preposition and prepositional phrases

A car drove past the door past is a prepositionA car drove past past is a prepositional adverb; i.e.: past something or someone identified in the context Despite the fine weather, we sta

Lecture 16 preposition and prepositional

phrases Designer: Trịnh Thúy Ngàn

Nguyễn Thị Thanh Huệ Nguyễn Thanh Huyền

The

preposition

The prepositional phrase

Simple and Complex prepositions

Prepositional adverbs

The preposition

• Are words belonging to closed-systems items

• Expresses a relation between two entities, one being represented bye the prepositional

The prepositional phrase

• consists of a preposition followed

by a prepositional complement,

which is characteristic a noun

phrase or a Wh-clause or a V-ing

clause

• That-clauses and infinitive clauses

do not occur as prepositional

by Signing a peace treaty

He was surprised that she said this

>>> he was surprised at her mark/ her saying this/what she said

decide (on), inform (of) ,insist (on)afraid (of) , aware (of) ,sorry (about)

sure (of)

there are some circumstances in which prepositions are

post-positioned, either because the complement has to take first position in the clause, or because it is absent :

WH-QUESTIONS : Which house did you leave it at?

RELATIVE CLAUSE : The old house which I was telling you

about.

WH-CLAUSES : What I’m convinced of is that he

will be the champion.

EXCLAMATIONS : What a mess he’s got into.

PASSIVES : She was sought after by all the leading

impresarios of the day.

INFINITIVE CLAUSES : He’s impossible to work with.

Note

Simple and complex prepositions

E.g.: at, on, in, to, from, of, for, since, with, between,

under, against, up, down, by, as, etc.

Complex prepositions: consist of more than

( along with, as for, away from, out of, up to)

( owing to, due to, because of )

 Prep + noun + prep ( by means of, in comparison with, in front of )

A car drove past the door (past is a preposition)

A car drove past (past is a prepositional adverb; i.e.: past something or someone identified in the context)

Despite the fine weather, we stayed in all day (place adjunct)

The day before, I had spoken to him in the street

(postmodifier)

function

of prepositional

The people were singing on the bus

To my surprise, the doctor phoned

On the other hand, he made no attempt

to help the victim

The people on the bus were singing

We depend on you

I am sorry for his parents

Note: PP may occasionally have a nominal function

Eg: between six and seven will suit me

disjunct

Reaction Place (8)

Subject matterIngredient material Respect standardReaction

Negative conditionSubject matterIngredient material Respect standardReaction

exceptionNegative conditionSubject matterIngredient material Respect standardReaction

ReferenceexceptionNegative conditionSubject matterIngredient material Respect standard

Reaction Place (8)

Reaction Place (8)

Subject matterIngredient material Respect standardReaction

Negative conditionSubject matterIngredient material Respect standardReaction

exceptionNegative conditionSubject matterIngredient material Respect standardReaction

exceptionNegative conditionSubject matterIngredient material Respect standard

Reaction Place (8)

Reaction Place (8)

Subject matterIngredient material Respect standardReaction

Negative conditionSubject matterIngredient material Respect standardReaction

exceptionNegative conditionSubject matterIngredient material Respect standardReaction

exceptionNegative conditionSubject matterIngredient material Respect standard

Reaction Place (8)

Place

When we use a preposition to indicate place, we do so in relation to the dimensional properties, whether subjectively or objectively conceived,

of the location concerned

my car is at the cottage Cottage becomes a dimensionless

location, a mere point

There is a new roof on the cottage Cottage becomes a

two-dimensional area

There are two beds in the cottage Cottage becomes a three

dimensional object

a) Positive position and direction: at, to, on, on(to), in, in(to)

Between the notions of simple

position (or static location) and

direction (movement with respect to

on (=’surface’) and in (=’area’) has

various implications according to the

context

The frost made patterns on the window

(window = glass surface)

A face appeared in the window

(window = framed area)

In is used for continents, countries,

provinces, and sizeable territories of

any kind; but for towns, villages, etc,

either at or in is appropriate

At/in Stratford-upon-Avon

With buildings, also, both at and in

can be used

institutional or functional aspect

three-dimensional structure He’s at school (BrE)

He’s in school (AmE)

b Negative position and direction: away from, off, out of

There is also a parallel cause and effect

relation Tom went away from the door (direction) Tom was away from the door (Tom was not at

the door) (position)

The negative character of these

propositions is shown off = ‘not on’; out of = ‘not in’

c Relative position: by, over, under, etc

Prepositions may express the relative position of two objects or groups of

objects:

He was standing by his brother (=’at’ the side of)

Express relative position vertically: Above, over, on top of, under, underneath,

beneath, below

Represent it horizontally: before, in front of, behind, after.

