Prepositions

PREPOSITIONS – GENERAL INFORMATION

A preposition is a word that normally connects a noun or pronoun to another word. Verbs and adjectives can also be connected to or by prepositions, but at times this connection will transform the preposition into an adverb. Notice the following constructions:

He got off the bus at the corner. ( preposition
He got off at the corner. ( adverb
They werehere 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 (over = finished)
The shop is just around the corner. ( preposition
Come around anyevening. ( adverb (to my house is implied)
He ran up the stairs. ( preposition (up what) VS
He went up in the elevator. ( adverb (up in what)

When learning about prepositions two principal factors must be considered:
1) if the construction that is being used needs a preposition or not, and
2) if the construction needs a preposition, which one should be used?

Some confusion resultswhen a person learning English tries to structure his ideas in English using his own language as a reference.
Ex: Soñé contigo anoche. is not
I dreamed with you last night. but
I dreamed about you last night.

Another typical mistake is to try to use a preposition to indicate a purpose.
Ex: Se firmó el tratado para terminar la guerra. is not
The treaty was signed for toend the war. but
The treaty was signed to end the war.

THE PREPOSITIONS ARE:

|above |before |down |of |since |
|about |behind |during |off |through |
|across |below|except |on |till |
|across from |beneath |for |onto |to |
|after |beside |from |opposite |toward |
|along|besides |in |out |under |
|among |between |in front of |out of |until |
|around |but |into |over |up |
|at|by |near |past |with |

SOME OF THE PRINCIPAL RULES CONCERNING PREPOSITIONS ARE THE FOLLOWING:

POSITION OF PREPOSITIONS

Prepositions are words normally placed before nouns or pronouns.
However, in informal English, it’s possible to have the preposition at the end of a sentence inthe following cases:

▪ In questions beginning with a preposition + whom / which / what / whose / where:

To whom were you speaking? (formal)
Who were you speaking to? (informal)

▪ In relative clauses, a preposition that is placed before whom/which can be moved to the end of the clause. In these cases, the relative pronoun is usually omitted.

The people with whom I was traveling . . .(formal)
The people I was traveling with . . . (informal)

▪ These rules do not apply when the preposition or adverb is an integral part of the verb (phrasal verbs):

This was the TV which broke down. cannot be
This was the TV down which broke.

GERUNDS AFTER PREPOSITIONS

▪ verbs placed immediately after prepositions must be in the gerund form:
I apologize for not writing before....