KPDS İNGİLİZCE DERS - 1

Aşağıda, KPDS sınavlarında sorulan İngilizce Dilbilgisi konularını kapsayan KPDS İngilizce Ders Notları bulunmaktadır!

KPDS İNGİLİZCE DERS 1: PREPOSITIONS

Prepositions are words normally placed before nouns or pronouns.

TIME AND DATE: AT, ON, BY, BEFORE, IN

at, on

• at a time: at dawn at six at midnight at 4.30

• at an age: at sixteen/at the age of sixteen She got married at seventeen.

• on a day/date: on Monday on 4 June on New Year’s Day

• Exceptions at night, at Ramadan, at Easter (the period, not the day only)

• on the morning/afternoon/evening/night of a certain date: We arrived on the morning of the sixth.

• It is also, of course, possible to say: this/next Monday etc., any Monday, one Monday

by, before

• by a time/date/period = at that time or before/not later than that date. It often implies ‘before that time/date’: The train starts at 6.10, so you had better be at the station by 6.00.

• by + a time expression is often used with a perfect tense, particularly the future perfect:
By the end of July I’ll have read all those books.

• before can be preposition, conjunction or adverb:

Before signing this . . . (preposition)
Before you sign this . . . (conjunction)
I’ve seen him somewhere before. (adverb)

on time, in time, in good time

• on time = at the time arranged, not before, not after: The 8.15 train started on time. (It started at 8.15.)

• in time/in time for + noun = not late; in good time (for) = with a comfortable margin:

Passengers should be in time for their train.
I arrived at the concert hall in good time (for the concert). (Perhaps the concert began at 7.30 and I arrived at 7.15.)

on arrival, on arriving, on reaching, on getting to

• on arrival/on arriving, he . . . = when he arrives/arrived, he … on can also be used similarly with the gerund of certain other verbs (chiefly verbs of information):

On checking, she found that some of the party didn’t know the way.
On hearing/Hearing that the plane had been diverted, they left the airport. (The on in the last sentence could be omitted.)

at the beginning/end, in the beginning/end, at first/at last

• at the beginning (of)/at the end (of) = literally at the beginning/end:

At the beginning of a book there is often a table of contents.
At the end there may be an index.

• in the beginning/at first = in the early stages. It implies that later on there was a change:

In the beginning/At first we used hand tools. Later we had machines.

• in the end/at last = eventually/after some time:

At first he opposed the marriage, but in the end he gave his consent.

FROM, SINCE, FOR, DURING

from, since and for

1 from is normally used with to or till/until: Most people work from nine to five.

• from can also be used of place: Where do you come from?

2 since is used for time, never for place, and means ‘from that time to the time referred to’. It is often used with a present perfect or past perfect tense.

He has been here since Monday. (from Monday till now)
He wondered where Ann was. He had not seen her since their quarrel.

• since can also be an adverb:

He left school in 1983. I haven’t seen him since.

• since can also be a conjunction of time:

He has worked for us ever since he left school.
It is two years since I last saw Tom = I last saw Tom two years ago/I haven’t seen Tom for two years.

3 for is used of a period of time: for six years, for two months, for ever:

Bake it for two hours. He traveled in the desert for six months.

• for + a period of time can be used with a present perfect tense or past perfect tense for an action which extends up to the time of speaking:

He has worked here for a year. (He began working here a year ago and still works here.)

• for used in this way is replaceable by since with the point in time when the action began:

He has worked here since this time last year.

B during and for

• during is used with known periods of time, i.e. periods known by name, such as Ramadan, Christmas, Easter or periods which have been already defined:

during the Middle Ages during 1941 during the summer (of that year)
during his childhood during my holidays

• The action can either last the whole period or occur at some time within the period:

It rained all Monday but stopped raining during the night. (at some point of time)
He was ill for a week, and during that week he ate nothing.

• for (indicating purpose) may be used before known periods:

I went there/I hired a car/I rented a house for my holidays/for the summer.

• for has various other uses:

He asked for $5. I paid $1 for it. I bought one for Tom.

• for can also be a conjunction and introduce a clause (see Adverb Clauses).

VI. TIME: TO, TILL/UNTIL, AFTER, AFTERWARDS (ADVERB)

A to and till/until

• to can be used of time and place; till/until of time only. We can use from … to or from . . . till/until: They worked from five to ten/from five till ten. (at five to ten would mean ‘at 9.55′.)

• But if we have no from we use till/until, not to: Let’s start now and work till dark. (to would not be possible here.)

• till/until is often used with a negative verb to emphasize lateness:

We didn’t get home till 2 a.m.
He usually pays me on Friday but last week he didn’t pay me till the following Monday.

• till/until is very often used as a conjunction of time:

We’ll stay here till it stops raining.
Go on till you come to the level crossing.

• But note that if ‘you come to’ is omitted, the till must be replaced by to:

Go on to the level crossing.

B after and afterwards (adverb)

• after (preposition) must be followed by a noun, pronoun or gerund:

Don’t bathe immediately after a meal/after eating.
Don’t have a meal and bathe immediately after it.

• If we do not wish to use a noun/pronoun or gerund, we cannot use after, but must use afterwards (= after that) or then:

Don’t have a meal and bathe immediately afterwards.
They bathed and afterwards played games/played games afterwards or
They bathed and then played games.

