Questions tagged [prepositions]
A preposition is a word governing, and usually preceding, a noun or pronoun and expressing a relation to another word or element in the clause.
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Using preposition “on ” with the words(forbid/forbidden)
In the following contexts, and regarding the words (forbid/forbidden) I get confused alot.Actually I looked the words up in the dictionary and I couldn't find any thing about using these words with ...
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1answer
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How many years have you been speaking English
Do I say
How many years have you been speaking English?
or
For how many years have you been speaking English?
And why?
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1answer
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Is the phrase “in the weekend” really wrong? Or might there be some exceptions?
I have learned that "in the weekend" is a kind of weird expression, and that we should use "on the weekend" or "at the weekend" instead.
I, however, noticed that the ...
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2answers
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Come up to the third floor
When telling someone which floor they have to come to do we say:
Come up to the third floor.
To ask someone which floor I'm supposed to de we say:
Which floor is it on?/ Which floor do I come?
I ...
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1answer
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What does “on” mean in “not minute too soon on this transmitter”?
A situation: a man arrived to the radio/TV transmitter to fix it and he tell yourself:
Boy, I wasn't a minute too soon on this transmitter.
I want to know what is the meaning of the preposition &...
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What is the best preposition for “touch down”?
What is the best preposition for "touch down"? Can we use it without any preposition?
For example:
We've just touched down Qatar.
We've just touched down at Qatar.
We've just touched down ...
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2answers
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It would be selfish OF us or FOR us
I am reading this book, and someone says: it would be selfish OF us to stay here
Could it be “FOR us to stay here”?. Are for and of interchangeable in this case? Because I have heard people using both
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Contact us via dpo@company.com vs. Contact us at dpo@company.com
I'm proofreading a text and have come across this sentence:
You can contact the personal data protection officer of the Sponsor at: dpo@company.com
I think it should be via instead of at because at ...
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“change the period into a comma” vs. “change the period to a comma”
In the post Is it clear and natural to connect two sentences using the conjunction "while"?, an answerer wrote
Your second sentence is incomplete; it is a sentence fragment. It would be ...
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0answers
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“at college” vs. “in college”
According to Merriam-Webster, "at school" is an idiom which means
attending school as a student
From Cambridge Dictionary
I studied modern European history at college.
I met my husband ...
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Distributivity rule for prepositions (e.g. “for X and for Y ” or “for X and Y”)
If X and Y are long subjects I tend to repeat the preposition to recall the reader that Y also is under the effect of the verb, e.g.
She looks for X and for Y
Is this correct? If so, is it the only ...
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preposition use
Prepositions are always struggle for a non-native speaker.
I can understand the prepositions used in phrasal verbs and some use patterns in adjective phrases.
But I sometimes find the prepositions ...
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percent of the time
New Use of A.I. Accurately Detects Cancer 86 Percent of the Time link
1.In this sentence, what prepositions can be inserted before "86 percent of the time"?
For example, "for 86 ...
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0answers
23 views
Is 'simplify something to' correct (for example in the context of maths)?
My question concerns the preposition that is used with the word 'simplify'.
I am unsure which of the following is correct:
'By substitution, the problem is simplified to a system of linear equations.'
...
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0answers
21 views
Above and Over - The comedy begins
Michael Swan in his book (http://ielts-house.net/Ebook/Vocabulary/Practical%20English%20usage.pdf - page 3/ page 4) writes about above/over
1) "Higher than": Above or over
Above and over ...
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1answer
11 views
To me vs for me
What's the correct sentence: You might be able to find a job for me or You might be able to find a job to me? I never understand the rules of for vs to and I just use them interchangeably. Is there a ...
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1answer
37 views
situations for “new for me” and “new to me”
This post is focused on the patterns xxx to someone and xxx for someone, which is different from "You must wear a suit TO an interview" vs "You must wear a suit FOR an interview" ...
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The meaning of “about/on/of/for” in that sentences [closed]
A book about Christmas
A book on Christmas
A book of Christmas
A book for Christmas
Could you explain the meaning of these sentences?
"about, on, of, for", these prepositions always are ...
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1answer
37 views
“Speak a first language” vs. “speak in a first language”
I though that speak in a first language was incorrect, but in one of his books Scott Thurnbury, namely How To Teach Speaking, uses the preposition in in there. Here is the passage:
Of course, the ...
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1answer
39 views
What preposition to use with the word “ignorant”?
"It’s ignorant from you to say that" or "It’s ignorant of you to say that"
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31 views
What is the difference among “spend doing something”, “spend on doing something” and “spend in doing something”?
What is the difference among "spend something doing something", "spend something on doing something" and "spend something in doing something"? Can I use "spend ...
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1answer
352 views
Why “down a” instead of “down from”? [duplicate]
In Schindler's List (1993), a woman says a story:
The trains arrived and the people were driven out with clubs. They
were lined up in front of two big warehouses. One was marked "Cloak
Room,&...
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1answer
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What does “of” mean in this sentence? - “Which brothel did you say she worked out of?”
A: Which brothel did you say she worked out of?
B: I didn't. She works down there, at the back of a hat shop.
From TV show Desperate Romantics
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Is there any difference in meaning between “drive past something/someone” and “drive by something/someone”?
Is there any difference in meaning between drive past something/someone and drive by something/someone? For example:
Even though I hailed the taxi it just went and dvrive by me.
Even though I hailed ...
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2answers
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“I will come within 2 hours.” or “I will come in 2 hours.” [duplicate]
I will come within 2 hours.