Notes:

The picture is above the mantelpiece = The mantelpiece is below the picture

while above and below may indicate simply ‘on a higher/ lower level than’:

The castle stands on a hill above (rather than over) the valley

style Underneath, like on top of, generally indicates a contiguous relation.

By, over, under, etc Across, through, past

With verbs of motion,

prepositions may express

the idea of PASSAGE (i.e

movement towards and

then away form a place)

as well as destination

He jumped over a

ditch Someone ran

behind the

goal-posts

Note the parallel

between across and

on, through and in

On the grass/across

the grass = treat the grass as a surface, and suggest short grass

In the grass/through

the grass = treat the grass as a volume, suggest that it is long

Express movement with reference to an axis or directional path

Up and down contrast in terms of vertical direction

Along = from one end towards the other in terms of a horizontal axis

Across = from one side to another in terms of a horizontal axis.

(a)round = the directional path is an angle or a curve:

We ran (a)round the corner

Toward (s) = ‘in the direction of’.

Direction

(up, down, along, across, (a)round, toward(s))

Passage

By, over, under, etc Across, through, past

With verbs of motion,

prepositions may express

the idea of PASSAGE (i.e

movement towards and

then away form a place)

as well as destination

He jumped over a

ditch Someone ran

behind the

goal-posts

Note the parallel

between across and

on, through and in

On the grass/across

the grass = treat the grass as a surface, and suggest short grass

In the grass/through

the grass = treat the grass as a volume, suggest that it is long

Passage

By, over, under, etc Across, through, past

With verbs of motion,

prepositions may express

the idea of PASSAGE (i.e

movement towards and

then away form a place)

as well as destination

He jumped over a

ditch Someone ran

behind the

goal-posts

Note the parallel

between across and

on, through and in

On the grass/across

the grass = treat the grass as a surface, and suggest short grass

In the grass/through

the grass = treat the grass as a volume, suggest that it is long

Passage

beyond, over, past, across, through, up, down, along, (a)round

A static sense of orientation: = ’on the far side of’

He lives across the moors (i.e ‘from here’)

His office is up/down the stairs (i.e at (or towards) the top/ bottom of )

Resultative meaning

Indicates the state of having reached the destination, including all

prepositions which have motional meaning

I managed to get over the fence/ across the river (i.e so that I was then on the

other side)

Is often signaled by certain adverbs: already, just, at last, (not) yet

Pervasive meaning

all over, all through/ throughout, along, around, etc.

Have pervasive meaning (either stative or motional):

That child was running all over the flower borders

There were crowds (all) along the route

Seven senses of over: One preposition may be used in most of the senses discussed

above:

• POSITION: A lamp hung over the door

• DESTINATION: They threw a blanket over her

• PASSAGE: They climbed over the wall

• ORIENTATION: They live over (= ‘on the far side of’) the road

• RESULTATIVE: At last we were over the crest of the hill

• PERVASIVE (STATIVE): Leaves lay thick (all) over the ground

• PERVASIVE (MOTION): They splashed water (all) over me

Metaphorical (abstract) use of place prepositions:

• IN/OUT OF, AMID/AMIDST:

• Position  state, condition: In/out of danger; amid many troubles

• Enclosure  abstract inclusion: In stories/plays; in a group/party; in/out of

the race

• ABOVE/BELOW/BENEATH: Vertical direction  abstract scale:

• Such behavior is beneath (not below) him; he’s above me in salary

• UNDER: Vertical direction  subjection, subordination: Under

suspicion/orders/compulsion

• UP/DOWN: Movement on vertical axis  movement on list or scale:

• Up/down the scale: up/down the social ladder

• FROM/TO: Starting point/destination  originator/recipient:

• A letter/present from Browning to his wife

• BEYOND/PAST/OVER: Resultive meaning: physical  abstract:

• Beyond/past endurance; we’re over the worst

• BETWEEN/AMONG, AMONGST: Relative position  abstract relation between

participants: A fight between two boys; they agree among (st) themselves

+ In (periods of time): in the evening, in July

b.Duration: for, over, throughout, from…to

We camped there for the summer (i.e all through)

# We camped there in the summer (i.e at some time during the summer)

Time ( relationship: before, after, since, till)

Preposition of time is

followed by a temporal noun phrase

a subjectless V-ing clause

Until: specifies a terminal point with positive

a commencement point with negative predications

We slept until midnight (=we stopped sleeping then)

We didn’t sleep until midnight (= we started sleeping then) Between, by, up to I’ll phone you between lunch and

Time (Absence of preposition of time)

Prepositions of time are absent from:

+ Adjuncts having the deictic words: last, next, this, and that, previous,

following

+ Quantifying words: some and every

+ Nouns which have last, next, or this as an element of their meaning:

yesterday, today, tomorrow

I saw him last Thursday

Every summer she returns to her childhood home

The preposition for is often omitted in phrases of duration:

We stayed there (for) three months

for, answer the questions ‘Why ?’,

‘What for?’, ‘Where for?’, or ‘Who for?’