• afterwards can be used at either end of the clause and can be modified by soon, immediately, not long etc.:

Soon afterwards we got a letter.
We got a letter not long afterwards.

• after can also be used as a conjunction:

After he had tuned the piano it sounded quite different.

VI. TRAVEL AND MOVEMENT: FROM, TO, AT, IN, BY, ON, INTO, ONTO, OFF, OUT, OUT OF

A We travel from our starting place to our destination:

They flew/drove/cycled/walked from Paris to Rome. When are you coming back to the US?

• We also send/post letters etc. to people and places. (But see note on home below.)

B arrive at/in, get to, reach (without preposition)

• We arrive in a town or country, at or in a village, at any other destination:

They arrived in Spain/in Madrid.
I arrived at the hotel/at the airport/at the bridge/at the crossroads.

• get to can be used with any destination, and so can reach:

He got to the station just in time for his train.
I want to get to Berlin before dark.
They reached the top of the mountain before sunrise.

• get in (in = adverb) can mean ‘arrive at a destination’. It is chiefly used of trains:

What time does the train get in? (reach the terminus/our station)

• Note also get there/back (there, back are adverbs).

C home

• We can use a verb of motion etc. + home without a preposition:

It took us an hour to get home. They went home by bus.

• But if home is immediately preceded by a word or phrase a preposition is necessary:

She returned to her parents’ home.

• We can be/live/stay/work etc. at home, at + . . . + home or in + . . . + home. But in cannot be followed directly by home: You can do this sort of work at home or at/in your own home.

D Transport: by, on, get in/into/on/onto/off/out of

• We can travel by car (but in the/my/Tom’s car), by bus/train/ plane/helicopter/hovercraft etc. and by sea/air. We can also travel by a certain route, or by a certain place (though via is more usual):

We went by the FSM Bridge. We went via Eskişehir.

• We can walk or go on foot. We can cycle or go on a bicycle or by bicycle. We can ride or go on horseback. We get into a public or private vehicle, or get in (adverb). We get on/onto a public vehicle, or get on (adverb). But we go on board a boat (= embark). We get on/onto a horse/camel/bicycle.

• We get out of a public or private vehicle, or get out (adverb). We get off a public vehicle, a horse, bicycle, etc., or get off (adverb).

E get in/into/out/out of can also be used of buildings, institutions and countries instead of go/come/return etc. when there is some difficulty in entering or leaving, in and out here are used as adverbs:

I’ve lost my keys! How are we going to get into the flat/ to get in? (adverb)
The house is on fire! We had better get out! (adverb) It’s difficult to get into a university nowadays.

F Giving directions: at, into, to etc. (prepositions), along, on (prepositions and adverbs) and till (conjunction):

Go along the Strand till you see the Savoy on your right.
The bus stop is just round the corner.
Turn right/left at the Post Office/at the second traffic lights.
Go on (adverb) past the post office.
Turn right/left into Fleet Street.
Take the first/second etc. turning on/to the right or on/to your right
Go on (adverb) to the end of the road, (till could not be used here.)
You will find the bank on your left halfway down the street.
When you come out of the station you will find the bank opposite you/in front of you.
Get out (of the bus) at the tube station and walk on (adverb) till you come to a pub.
Get off (the bus) and walk back (adverb) till you come to some traffic lights.

* Be careful not to confuse to and till.

VII. AT, IN; IN, INTO; ON, ONTO

A at and in

• At: We can be at home, at work, at the office, at school, at university, at an address, at a certain point e.g. at the bridge, at the crossroads, at the bus-stop.

• In: We can be in a country, a town, a village, a square, a street, a room, a forest, a wood, a field, a desert or any place which has boundaries or is enclosed.

• But a small area such as a square, a street, a room, a field might be used with at when we mean ‘at this point’ rather than ‘inside’.

• We can be in or at a building, in means inside only; at could mean inside or in the grounds or just outside. If someone is ‘at the station’ he could be in the street outside, or in the ticket office/waiting room/restaurant or on the platform.

• We can be in or at the sea, a river, lake, swimming pool etc. in here means actually in the water:
The children are swimming in the river.

• at the sea/river/lake etc. means ‘near/beside the sea’. But at sea means ‘on a ship’.

B in and into

• in as shown above normally indicates position. into indicates movement, entrance:

They climbed into the lorry. I poured the beer into a tankard.
Thieves broke into my house/My house was broken into.

• with the verb put, however, either in or into can be used:

He put his hands in/into his pockets.

• in can also be an adverb: Come in = Enter. Get in (into the car).

C on and onto

• on can be used for both position and movement:

He was sitting on his case. Snow fell on the hills.
His name is on the door. He went on board ship.

• onto can be used (chiefly of people and animals) when there is movement involving a change of level:

People climbed onto their roofs. We lifted him onto the table.
The cat jumped onto the mantelpiece.

• on can also be an adverb: Go on. Come on.

VIII. ABOVE, OVER, UNDER, BELOW, BENEATH ETC.

A above and over

• above (preposition and adverb) and over (preposition) can both mean ‘higher than’ and sometimes either can be used:

The helicopter hovered above/over us. Flags waved above/over our heads.

• But over can also mean ‘covering’, ‘on the other side of, ‘across’ and ‘from one side to the other’:

We put a rug over him. He lives over the mountains. There is a bridge over the river.

• all over + noun/pronoun can mean ‘in every part of: He has friends all over the world.

• above can have none of these meanings.