I will come in 2 hours.
What's the difference?
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1answer
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Is it correct and natural to say “learn with a textbook” meaning to learn something using a textbook?
Is it correct and natural to say learn with a textbook meaning to learn something using a textbook? For example:
It's as useful to learn a foreign language with a textbook as to learn it commuicating ...
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1answer
20 views
“At what age” vs. “from what age”
Could you tell me if there is any difference in meaning and usage between at what age and from what age? For example:
At/From what age are you allowed to drive a car in your country?
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“At” present situation OR “In” present situation - Which preposition is correct?
Which preposition is correct when we use with the word "situation" - (in/at) present situation
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[by], [of], [from] or [under] these ten brands
I have made up the similar examples below.
(1) The beef balls by these ten brands are found to be contaminated.
(2) The beef balls of these ten brands are found to be contaminated.
(3) The beef balls ...
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1answer
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in/at the company
I have made the examples below.
(1) As a project manager, I go to my clients' companies and talk about business projects with them most of the time. Today, my employer tells me that I will get a ...
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1answer
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When asking someone to smell something, is it correct to say “smell of this” or “smell this”?
Which is grammatically correct?
Smell of these fresh coffee beans.
Smell these fresh coffee beans.
Is it correct to use the preposition “of”?
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Describing a dropped phone call
What can I say to describe a dropped phone call:
1- The phone call just dropped.
2- The phone call just cut out.
3- The phone call just disconnected.
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“move back the appointment two days” or “move back the oppointment by two days”?
Could you tell me If I have to include the proposition by in the following sentence?
Is it possible to move back the dentist appointment (by) two days?
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“make money ON YouTube” vs. “make money WITH YouTube”
One of my friends asked me for advice to make money online, I responded like this
I make money on YouTube, I upload videos and get the ad share from Google.
Should I have said it this way?
I make ...
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1answer
23 views
“with which platform” vs. “on which platform”
One of my friend invited me to watch a TV show together.
A: "I'm going to watch endless Friends marathons this weekend. Would you join me?"
I: "on which platform?"
A: "...
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1answer
28 views
“Slice in length-wise wedges.”
A grammar edit I suggested on another site was rejected. The answerer only fixed an obvious grammatical number error as I suggested, rejecting my proposed edit on another line that grates on me. (Side ...
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Couple of questions regarding using “of” vs “in”
1-( shrinkage in supplies/ lack of supplies )
Why not using the same preposition since both phrases mean the same thing ??
2-the country is at the cutting edge of/in this major.
Which preposition to ...
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1answer
25 views
“for a field” vs. “to a field”
I'm a software engineer. One of my friends, Daniel is an ophthalmology surgeon. For me, ophthalmology is more professional while eye is more common and easier to understand.
Is it clear and natural to ...
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“in Friends” vs. “from Friends”
I've gone through [Adverbs: types] and (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/grammar/british-grammar/adverbs-types)
ref2 on Cambridge Dictionary and I guess I understand the rules there.
Consider the ...
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1answer
29 views
“a synonym of” vs. “a synonym for”
I understand the meaning of "synonym", I'm just not sure of its usage, in particular the correct preposition follows it.
From Cambridge Dictionary
Cool is not a synonym for all things good.
...
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24 views
What's the purpose of using 'of ' a preposition here?
A 50 year old man complains of sudden onset of fever with chill and rigor .
I think it might also be written by following manner -
A 50 year old man complains sudden onset of fever with chill and ...
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3answers
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“competition on this field” or “competition in this field”?
Is it correct to say "A competition on this field" or "A competition in this field"? the latter sounds better to me but I'm not 100% sure.
To clarify: an example could be a ...
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1answer
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“ground of a park” vs. “ground in a park”
A post uses "a ground of a park" to refer to the thing shown below.
I guess another expression could be "a ground in a park".
Ngram Viewer shows both use are common, what's the ...
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1answer
489 views
What was it that gave IT/ME away?
I asked a person to guess my nationality from my accent. And after a few attempts he figured it out. Then I said:
"What was it that that gave it/me away?"
I'm not sure if I should use 'it' ...
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2answers
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Which one is correct: “in the fierce fighting of the war” or “in the fierce fighting in the war”?
Could you tell me which preposition I use in the follwing sentences: of or in?
One of my grandparents fell in the fierce fighting of/in World War Two.
What I am trying to say is that my grandfather ...
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Position of preposition in a sentence
Set 1
a. This is the topic that I will write on.
b) This is the topic I will write on.
c) This is the topic which I will write on.
d) This is the topic on which I will write.
Set 2
a. I know the man ...
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PRONOUND PLUS 'TO +VERB“ OR ”PREPOSITION +VERB-ING
I know it this sentence is wrong but i need an explanation.
RIGHT : I hope you would help me in letting him understand.
WRONG: I hope you would help me to let him understand.
RIGHT: Adults should ...
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1answer
17 views
In/for–which to use here?
Let's say you received an email 3 days ago and you are just now responding to it. So here, which of the following would you say:
I'm sorry I haven't responded to the mail for three days.
I'm sorry I ...
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1answer
19 views
Using “will” vs “would” to express (desire/willingness) in the present
If I'm in the present time and I'm trying to open the door using the key that doesn't want to go inside the lock. Should I say:
1- The key wouldn't go in.
2- They key won't go in.
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“Finish a book” vs. “finish with a book”
Could you tell me if there is any difference in meaning between finish a book and finish with a book? For example:
When I finish the book, I can lend it to you.
When I finish with the book, I can ...
