Small Words, Big

Trouble:
Prepositions
P R E S E N TE D B Y :
A N D R E A J OY A . D E L M U N DO
M AT- E N G LI S H
 RECOGNIZING
PREPOSITIONS
What this video CHOOSING PRONOUNS FOR
is about: OBJECTS OF PREPOSITIONS

COMMON CONFUSIONS
 English Grammar
for Dummies
By Geraldine Woods

My Sources
The English
Linguistics Project
ENGLISH MANUAL
By Jonathan Malicsi
Proverb:

“Little things mean a lot.”

Proposing Relationships: Prepositions

the book about the elephant

the book by the elephant
the book behind the elephant
the book in front of the elephant
the book near the elephant
the book under the elephant

These relationship words are called PREPOSITIONS.

 “any word or group of
PREPOSITIONS words that relates a noun
may be defined as. . . . or a pronoun to another
word in a sentence’
 COMMON PREPOSITIONS
about above according to across
after against along amid
among around at before
behind below beside besides
between beyond by concerning
down during except for
from in into like
of of on over
past since through toward
underneath until up upon
with within without
 OTHER SIMPLE PREPOSITIONS
aboard barring due to minus
above below during near
absent beneath ere notwithstsanding
against beyond ex onto
alongside but except(ing) opposite
anent chez excluding out
après circa failing outside
around considering in pace
as contra including past
astride cum inside pending
bar despite less per
 OTHER SIMPLE PREPOSITIONS
plus sans times versus
re save to via
regarding saving touching vice
respecting than under wanting
round throughout underneath with
till worth
 PHRASAL PREPOSITIONS (A.K.A. Compounds)
à la as to by means of in/ with regard
to
along with as with except for in/with relation
to
alongside of aside from from. . . till/to in respect of
apart from away from in accordance with instead of
as concerns back from in addition to in terms of
as for because of in front of irrespective of
as regards between. . . and in spite of next to
OTHER PHRASAL PREPOSITIONS (A.K.A. Compounds)

no matter prior to vis-a-vis

out of regardless of with respect to

outside of thanks to
The Objects of My Affection:
Prepositional Phrases and Their Objects

A prepositional phrase consists of a preposition and

an object.
The object of a preposition is always a noun or a
pronoun or perhaps one or two of which.
Here’s an example:

In the afternoon, the snow pelted

Eggworthy on his little bald head.
Check out these variations on the elephant:
• of the apologetic elephant
• of the always apoplectic elephant
• of the antagonizingly argumentative elephant
Pop the question: Questions that identify the
objects of prepositions
* Ask whom or what

Whom? Object of
Preposition
What? Preposition

Marilyn thought that the selection of the elephant for the show
was quite unfair.
What is the object of the preposition in this
sentence?

The heroic teacher pounded the

grammar rules into her students’
tired brains.
Are you talking to I?
Prepositions and Pronouns
OBJECT PRONOUNS

➡ the only pronouns allowed to be object of

prepositions
➡ me, you, him, her, it, us, them, whom, whomsoever
Take a look at these sentences with pronouns
as objects of the prepositions:

 Among Bill, Anna, and me, there is no contest.

 Without them, the bridge will fall out of Cedric’s mouth.
 Knowing how sad Bill was, Anna gave the cake to him.
 Which sentences are correct?

 This matter is between you and I.

 This matter is between you and me.

 According to Elton and she, the elephant’s nose is simply

too long.
 According to Elton and her, the elephant’s nose is simply
too long.
A Good Part of Speech to End
a Sentence With?
Do you worry about whether or not ending a sentence
with a proposition is acceptable. Let me illustrate the
problem:

Tell me whom he spoke about.

Tell me about whom he spoke.
Common Confusions
#1: Different Than or From?
Different than is never correct. What you
want is different from.
Than is not a preposition but a CONJUNCTION– the part of speech
that connects two ideas.
Here is a sentence in which THAN I s used correctly:
“Tracy knows more prepositions than I do.”
“Tracy knows more prepositions than I.”
Different than is never correct. What you
want is different from.
From, on the other, hand is a PREPOSITION. It has an object (a
noun, or a pronoun.
Here are a few different from sentences:
“A preposition is different from other parts of speech.”
“Lola’s new tattoo will be different from her previous fifteen tattoos.”
“In a break with tradition, Levon’s flight path yesterday differed from
his unusual pattern.”
#2 In the group:
Between/Among
Between or Among?
 To choose the appropriate preposition, decide how many
people or things you’re talking about. If the answer is two.
you want BETWEEN as in this sentence:
“Lola was completely unable to choose between the
biker magazine and Poetry for Weightlifters.” (two
magazines)
Between or Among?
If you’re talking about more than two, AMONG is the
appropriate word:
“Lola strolled among the parked motorcycles, reading
poetry aloud.” (more than two motorcyles)
Between or Among?
One exception: Treaties are made BETWEEN nations, even
if more than two countries sign:
“The treaty to outlaw bubble gum was negotiated
BETWEEN Libya, the United States, Russia, and
Ecuador.”
#3 Multiple
Meanings
MANY PREPOSITIONS HAVE MULTIPLE
MEANINGS.
 1. Beneficiary: The research grant is
for him.
2. Cause: It was given for his
interesting proposals.
9 Meanings of
the preposition 3. Contrast: For all that, many still
believe he does not deserve the award.
“for”
4. Extent: The grant is good for several
projects.
5. Purpose: He will probably use much
of it for his research on poverty.
 7. Relation: He is quite advanced in
academic accomplishments for his age.

8. Role: And his attitude is very

9 Meanings of professional for such a young man.
the preposition
“for” 9. Time (duration): The grant is good
for three years.

Time (reference): His research output

will have repercussions for the future.
#4 Figuring
in Idiomatic
Expressions
PARTICLES
Forming part of phrasal verbs, phrasal adjectives, and other idioms
Ex: We agreed on the proposal.
We agreed with him.
PARTICLES
These particles form part of the construction by tradition.
DO NOT build up combinations of verbs, adjectives, or
nouns and prepositions, nor realize the meaning of an
unfamiliar combination according to your feel for their
individual meanings. Rather, memorize the combined forms
together as a whole unit.
Examples of Particles:
The manager called down the warehouse clerk for his
billing error. [called down=scold]
The new lower rates for electricity announced today are
retroactive to the beginning of the year. [not*retroactive
from even if the Filipino expression may contain mula sa,
which readily translates as from]
Sample Tree Diagram
S
NP VP

Pron. Aux. MV Adv.P Adv. P

PP PP
Prep. NP Prep. NP
We are going to Baguio in June.