• over can mean ‘more than’ or ‘higher than’.

• above can mean ‘higher than’ only.

• Both can mean ‘higher in rank’. But He is over me would normally mean ‘He is my immediate superior’, ‘He supervises my work’, above would not necessarily have this meaning.

• If we have a bridge over a river, above the bridge means ‘upstream’.

• over can be used with meals/food/drink: They had a chat over a cup of tea. (while drinking tea)

• In the combination take + a time expression + over + noun/pronoun, over can mean ‘to do/finish’ etc.: He doesn’t take long over lunch/to eat his lunch.

He took ages over the job. (He took ages to finish it.)

• above can also be an adjective or adverb meaning ‘earlier’ (in a book, article etc.):

the above address (the previously mentioned address)

B below and under

• below (preposition and adverb) and under (preposition) can both mean ‘lower than’ and sometimes either can be used. But under can indicate contact:

She put the letter under her pillow. The ice crackled under his feet.

• With below there is usually a space between the two surfaces: They live below us. (We live on the fourth floor and they live on the third.)

• Similarly: We live above them.

• below and under can mean ‘junior in rank’. But He is under me implies that I am his immediate superior, below does not necessarily have this meaning. (Both over and under can be used as adverbs, but with a change of meaning.)

C beneath can sometimes be used instead of under, but it is safer to keep it for abstract meanings:

He would think it beneath him to tell a lie. (unworthy of him) She married beneath her. (into a lower social class)

D beside, between, behind, in front of, opposite

• Imagine a theatre with rows of seats: A, B, C etc., Row A being nearest the stage.

STAGE
Row A Tom Ann Bill
Row B Mary Bob Jane

• This means that:

Tom is beside Ann; Mary is beside Bob etc.
Ann is between Tom and Bill; Bob is between Mary and Jane.
Mary is behind Tom; Tom is in front of Mary.

• But if Tom and Mary are having a meal and Tom is sitting at one side of the table and Mary at the other, we do not use in front of, but say:

Tom is sitting opposite Mary or Tom is facing Mary. But He stood in front of me could mean either ‘He stood with his back to me’ or ‘He faced me’.

• People living on one side of a street will talk of the houses on the other side as the houses opposite (us) rather than the houses in front of us. With other things, however, these restrictions do not apply:

She put the plate on the table in front of him. She sat with a book in front of her.
Where’s the bank? ~ There it is, just in front of you!
There’s a car-park in front of/at the back of the hotel.

E Don’t confuse beside with besides. beside = at the side of: We camped beside a lake.

• besides (preposition) = in addition to/as well as:

I do all the cooking and besides that I help Tom.
Besides doing the cooking I help Tom.

• besides (adverb) means (a) ‘in addition to that/as well as that’:

I do the cooking and help Tom besides and (b) ‘in any case/anyway’:
We can’t afford oysters. Besides, Tom doesn’t like them.

F between and among

• between normally relates a person/thing to two other people/things, but it can be used of more when we have a definite number in mind:

Luxembourg lies between Belgium, Germany and France.

• among relates a person/thing to more than two others; normally we have no definite number in mind: He was happy to be among friends again. a village among the hills

G with could also be used instead of among in the last sentence above. Also, of course, with a singular object: He was with a friend.

• Examples of other uses: He cut it with a knife. Don’t touch it with bare hands.
The mountains were covered with snow. I have no money with me/on me.
He fought/quarreled with everyone.

• In descriptions: the girl with red hair the boy with his hands in his pockets
the man with his back to the camera/with his feet on his desk

H but and except (prepositions)

• These have the same meaning and are interchangeable.

• but is more usual when the preposition + object is placed immediately after nobody/none/nothing/nowhere etc: Nobody but Tom knew the way.

Nothing but the best is sold in our shops.

• except is more usual when the preposition phrase comes later in the sentence:

Nobody knew the way except Tom

• and after all/everybody/everyone/everything/everywhere etc. but is more emphatic than except after anybody/anything/ anywhere etc.:

You can park anywhere but/except here. (You can’t park here.)

• but and except take the bare infinitive.

COLLOCATIONS

IX. PREPOSITIONS USED WITH ADJECTIVES AND PARTICIPLES

• Certain adjectives and past participles used as adjectives can be followed by a preposition + noun/gerund.

• Usually particular adjectives and participles require particular prepositions. Some of these are given below; others can be found by consulting a good dictionary, which after any adjective will give the prepositions that can be used with it.

ABOUT, AT, FOR, IN, OF, ON, TO, WITH USED WITH CERTAIN ADJECTIVES AND PARTICIPLES:

absorbed in
involved in
according to
keen on
accustomed to
liable for/to
afraid of
nervous of
anxious for/about
owing to
ashamed of
pleased with
aware of
prepared for
bad at/for
proud of
capable of
ready for
confident of
responsible for/to
due to/for
scared of
exposed to
sorry for/about
fit for
successful in
fond of
suspicious of
frightened of/at
terrified of
good at/for
tired of
interested in
used to

• Examples:

He was absorbed in his book.
She is afraid/frightened/scared of the dark.
According to Tom it’s 2.30. (Tom says it’s 2.30.)
He is bad/good at chess. (a bad/good player)
Running is bad/good for you. (unhealthy/healthy)
They are very keen on golf.
Drivers exceeding the speed limit are liable to a fine.
The management is not responsible for articles left in customers’ cars.
I’m sorry for your husband. (I pity him.)
I’m sorry for forgetting the tickets.
I’m sorry about the tickets.

