prepositional phrases
A prepositional phrase is made up of a preposition and a noun phrase. We use prepositional phrases for many purposes, for example:
- as adverbials of time and place:
We will be back in a few days.
They drove to Glasgow
.- as a postmodifier in a noun phrase:
Helen is the girl in the red dress
We’ve got a new television with a thirty one inch screen.
- to show who did something:
The lion was killed by the hunter
I saw a wonderful painting by Van Gogh
- with double object verbs like give and get:
We gave five pounds to the woman on the corner.
They got a drink for me.
- after certain verbs, nouns and adjectives:
The book belongs to me.
I had an argument with my brother.
I feel sorry for you.
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well my english is not good but i have to be a good speaker just like britishrs speaks. from where should i start?
team
Hello Saysomenew!
Well, you should see this website as a library – just borrow whatever interests you! A good place to start is our Elementary Podcasts. These are short radio shows about different topics. To help your listening, vocabulary and grammar, you can listen to them, read the transcripts, and do the exercises. You can talk to other learners in the comments, too. There is lots of other material in our Listen and Watch section as well. If you want to work on grammar, take a look at our grammar section.
Doing these things, especially listening, will help you improve your speaking without thinking about it. To practise speaking, remember you don't have to have a native speaker to talk to. Maybe a friend or colleague wants to talk English – ask around, and find someone who wants to practice.
Good luck, and keep working on it!
JeremyBee
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi,
What's the difference between 'appalled at' and 'appalled by'?
Regards,
N
Hello everyone,
I wanna ask some questions
1. verbs and prepositions: what is the characteristic of noun or verb that use dependent preposition with, for, of, to etc.? I always make mistake when I use for and to.
2. for britishcouncil: would you like to provide some idioms?
3. Are need and dare like modals? 'cause I found them in my text book are used like modals. for example : " Need I answer?" ; " he daren't jump".
thank you for your help and have a nice summer holiday!
team
Hi ArniMusthofa,
Thanks for your questions!
1. Could you give an example of two of the mistakes you make? There are some good examples of common verb+preposition phrases on this page.
2. I know some teachers who worry that learners sometimes use idioms incorrectly, and avoid teaching them altogether! Why don't you, and other LearnEnglish users, post an English idiom and an explanation of what it means or represents? Let's share our favourites!
In the meantime, Task 2 on this page has a fun exercise on idioms, and there's another, very topical one here on our English for the Games page.
3. Yes, need can be used as a modal auxiliary verb - but it is mostly used like this in negative or questioning phrases. It is more common to hear and read Do I need to answer? than Need I answer? or You don't have to rather than You needn't [answer], especially in modern English. The same goes for dare - it is possible to use it as a modal, but it is more commonly used as a main verb.
Kind regards,
Stephen Jones
The LearnEnglish Team
Thank you for your explanation Stephen. I think I have understood about for and to after I read the explanation one more time. And thank you for replying and helping me.
hi.
tanks a lot for every things.
I've got a question.
what does grammar for "In, On and At" location prepositions?
team
Hi Mojtaba,
I'm not sure if I have understood your question, but I assume you are having difficulty with prepositions.
Although the general rule is that prepositions go before a noun phrase, there are, as always, exceptions.
You could try using our Verbs & Prepositions or Adjectives & Prepositions activities for more practice with standard patterns.
Best wishes,
Stephen Jones
The LearnEnglish Team
What's the difference between question 3 and question 8?
team
Hi Zhao Wei
I'm not sure I'll be able to give you a very good answer but I'll try.
I'll start with number 8 because it's a bit simpler. Some verbs are described as 'double object verbs' (or ditransitive) because they are used with two objects, a direct object (the noun which undergoes the action) and the indirect object (usually a person or recipient of an action).
For example, "The evil queen gave the poisoned apple to Snow White." The poisoned apple is the direct object (it is the thing being given) and Snow white is the indirect object (she is the recipient of the giving).
In the example above, the verb save takes a direct object: a seat - the thing which undergoes the saving, and an indirect object: my sister - the recipient. If the direct object comes first, then you need a preposition to link the direct object with the indirect object.
There's an activity here that should help you see how double object verbs work.
In number 3, the noun gratitude is used as an example of a noun which is usually followed by a prepositional phrase. There are lots of examples of nouns that are often followed in this way. It can be useful to group them by preposition; for example:
For
I have deep admiration for Nelson Mandela.
Can you explain the reason for your actions?
I have a lot of hope for the future.
I have no sympathy for you, you shouldn't have drunk so much last night.
I won't let my housemate hold the remote controller as she has a preference for romantic comedies and I can't stand them.
I hope that helps a little.
Jack Radford
The LearnEnglish Team