Recipient, goal,

target: for, to, at A for phrase expresses the ‘intended recipient’:

A to phrase usually expresses the ‘actual

from The converse of to (= ‘goal’) is from (=‘source’)

From is also used as an adjunct and a

Means, instrument

Instrument, angentive

Stimulus

a Manner: with, in….manner, like

We are received with the utmost courtesy.

The task was done in a workmanlike manner

The army swept through the city like a pestilence

Note: As # like

He spoke like a lawyer (manner)

as a lawyer ( capacity)

b Means, instrument: by, with, without, answer the question “How”

Note: - Mode of transport is expressed by on as well as by: on the bus/ the train…

- “On” instead of “by” in the phrases: on foot, on horseback.

c Instrument, agentive: with, by

Instrument: inert and inanimate cause of action: The ball that breaks a window

Agentive: animate (often human) initiating cause: The boy who threw the

ball.

In a passive sentence: both expressed by a by-phrase, only instrument by a phrase

with-The window was broken by a ball/ by a boy

with a ball/ (NOT: with a boy)

d Stimulus: at

The relation between an emotion & its stimulus can be expressed by at or by:

I was alarmed at/by his behavior.

Other prepositions introducing stimuli are:

Resentful of Sorry about Disappointed with Worried about Interested in

5 Accompaniment: with

Followed by an animate complement, with has the meaning: “ in company with/ together

with”: I’m so glad you’re coming with us

6 Support, opposition: for, with, against

For: support

With: solidarity or movement in sympathy

Against: the contrary idea of opposition

Are you for or against the plan? (= Do you support or oppose the plan?)

7 “Having”: of, with, without

(a) a man of courage the courage of the man

(b) a man with large ears the man’s large ears

The two columns differ in that (1) makes a man the centre of attention, while (2) makes something about him the centre of attention

The negative of with is again without:

Women without children (‘childless women’)

8 Concession: in spite of, despite, for +all, with + all, notwithstanding

I admire him, in spite of his faults.

In spite of : general purpose preposition of concession

Despite: more formal

Notwithstanding: formal & rather legalistic

For all & with all: chiefly colloquial.

9 Reference

9 Reference: with regard to, with reference to (formal), as to ( BrE), as for

With reference to your letter of April 29th, I confirm…

As for the burglar, he escaped through the attic window

As to & as for: less formal

Others: regarding, in regard to, with respect to, in respect of, and on the matter of.

Most can be used in post modifying phrases as well as disjuncts

I’d like to know your opinions as to / with regard to the burglar’s behavior

10 Exception

10 Exception: except for, but…

All the students except/ but John passed the test

Except, excepting & but function generally in post modifying phrases

But can not occur initially as a preposition:

INCORRECT: But me, everyone was tired

CORRECT: Everyone but me was tired

Note: The resemblance and the contrast but as a preposition & but as a

conjunction:

All the students had a good time but John (preposition)

#Most of the students had a good time but not John (conjunction) = but John did not

11 Negative condition

11 Negative condition: but for

But for is used in sense of ‘negative condition’

E.g.: But for Gordon, we should have lost the match = If it hadn’t been for Gordon, = If Gordon hadn’t played as he did,

12 Subject matter: about, on

About, on = on the subject of, concerning: He told me about his adventures

On = deliberate, formal linguistic communication (speaking, lecturing, writing,

etc.) inappropriate for V like chat or quarrel

Think of # think about:

He thought about the problem (=He pondered/ considered the

problem)

He thought of the problem (=He brought the problem to his mind)

13 Ingredient, material: with, of, out of

After verbs of “making”:

with indicates an ingredient: You make a cake with eggs

of and out of signify the material or constituency of the whole thing:

He made the frame (out) of wood (wood

was the only material)

14 Respect, standard: at, for

We can make the norm explicit by a for phrases :

He’s not bad for a youngster (i.e considering he is a youngster)

Use at to introduce the respect in which the adj is appropriate to its noun

To my annoyance, they rejected the offer.

Alternatively ,we can use a to-phrase to identify the person reacting:

To me, their rejection of the offer was a surprise.

To also applies equally to intellectual or perceptual response:

It looked to me like a vast chasm.

To a mind based in common sense, his ideas are utterly absurd