X. VERBS AND PREPOSITIONS

• A large number of verb + preposition combinations are dealt with in the next chapter. But there are a great many other verbs which can be followed by prepositions and some of these are listed below. More can be found in any good dictionary.

accuse sb of insist on
apologize (to sb) for live on (food/money)
apply to sb/for sth long for
ask for/about object to
attend to occur to
beg for persist in
believe in prefer sb/sth to sb/sth
beware of prepare for
blame sb for punish sb for
charge sb with (an offence) quarrel with sb about
compare sth with refer to
comply with rely on
conform to remind sb of
consist of resort to
deal in succeed in
depend on suspect sb of
dream of think of/about
fight with sb for wait for
fine sb for warn sb of/about
hope for wish for

• Examples:

Do you believe in ghosts?
They were charged with receiving stolen goods.
You haven’t complied with the regulations.
For a week she lived on bananas and milk.
It never occurred to me to insure the house.
They persisted in defying the law.
When arguments failed he resorted to threats.

• Notice also feel like + noun/pronoun = feel inclined to have something:

Do you feel like a drink/a meal/a rest?

• feel like + gerund = feel inclined to do something: I don’t feel like walking there.

• Passive verbs can of course be followed by by + agent; but they can also be followed by other prepositions:

The referee was booed by the crowd.
The referee was booed for his decision/for awarding a penalty.

XI. GERUNDS AFTER PREPOSITIONS

A Verbs placed immediately after prepositions must be in the gerund form:

He left without paying his bill.
I apologize for not writing before.
She insisted on paying for herself.
Before signing the contract, read the small print.

• A few noun + preposition + gerund combinations may also be noted:

There’s no point in taking your car if you can’t park.
What’s the point of taking your car if you can’t park?
Is there any chance/likelihood of his changing his mind?
Have you any objection to changing your working hours?
I am in favor of giving everyone a day off.

B The only exceptions to the gerund rule are except and but (preposition), which take the bare infinitive:

I could do nothing except agree.
He did nothing but complain.

• However, if but is used as a conjunction, it can be followed directly by either full infinitive or gerund:

Being idle sometimes is agreeable, but being idle all the time might become monotonous.
To be idle sometimes is agreeable, but to be idle all the time etc.

XII. PREPOSITIONS/ADVERBS

• Many words can be used as either prepositions or adverbs:

He got off the bus at the corner. (preposition)
He got off at the corner. (adverb)

• The most important of these are above, about, across, along, before, behind, below, besides, by, down, in, near, off, on, over, past, round, since, through, under, up:

They were here before six. (preposition) He has done this sort of work before. (adverb)

Peter is behind us. (preposition)
He’s a long way behind, (adverb)

She climbed over the wall. (preposition) You’ll have to climb over too. (adverb)
When the meeting was over the delegates went home. (adverb; here over = finished)

The shop is just round the corner. (preposition)
Come round (to my house) any evening. (adverb)

He ran up the stairs. (preposition)
He went up in the lift. (adverb)

• Many of these words are used to form phrasal verbs (see next section:

The plane took off. (left the ground)
He came round, (recovered consciousness)

USING PREPOSITIONS IN REFERENCE TO A POINT IN SPACE (1)

A. INDICATING DIRECTION

Go to A

Go away from A

Go back to A

Go through A

We have gone past (beyond) A

USING PREPOSITIONS IN REFERENCE TO A POINT IN SPACE (2)

B. INDICATING POSITION

Stay at A

We are past (beyond) A

USING PREPOSITIONS IN REFERENCE TO A SURFACE (1)

C. INDICATING DIRECTION

Go onto the platform

Get off the platform

We are driving along the road

We are going across the road

A is running in front of B

A is running behind B

A is running beside B

Go up the hill

Go down the hill

Jump over A

The plane is flying over A

Crawl under A

We are flying above the water

We are going (a)round the circle

USING PREPOSITIONS IN REFERENCE TO A SURFACE (2)

D. INDICATING POSITION

Stay on the platform

Stay off the platform

We live along the road

We are safely across the road

A is in front of B

A is behind B

A is beside B

A is opposite B

We are up the hill

We are down the hill

It is over A
Now we are over A

Stay under A

We are above the water

We have gone all (a)round the circle
My belt is (a)round my waist

USING PREPOSITIONS IN REFERENCE TO A CONTAINING AREA (1)

E. INDICATING DIRECTION

Come into (inside) my office

Go out (outside) of my office

USING PREPOSITIONS IN REFERENCE TO A CONTAINING AREA

F. INDICATING POSITION

Stay in (inside) my room

Stay out (outside) of my room

USING PREPOSITIONS IN REFERENCE TO A POSITION IN TIME

* The prepositions of time position, at, in and on answer the question “When?”.

Meaning (to show…) Preposition Examples
points of time at The class will end at eight o’clock.
period in I have tea in the evening.
reference to days on I go shopping on Sunday afternoon.

* Reference to night can be viewed as points of time and a period:

Meaning (to show…) Preposition Examples
points of time at He doesn’t go out much at night.
period in There were some strange noises in the night.

