Professional Documents
Culture Documents
about
1. According to my watch,
it's 11:45.
after
6. Strawberries in
Minnesota become ripe
after the middle of June.
against
1. This skateboarder is
leaning against the fence.
("against" sometimes
means "in contrast.")
6. He protested against
the war in Iraq last
weekend.
A building developer
wants to cut down this
tree and build a new
Walmart, but this
protester is against it.
more prepositions here
ahead of
(ahead of = before)
1. There's a beautiful
building along the river.
amid / amidst
1. There are quite a few
weeds amid the flowers in
this garden.
1. It would be interesting to
travel around the world
someday.
8.
at
1. I have to wake up
tomorrow at 6:00.
3. Antique furniture is
found in many American
homes because of its
beauty and its value.
4. Hockey is a sport with a
lot of injuries because of
the fighting.
5. Because of an
approaching storm, she's
going to take down her tent
and go home.
behind
1. The sun is behind the
clouds today.
8. He looks so sad
behind those metal bars!
behind in
1. He fell behind in his rent,
so his landlord told him to
leave.
below
between
A handshake is often
used to indicate an
agreement between two
people.
beside
1. They're standing beside
each other.
beyond
1. The sun is going down
beyond the horizon.
2. These beautiful
buildings are by the water.
What's a gerund?
(by = method of
transportation: ...by bus,
....by train, .....by car, .....by
taxi, .....by plane, etc.)
10. The fastest way to get
around this city is by
subway.
(by = before)
(side-by-side = together)
despite
(This is a waterfall.)
during
9. He worked on his
computer during the flight.
except
1. He likes to play all sports
except soccer.
for
from
Aza and her friends
moved to the United
States from Russia.
in
1. They're standing in
front of their house.
inside
2. Something is living
inside this cave, but he's
not sure what it is.
3. There's a lot of junk
inside my desk.
instead of
1. Instead of sports, he
likes academics.
or ...
(instead of = something
replaces another thing;
something is preferred over
another thing.)
2. He chose a military
career instead of going to
college.
or
What's a gerund?
6. They've decided to go to
work by bike today instead
of by car.
9. He likes skateboarding
instead of other sports.
into
near
next to
of
1. Hundreds of people on
bikes appeared at the
event.
2. There's a box of cereal
on the kitchen table.
7. This is an interesting
work of art.
on
He has a laptop
computer on his desk.
She's riding on a
skateboard.
note: There are not very many uses for the preposition
"out." It's more often used with "of" -- "out of" -- or the
word "out" is used as an adjective or as an adverb, or it's
used with gerunds as seen in the example below.
out + (gerund)
out = no more
4. He's not in the office. He's out at lunch, or he's doing some
other activity outside the office.
more prepositions here
out of
or ...
(out of = leave)
or ....
idioms
4. I love the sound of water
running over rocks in a
stream.
note: The words "past" and "passed" sound exactly the same,
and they are sometimes used in similar ways. For example:
per
1. Gas costs about $2.80 per
gallon right now, but it will
probably increase by about
fifty cents per gallon by the
beginning of summer.
per = a / an / every
(throughout = during)
4. He drinks water
throughout the day when he
has to work outside on a
hot summer day.
2. They're sitting
underneath an umbrella.
7. He remains anonymous
underneath his sunglasses.
(anonymous = unknown; a
person whose identity is
not revealed.)
How many sentences can you write using the word "underneath"?
until
3. He spends up to two or
three hours on the phone
every day at work.
4. A sudden thunderstorm
flooded the srteets. The
water was up to the top of
his tires.
up to: as high as
5.
8.
A: What's Roger up to
these days?
walk up to / go up to: to
address a person; say
something
(within = inside)
(dozen = 12)
2. I like seedless
watermelon. It's grown
without any seeds. This
piece has seeds, but it still
tastes good.