded
an inquiry.
We
should respect our environment.
Noun +
prepo
sition
11leir
deman{L~
for
an
inquiry
were ignore
d.
We
should
have respect [or our
environment,
-

-

-


~
-
-
~

-
~
C A
number
of
nouns
to do with needs
and
desires are foHowed by
fo/',
There
is
a greae
need/or
low-cost housing.
World leaders expressed their desire
for
a lasting peace.
Such
nouns
include: appetiee. application. demand. desire, need.
pref

erence.
requesc.
casce,
wish.
o
Compare
the
use
of
with and between in
(he~c
examp
les.
Police say there is a
link
with/connection
with
another murder.
Police say lhere
is
a
link
betweenlconnection between the fWO murders.
The
psychiatrist's relationship
with
the patient is very important.
The relationship between the
psychiaerL'i1
and the patiem

is
lIelY
important.
There
is
a sharp contrast with lhe other side
of
town.
There is a sharp contrast between the two sides
of
town.
Note also
these
combinations,
VVhat's
the difference between American football an.d
soccer?
This treatment
is
an alternative to corwenlional medicine.
The material can be
used as a substitute
for
wood.
Compare
the
use
of
in and
of

in
these
examp
les.
There has been a rise
oj
20
points
in
the Financial Times Share index.
Figures
sh.ow a reduction
of
three per cellt
in
the
price
of
raw maleria/s.
321
Sentences
with
more
than
one clause
227 Types
of
clause
Here
is a

paragraph
from a
book
of
strange
but
true
slOries.
A1T
EM
I'
TE
lJ SUIC
IDE
A New York
painter
decided
to
end
it all by '-hrowing
hims
e
lf
off
the
Empire
Slate Building.
lIe
lOok
the lift

up
to the
86th
floor,
fou
nd a
conveni
e
nt
window
and
jumped.
A gust
o[wind
caught
him
as
hefell
and
blew
him
into
rhe
studios
of
NRC Television
OII
the 83rd floor. There was a title
show
gOing

(J1If
, so
'h
e interlJiewer decided to
ask
the would-be suicide a
few
questions.
He namiued
that
he
'd changed his
mind
as
soon
as he'd jumped.
(rrom I.
RCid
/l
Ca
n',
He
Trw! )
A M
ai
n
cl
aus
es
322

A main clause
is
one
that
could
stand
al
one
as
a
sentence.
He rook
'he
lift
up
to
'he
86th
floor. A gust
of
wind
caught
him
.
For
the
stru
c
ture
of

a
main
clau
se, > 4.
We
can use
and
,
or,
hut, and so (0 join two
or
more
main
clauses.
He
took
the
lift.
up
to
the 86th /loor,
and
he
jump
ed.
He
could
KO
through with
il,

or
he could go back
dow"
again
He
jumped
from
the 86th floor,
but
he
survived.
It
was
a live show, so the host invited
him
on.
Two main clauses linked toge
the
r like this
are
called
'co
·
ordinatc
clau
ses'.
When
the subject
of
the two clauses is

the
s
ame
,
we
can
often
le
ave
it
alit,
especially after
and
and
or.
He took
the
lift
up
to the 86th floor
and
(he)
jumped.
We
can also leave
om
the
auxiliary verb to avoid
rep
e

ating
it.
He
could
go
through wilh it
or
(
he
could)
go
back
down
again.
We
can link
mor
e than two clauses. Usually
and
comes
on
ly
before
the
last
one.
He
lOok
the lift

, fo
und
a convenient
window
alld
jump
e
d.
NOTE
We
can
begin a s
ent
ence with (jllll, or, bul. or so
[0
link
lO
(he
pre
v
iou
s s
enten
ce.
A gust
of
wina c
OI11:;11I
lI
im

tU
III!
fe
ll
a.nd blew lIim into (he studios
of
NBC Televisio
ll
on
tile 83rd floor.
AmI
it happened thai
(h
e
re
Wtl.'i
lJ
fjlle
s
how
going 0It! a( tile lime.
At one time s
om
e p
eo
ple believed l
hat
iI was incorrect to
begin
a SenlCI1C

I!
with lIfld, or,
bm
,
or so ThiS
anilud
e IS nnw less c
ommon
,
and
you will
oflen
see
such
sente
nc
es
.