USING PREPOSITIONS IN REFERENCE TO TIME DURATION

Meaning ( to show…) Preposition Examples
how long or duration for I have been typing this for three hours.
from the beginning to the end of a period, the action can be taken place several times / continuously during,
between …… and May likes to go swimming during the summer.
Chris usually has a meal between six and eight o’clock.
reference to the beginning and ending from …… to The film runs from seven to nine o’clock.
something happens earlier than a particular time or event before He received the gift before Christmas.
something happens later than a particular time or event after Mandy went home after seven o’clock.
reference to the beginning of a period of time from Heidi slept from eight o’clock at night.
something happens at some time or continuously after a particular time or event since Cherry has lived here since last year.
something happens and then ends at a particular time till / until Carmen often goes without eating till the end of the day.
The party went on until dawn.
point of time after a particular period or date has passed beyond They don’t normally allow people to work beyond the age of 60.
throughout the length or duration of time over The police carried on the investigation over a long period of time.

USING PREPOSITIONS IN REFERENCE TO CAUSE/REASON

because of
on account of
for
from
through

The barbecue was cancelled because of the rain.
We didn’t go on account of the bad weather.
He succeeded for many reasons.
Unfortunately you won’t succeed from hard work alone.
The operation was successful only through the great skill of the surgeon.

• Also:

1. out of (motive): The letter was sent out of anger and spite.

2. for (purpose, goal, target: Victor is applying for the post of Senior Technician.

3. for (intended recipient): Lily bought a toy for the little boy.

4. to (actual recipient): He gave the money to her.

5. with (goal, target): She yelled at him with hostility.

PREPOSITIONS AT, TO, TOWARDS

{ at
to
towards }

1. The police fired at the bank robbers.
2. I don’t wish any harm to him.
3. I don’t have any bad feeling towards him, in spite of what he said.
4. To (target, point – with neutral attitude): Helen smiled at the baby.

PREPOSITIONS BY, OVER, UNDER, PAST

Meaning ( to show….) Preposition Examples
someone or something move past without stopping by Flora also took Tim’s hand as they passed by the woods.
someone or something moves across the surface from one side towards the other. over They drove back over the mountains .
something moves from one side to the other by passing below it. under The water passes under the ground.
move in a direction so as to pass by. past Victoria went past the house by mistake.

PREPOSITIONS UP, DOWN, ACROSS, ALONG

* The prepositions of passage are usually related to vertical and horizontal axis.

1. up

– moves higher in direction
– E.g. He went up the stairs.
2. down

– moves in a descending direction
– E.g. She went down the hill.

3. across

– moves from one side to the other
– E.g. Tim went across the road.
4. along

– moves towards one end of something
– E.g. Cecilia went along the highway.

PREPOSITIONS ON, IN, ACROSS, THROUGH

* The prepositions of passage on and in, across, and through, are used similarly. For example,

– static
– setting : surface
in

– static
– setting : containing area, border

across

– movement
– setting : surface
through

– movement
– setting : containing area, border

PREPOSITIONS ABOUT, ACCORDING TO, AGAINST, APART FROM, AS, AT

Preposition/Prepositional Phrase Meaning Examples
about the subject of thought, speech and writing I am worried about your test results.
according to to quote as an authority According to Lily, the class has been cancelled.
against not in favor of All the evidence is against the theory.
apart from with the exception of Apart from that, she has done nothing significant.
as in the role of As your friend, I advise you not to smoke anymore.
as for, as to 1. use at the beginning of a clause
2. to introduce another subject that is related to the previous one I don’t mind Jim, but as for Tim, he has been very rude to me.
No decision was made as to how the project should be done.
as well as in addition to You can come, as well as Lily.
at relates to price or rate They are driving at 70 miles per hour.

PREPOSITIONS AMONG, BETWEEN, AGAINST

Preposition/Prepositional Phrase Meaning Examples
among / amongst be part of a group, belong to a group, be included 1. The State Department is unique among government agencies for its lack of public supporters.
2. This should be included among his best plays.
between involving two sides or participants 1. This is between Lily an me, it doesn’t concern anyone else.
2. The fight between Mohammed Ali and Sonny Liston only lasted 7 rounds.
between + plural reflexive pronoun involving only the parties concerned, not others This is a matter just between ourselves.
This argument is just between themselves.
against a game, match or competition between two rivals West Ham have been drawn to play against Manchester United.

PREPOSITIONS BECAUSE OF, BESIDES, BUT, BY

because of due to, by reason of The flight was cancelled because of bad weather.
besides in addition to Besides the main character, there are several lovely roles.
but Except Nobody but Chris has finished all the homework.
but for 1. contains the idea ” if something had not taken place” – a form of 3rd conditional
2. ‘but’ cannot be used instead of ‘but for’ at the beginning of a clause
3. except for But for that accident, we would have got there thirty minutes ago.
by express agency, instrument or means of transport “Women in Love” was written by D. H. Lawrence.
by means of by making use of For years radar was operated by means of pressing buttons and using dials.

PREPOSITIONS CONCERNING, CONSIDERING

concerning indicate the subject matter of something that is said, written or thought I want to ask several questions concerning this point.
considering take certain fact into account Considering the lateness, the chairman decided to close the meeting.

PREPOSITION EXCEPT

except Excluding All students passed the exam except Patrick.
except for 1. excluding
2. except cannot substitute except for at the beginning of a clause Except for Patrick, all students passed the exam.

PREPOSITIONS FOR, FROM

for 1. purpose
2. exchange This report is for your reference only.
from indicates the origin or source of something I bought it from the supermarket.

