Download Prepositions The key to understanding prepositions is perhaps

Prepositions
The key to understanding prepositions is perhaps using a number of examples to show that
preposition use is not always easily categorized, but also that it isn't easily categorized in a number of
limited ways. Prepositions are difficult for learners, in the sense that they generally continue to make
mistakes with them as they progress, while still being, for the most part, understood. In terms of
reading and listening, there are generally contextual clues which help the learner understand the gist
of the sentence, and the preposition use along with it. English, to a great extent, is a language of small
words, whether adverbs or prepositions, with phrasal verbs a prime example of this. Whether these
small words can be said to be more adaptable to other words than small words or morphemes in
other languages are, or whether other languages tend to use a greater number of root words to
create meaning isn't necessarily important in terms of learning English or any other language. It is the
case, however, that a limited number of (one or two syllable) prepositions and adverbs feature
prominently in English, and as such, students need to try to learn correct usage. They need to
consider prepositions in terms of what meaning each example of a preposition's use might have in
common, and in terms of remembering which words correctly constitute a phrasal verb (along with
verbs and adverbs) or other prepositional structure. Therefore some guidance as to how prepositions
are used in English and other languages should be helpful. In this lesson, we will establish six rules as
to how prepositions are used.
1. Rule 1
Ask students to suggest some examples of prepositions and write them up on the board:
The teacher should point out that many prepositions are also adverbs. Adverbs variously describe
verbs, sentences, other adverbs, and adjectives. The teacher can then ask the students what type of
words can follow prepositions.
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Rule 1
Prepositions are always followed by:


[+...] noun
[+...] v ing
(a noun phrase)
(a noun phrase)
2. Rule 2
Write the following sentences on the board and ask the students to identify if they are correct:
a) She threw the dictionary to him.
b) She threw the dictionary at him.
c) It depends of the weather.
d) It depends on the weather.
answers:
a) She threw the dictionary to him.
b) She threw the dictionary at him.
c) *It depends of the weather.
d) It depends on the weather.
Ask the students what the difference is, if any, between a) and b):
a) She threw the dictionary to him.
b) She threw the dictionary at him.
answers:
a) She threw the dictionary to him.
b) She threw the dictionary at him.
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(for him to catch the dictionary)
(in order to hit him with the dictionary)
Rule 2
Generally:
one preposition = one meaning
if you change the preposition, either it's wrong, or you change the meaning:
e.g.
a) She threw the dictionary to him.
b) She threw the dictionary at him.
but sometimes if you change the preposition, people will still understand your meaning:
e.g.
c) *It depends of the weather.
d) It depends on the weather.
3. Rule 3
Write the following sentences on the board, and ask the students to complete with the correct
preposition:
a) They went
b) They went
England.
Manchester.
answers:
a) They went to England.
b) They went to Manchester.
Ask the students if any know the correct prepositions in Spanish or French:
c) Ellos fueron
d) Ellos fueron
Inglaterra.
Manchester.
e) Ils sont allés
f) Ils sont allés
Angleterre.
Manchester.
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Check the answers:
c) Ellos fueron a Inglaterra.
d) Ellos fueron a Manchester.
e) Ils sont allés en Angleterre.
f) Ils sont allés à Manchester.
Spanish uses the same preposition, 'a' in both cases, like English. French uses two different
prepositions, 'en' for a country, and 'à' for a town or city.
Rule 3
Propositions are very cultural. There are different systems in every language, so one preposition can
be translated as various different prepositions.
4. Rule 4
Write the following sentences on the board, and ask the students to try pronouncing them, paying
attention to the correct pronunciation of the preposition:
a) They went to work.
b) They started at 9.
answers:
There are different ways to pronounce some prepositions:
a) They went to work.
1. /tuː/
2. /tə/
3. /. ə/
b) They started at 9.
1. /æt/
2. /ət/
3. /ə ./
The teacher should tell the students that 1., the stressed form, is seldom used, and only in certain
cases. 'Emphasis' in pronunciation, which is also the result of not using contractions with auxiliary
verbs, can be studied here, or as part of of another pronunciation section of a lesson. Native speakers
generally use either 2. or 3, the unstressed forms. Note that the full stop in the phonemic
transcription for 3. represents a glottal stop, where speakers of some languages substitute a stop
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instead of a consonant sound. In English, this is often done with 't'.
Rule 4
Prepositions in English are difficult to hear sometimes; it's not easy to learn prepositions by listening.
5. Rule 5
Draw the following designs on the board and ask the students to complete the sentences with the
correct preposition:
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answers:
Write the follow sentences with 'into' on the board, and ask the students if the use of 'into' is in any
way represented by the picture used to represent: 'They walked into the town' above (note that this
may very abstract for some students, and if they don't understand, they may have to be given the
answer quite promptly):
Can we use the same picture:
for these sentences?
a) The man walked into a tree.
b) They translated the book into several languages.
c) They divided the cake into nine pieces.
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answers:
The picture for a) is very similar to the original, the picture for b) is less similar and the picture for c) is
very different. However, we can also say that if b) derives from a), then c) derives from b). What we
can now establish though, is that prepositions tend to proceed from material/physical to abstract
uses.
Write the following sentences on the board, and ask the students which example probably was first to
be used in the language:
The students should probably agreed that a) was used first in the language, and that b) and c) derived
from it. It should be pointed out that students also generally learn material prepositions first in the
new language and then proceed to abstract prepositions. However, it may motivate students if we
also agree that material prepositions are sometimes equally easy, confusing and/or boring to learn,
and that if they learn the essentials quickly, they can then proceed to the more interesting and
involving task of starting to learn abstract prepositions.
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Rule 5
Use your knowledge of material prepositions to learn more abstract prepositions.
6. Rule 6
Write the following sentences on the board, and ask the students to decided which sentence is
probably more common in each pair:
a) They walked into the nightclub.
b) They entered the nightclub.
c) They walked up to the counter.
d) They approached the counter.
a) and c) are more common, and show the tendency of English to favour a 'verb + how' structure.
English is primarily derived from two language sources illustrated here:
a) They walked into the nightclub.
b) They entered the nightclub.
(non-Latin)
(Latin)
c) They walked up to the counter.
d) They approached the counter.
(non-Latin)
(Latin)
We can then explain hat the 'non-Latin' branch of English uses less prepositions, and that the 'nonLatin' branch is more English. Unless there is no suitable Latin expression, native speakers tend to use
more Latin terms in academic writing; however, this is by no means exclusively the case, and
alternative to Latin terms can also be used in academic writing.
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It should also be noted that Latin verbs do also use prepositions, though not as much as English verbs
do:
They got to the nightclub.
They arrived at the nightclub
Rule 6
'Non-Latin' uses more prepositions.
'Non-Latin' is more English.
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(non-Latin)
(Latin)