PREPOSITIONS IN, INSTEAD OF

in relates to a medium of expression He explained that phrase in Turkish.
instead of do the first thing but not the second, although the second is expected or preferable I’ve an orange today instead of an apple.

PREPOSITIONS LIKE, AS

like 1. of the same nature, appearance, or quality

2. a gradable preposition Bonnie looks like her mother.
Being in love is like floating on a cloud.
She’s quite like her mother.
as (adjective) as (noun) Links something of the same nature, appearance, or quality She’s as tall as her mother.
He’s as blind as a bat.

PREPOSITION NOTWITHSTANDING

notwithstanding 1. although a particular thing exists or occurs
2. a formal word They seem to get on well notwithstanding their differences in cultural background.

PREPOSITIONS OF, ON, OUT OF, OVER, OWING TO

of 1. the substance of which something is composed
2. membership of a (larger) body
3. the subject towards which thought, speech or writing is directed
4. a connection between something and an action in which it is involved 1. This pen is made of metal.
2. Hong Kong is part of China.
3. I’ll be dreaming of you tonight.
4. The Department of English is expanding.
on 1. relates to the subject of speech and writing
2. a more systematic treatment than about Chris is speaking on the VTC Project.
out of Lacking She is out of breath.
over relates to argument The children were fighting over the new toy.
owing to indicate the cause of a particular thing Owing to the bad weather, the flight is cancelled.

PREPOSITIONS RATHER THAN, REGARDLESS OF

rather than in preference to Rather than that, I’d sooner die.
regardless of without regard of We have to go to work, regardless of personal problems.

PREPOSITION THAN

than links two parts of a comparison This one is cheaper than that one.
This is more expensive than the other one.

PREPOSITION THROUGH

through relates to means or cause He got full marks through his hard work.

PREPOSITIONS UNLIKE, UPON, UP TO

unlike not like Mimi is unlike her sister.
upon sometimes replace on in formal and fixed expression The little girl climbed upon her pony.
up to indicate responsibility for future action It’s up to you what we do next.

PREPOSITIONS WITH, WITHOUT

with 1. express instrument
2. having 1. Please check the meaning with a dictionary.
2. The girl with the red dress is my sister.
without not having I can’t live, if living is without you.

PREPOSITIONS RELATING TO PLACES OR INSTITUTIONS

Pattern Underlying Meaning
go to bed to sleep
be in bed / stay in bed sleeping, resting
get out of bed get up
go to school / come to school to study
go to lunch / dinner to have lunch / dinner
be at lunch having lunch
be in class giving or having a lesson
go to mosque for worship
be at mosque worshipping in the mosque
be at home in one’s own house
go in(to) hospital for medical treatment
be in hospital receiving medical treatment (a patient)
be in office holding an official position
be out of office ceasing to hold that position
go to prison as a punishment
be in prison as a prisoner
go to university to study
be at university be a student

PREPOSITIONS RELATING TO MEANS OF TRANSPORT (TRAVEL, SEND GOODS)

Pattern Example
by air Most mail goes by air from Turkey to the US.
by bus We can go by bus to Kayseri.
by car The best way to go to Clearwater Bay is by car.
by ship / boat Most people travel by boat to Discovery Bay.
by land But you can now get to Lantau Island from Kowloon by land since they built the Tei Ma bridge.
by plane I don’t like to travel by plane in China as you miss seeing so much of the country.
by sea In the last century the only way to reach America from Europe was by sea.
on foot We can either get a taxi or go on foot, as it’s not far.

PREPOSITIONS RELATING TO MEANS OF DISPATCH (SENDING A MESSAGE)

Pattern Example
by hand The exam paper has to be delivered by hand.
by letter You have to send a confirmation by letter – a fax won’t do.
by post I’ll send the check to you by post.
by radio Taxis usually communicate by radio, although many drives use mobile phones now.
by cable Some TV channels are only available by cable.
by telegram You can send an urgent message by telegram.

PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES BEGINNING WITH “AT”

at sea When the ferry is at sea you cannot go out on deck.
She felt at sea on the first day of school. (= confused, perplexed)
at hand The end of the world is at hand. (= near, close in time)
at least We need at least $20,000 dollars for the furniture.
at work Call me at work later.
at war When Britain and Germany were at war, Sweden remained neutral.
at last After several attempts we at last got the operating system installed correctly.
at peace Most of the countries of Western Europe have been at peace since 1945.
at sight The horses went crazy at sight or smell of a bear.
at ease I don’t feel at ease with this kind of music.
at heart He likes living in the city, but at heart he’s still a country boy.
at length He described his accident at length to everyone.
at once Don’t leave it, do it at once.
at first I didn’t like it here at first, but now I’ve grown to appreciate it.
at play There must be an adult on duty when the children are at play.
at rest His explanation did not put our minds at rest, and we weren’t satisfied.
at present I’m living in Discovery Bay at present, but not for much longer.

PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES BEGINNING WITH “BY”

Phrase Example
by accident It wasn’t clear if the fire started by accident or on purpose.
by chance We met by chance several years later in Antalya.
by day Badgers don’t come out by day, they’re nocturnal.
by design It wasn’t done by design, it was unintentional.
by degrees You can only learn this by degrees, step by step, you can’t rush it.
by heart An actor needs to learn his lines by heart – you can’t read them during a performance.
by mistake I’m sorry, I put the memo in your pigeon hole by mistake – it’s for Mary.
by name The headmaster called out the wrongdoers by name at the morning assembly.
by rights By rights this should be John’s job, but I’ll do it for now.
by sight I know Mr Brown by sight, but we’ve never been introduced.
by surprise The police caught the burglar by surprise while he was trying to break in.

BY + REFLEXIVE PRONOUN

• This is often used to mean doing something alone, often meaning “without any help”.

You can’t move all these books by yourself – let me help you.
She often goes out for a walk by herself.

BY + THE TIME + VERB

• This phrase is often used as a time conjunction, similar to “when”, and it is used with a verb to mean “not later than when something happens”. It is often used with the past perfect tense.

We were delayed by traffic and by the time we arrived the concert had started.
I’ll probably be in bed by the time you get home.
By the time the police had realized what was happening, the robbers had escaped.

PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES BEGINNING WITH “IN”

in brief In brief, the prosecution’s case is based on the fact that he lied.
in case Take an umbrella in case it rains.
in common He’s my brother, but we don’t have many interests in common.
in danger We are in danger of losing the contract.
in debt Most of the farmers are in debt to the banks.
in difficulties Helicopters were scrambled after reports from a North Sea oil rig that it was in difficulties.
in due course They will have an answer for you in due course, but you have to be patient.
in fact I thought he was about 50, but in fact he’s only 45.
in half If you divide the room in half, you would still be able to get all the desks in.
in general The Japanese are eating less food in general and less junk food in particular.
in love She is secretly in love with another man.
in name Gone are the days when this tournament was international in name only.
in need The government thinks this is an opportunity to reassess how those most in need can be helped.
in order They need a higher grade in order to be accepted on the course.
in particular The Japanese are eating less food in general and less junk food in particular.
in pieces He knocked over the vase and it broke in pieces on the floor.
in private I have something to tell you in private.
in public Kissing in public is not usually done, although holding hands is common.
in reply In reply to your question, the answer is yes.
in secret They believe the government is carrying out research in secret.
in sight When Antalya came in sight the view was fantastic.
in stock We don’t have this model in stock, but we can order it for you.
in turn Let us consider each of those points in turn.
in time You won’t understand it now, but in time you will.
in tears The exhibition attracted a lot of people off the streets, many in tears and unable to speak.
in short Good accommodation was in short supply.

PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES BEGINNING WITH “ON”

on business He has gone to China on business.
on duty (off duty) My brother is a policeman, and he usually has to be on duty at weekends.
on fire Many people escaped to the roof because the middle floors were on fire.
on foot We’ll go on foot as it’s not far.
on guard There are always some police on guard outside the American embassy.
on holiday They are on holiday in Chiang Mai just now, but they’ll be back next week
on horseback You can tour the Grand Canyon on horseback if you can ride.
on purpose It was no accident, he fouled the other player on purpose.
on time The trains usually run on time, although they might be late if there is a lot of snow.
on sale You can still find pirated software on sale if you know where to go.

ON + POSSESSIVE + OWN

• This is used to mean doing something alone, often meaning “without any help” and is similar to “by oneself”.

You can’t move all these books on your own – let me help you.
She often goes out for a walk on her own.

OF + POSSESSIVE + OWN

• This is used to mean owning or having something yourself, in contrast to having something which belongs to someone else.

She really wants a house of her own – she’s tired of living in a rented apartment.
It’s time he found a girlfriend of his own.
He doesn’t seem to have any ideas of his own – just what he’s got from other people.

PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES BEGINNING WITH “OUT OF”

out of control Some of the pupils in that school are just out of control.
out of danger The typhoon has changed direction so it looks as if Hong Kong is out of danger.
out of date You need to check the milk to see that it’s not out of date.
out of doors In summer the children can play out of doors and have more things to do.
out of hearing I could see they were talking about me but they were out of hearing so I don’t know what they were saying.
out of order I’m afraid the lift is out of order so you’ll have to use the steps.
out of sight They stood watching the plane until it was out of sight.
out of place I feel out of place there, everyone seems to be dressed so formally.
out of reach The price of a house in Central London is far out of reach of most ordinary workers.
out of stock We are out of stock of this model just now.
out of turn Government ministers who speak out of turn are likely to be reprimanded.
out of work More than 7% of the work force is out of work now.

PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES THAT BEGIN WITH “WITHIN”

within hearing Don’t say anything about it while he’s within hearing.
within reach The championship is now within reach for Liverpool if they can beat Manchester United.
within sight I live within sight of the Presidential Residence and the Botanical Park.

SOME VERBAL COLLOCATIONS

Pattern Example

accuse someone of doing (for) He was accused of stealing the money.
agree with someone or an idea I agree with you. I don’t agree with capital punishment.
agree about a discussion topic My wife and I agree about most things.
agree on a decision We agreed on a date for the meeting.
agree to a suggestion / price etc I wouldn’t agree to such a high price.
apologize to someone She apologized to everyone.
apologize for doing something She apologized for coming late.
arrive at / in somewhere (to) When does the plane arrive in London?
ask for something They asked for a pay rise.
believe in someone / something / doing Do you believe in God?
She doesn’t believe in dieting.
I believe in you – I know you’ll help me. (= trust)
belong in / on somewhere (= be in the proper place) The plates belong in the cupboard.
belong to someone (= be owned) Those books belong to me.
belong to something (= be a member of) She belongs to a tennis club.
care about something He doesn’t care about the money.
care for someone (= like, love) I don’t think she cares for him.
congratulate someone on / for doing He congratulated the team on winning the match. (for winning)
crash into something The bus crashed into a lorry.
depend on something / someone I’m not sure if we’ll go, it depends on the weather.
He depends on his parents to pay the fees.
die of / from Many people have died of AIDS in the past 20 years. ( from AIDS)
divide into Lord of the Rings is divided into several books.
dream of (= imagine, want) He dreamt of becoming a singer.
dream about (while sleeping) Last night I dreamt about you.
dress in (with) She’s the woman dressed in red.
drive into (against) The taxi drove into the back of a bus.
enter into an agreement, discussion China has entered into an agreement with Russia to buy corn.
explain something to someone I tried to explain the rules to him.
fight / struggle with For years he has had to struggle with drug addiction.
get into / out of a car etc She must have dropped her scarf when she got into the taxi.
get onto / off a bus, train etc All the passengers had to get off the train when it broke down.
insist on doing George insisted on paying for everyone.
be lacking in She is lacking in good manners.
laugh at The audience didn’t laugh at his jokes.
laugh about This isn’t something to laugh about – it’s a serious matter.
listen to Listen to the tape and answer the questions.
look at Don’t look at me like that.
look after Can you look after my cat while I’m away?
look for I’ve been looking for my keys, but I can’t find them anywhere.
make something of / be made of This watch is made of plastic.
be married to someone I’ve been married to Jenny for two years.
operate on someone They operated on him yesterday.
pay for I’ll pay for the drinks.
be pleased with She’s not very pleased with you at the moment.
be pleased about / at She’s very pleased about passing the exam.
prevent someone from doing The noise from the storm prevented me from sleeping.
run into someone (= meet) I ran into Bill Brown the other day.
search for I searched for my keys but couldn’t find them.
be shocked at / by I was shocked at the news of his death.
shout at (= aggressive, angry) Please don’t shout at me like that.
shout to someone (= call) She shouted to the children to come indoors.
smile at someone When she smiled at me I realized she wasn’t angry.
be sorry about (= sympathy) I’m very sorry about his accident.
be sorry for (= apologize) I’m sorry for being late.
be sorry for someone I’m so sorry for John – he’s had a terrible time.
speak to / with someone I’ll speak to him about it. (with him)
suffer from She suffers from insomnia and depression.
surprised at / by I was so surprised at him getting a high grade.
take part in (at) I have to take part in the meeting.
think of / about doing (to) (= not decided) I’m thinking of studying for an MA degree. (about studying)
throw something at someone (= aggressive, angry) The angry crowd through bottles at the referee.
throw something to someone (= in a game) Throw the ball to me.
translate into This needs to be translated into Turkish.
trip over He tripped over the cat when he came in.

SOME NOUN COLLOCATIONS

Pattern Example
details of I’ll give you the details of the proposal later.
difficulty with something He seems to have a lot of difficulty with the students.
difficulty in doing The taxi driver had some difficulty in finding the right street.
discussion about We had an interesting discussion about politics.
example of (: for) The Bosporus bridge is a great example of suspension engineering.
(the) idea of doing I don’t like idea of going there for a holiday.
increase in There has been a serious increase in violent crime this year.
independence from America won its independence from Britain in the American Revolution.
interest in I really have no interest in classical opera.
lack of There is a general lack of support for the suggestion.
marriage to Henry VIII’s marriage to Ann Boleyn only lasted 2 years.
proof of You can see a proof of the theorem in your textbook.
reason for What is the reason for his disappearance?
responsibility for They must bear some responsibility for the accident.
the thought of doing (to) I hate the thought of having to do it all again.

SOME ADJECTIVAL COLLOCATIONS

Pattern Example
afraid of (by) My daughter is not afraid of spiders.
angry with / at someone I’m very angry with her for not telling me.
angry about something They’re very angry about the penalty decision.
anxious about something They’re very anxious about the test tomorrow.
anxious for something We’re anxious for an end to the violence.
anxious to + infinitive She’s anxious to find a better job.
bad at something (in) I’m not bad at chess, but I haven’t played for sometime.
blue with My hands were blue with cold without my gloves.
clever at I’m not very clever at writing exercises.
disappointed with someone / something I’m very disappointed with the new teacher.
We are disappointed with the latest sales figures.
dependent on someone He is dependent on his parents for financial support.
different from My brother is different from me in lots of ways.
frightened of I’ve been frightened of dogs ever since I was attacked by one.
frightened by She was frightened by a big spider in the bedroom.
good at I used to be quite good at chess.
ill with a disease She’s been ill with flu this week.
impressed with / by The boss is very impressed with your work. (by your work)
independent of She left home so she could be more independent of her parents.
interested in She’s very interested in classical opera.
kind to someone She’s been very kind to my daughter.
nice to someone (with) Mr. Brown isn’t very nice to his pupils.
polite to someone (with) Please be polite to our guests.
responsible for You are responsible for getting the coffee this week.
responsible to someone You will be responsible to Mr. Brown.
rude to someone (with) She was very rude to me the other day.
tired of doing I’m tired of eating noodles – I want something different.
tired of something I’m tired of noodles – I want something different.
typical of (for) This food is typical of Urfa.
wrong with Something is wrong with this computer.