English Language JSS3 First Term
Week 9
Contents:
Grammar: Prepositions
Speech work: Weak Forms
Grammar: Prepositions
A preposition is a word which precedes a noun (or a pronoun) to show the noun’s (or the pronoun’s) relationship to another word in the sentence. (The word preposition comes from the idea of being positioned before. It is not true to say that a preposition always precedes a noun or a pronoun, but it does most of the time.) Prepositions are mostly single words used before a pronoun, noun, noun phrase, or verb to express their relationship with the rest of the sentence. They are used to show when something happens (prepositions of time), where something happens (prepositions of place), or where something is going (prepositions of movement).
The following are all prepositions:
above, about, across, against, along, among, around, at, before, behind, below, beneath, beside, between, beyond, by, down, during, except, for, from, in, inside, into, like, near, of, off, on, since, to, toward, through, under, until, up, upon, with and within.
Role of a Preposition
Prepositions are important when constructing sentences. A preposition sits before a noun to show the noun’s relationship to another word in the sentence.
Examples:
- It is a container for butter.
(The preposition for shows the relationship between butter and container.)
- The eagle soared above the clouds.
(The preposition above shows the relationship between clouds and soared.)
Pitfalls with Prepositions
For native English speakers, grammatical errors involving prepositions are rare. The most common errors involving prepositions are shown on the right. That said, there are several points to be aware of:
A preposition always goes with a noun or pronoun which is called the object of the preposition. The preposition is almost always before the noun or pronoun and that is why it is called a preposition. The preposition and the object of the preposition together are called a prepositional phrase. The following chart shows the prepositions, objects of the preposition, and prepositional phrases of the sentences above.
| Preposition | Object of the Preposition | Prepositional Phrase |
| to | the store | to the store |
| by | bus | by bus |
| at | three o’clock | at three o’clock |
| under | the table | under the table |
Prepositional phrases are like idioms and are best learned through listening to and reading as much as possible. Below are some common prepositions of time and place and examples of their use.
A preposition can also be a two-word or three-word combination. It is called a compound preposition. Two-word compound prepositions include according to,because of, different from, due to, and instead of. Some examples of three-word compound prepositions are as far as, in addition to, in front of, and in spite of. There are many more two-word and three-word compound prepositions.
Prepositions of Time:
at two o’clock
on Wednesday
in an hour, in January; in 1992
for a day
Prepositions of time indicate the period of time that something happens (during, from, since, throughout, until, etc).
Examples:
- She swears never to talk to me again from tomorrow.
- His girlfriend has been missing since last Saturday
Prepositions of time used to indicate a particular time (at, by, in, on, etc)
- I had a big argument with my best friend at lunchtime.
Prepositions of time used to indicate a particular time in relation to another (after, before, etc)
- I usually brush my teeth after dinner
Prepositions of Place:
at my house
in New York, in my hand
on the table
near the library
across the street
under the bed
between the books
Prepositions of place tell us the position of something (across, in, inside, on, outside, etc)
Example:
- There was a fly on his nose
- The boy went outside to play
Prepositions of place tell us the position of something in relation to another (behind, beside, between, in front, near, etc).
Example:
- I sat beside a dirty man in the bus
- Someone parked a car in front of my house
Preposition of Direction:
These prepositions show direction of movement to somewhere (into, onto, to, etc)
Example:
- A fly got into his soup while he was eating it.
- He went to the cinema
These prepositions show direction of movement from somewhere (away from, from, off, etc)
Example:
- He warned them to keep away from his meat
- He fell off the table
Compound Preposition:
Two-word compound prepositions (according to, aside from, because of, next to, etc).
- According to his brother, he likes noodles.
- Her face was perfect aside from that one hairy mole
Three-word compound prepositions (as far as, in addition to, in front of, in spite of, on account of, etc)
- The explosion could be heard as far as the police station, which is five kilometers away
- He can’t sing any more on account of his failing health.
Speech work: Weak Forms
As in language, everyday spoken English is quite fast – and this results in some long vowels being shortened, and other vowels – or consonants – even being omitted. The result is what we call weak forms. Frequently, but not always, the weak form becomes the central vowel /ә/. Some of the commonest examples are given below. Listen, and repeat. Then think of some examples of your own:
| Word | Strong Form | Weak Form (s) |
| a | /ei/ | /ә/ |
| An | /æn/ | /әn/ |
| Am | /æm/ | /әm/ |
| Are | /ænd/ | /әnd/ |
| Are | /ɑ:r/ | /ә/ |
| As | /æz/ | /z/, /әz |
| Be | /bi:/ | /bi/ |
| Been | /bi:n/ | /bin/ |
| But | /bʌt/ | /bәt/ |
| Can | /kæn/ | /kәn/ |
| Could | /kƱd/ | /kәd/ |
| Does | /dʌz/ | /dәz/ |
| Of | /ɒv/ | /әv/ |
| Some | /sʌm/ | /sәm/ |
| Is | /iz/ | /әz/, /z/ |
| Have | /hæv/ | /hәv/, /v/ |
| Had | /hæd/ | /hәd/, /d/ |
| Not | /nɒt/ | /nt/ |
| Was | /wɒz/ | /wәz/ |
| Would | /wƱd/ | /әd/, /d/ |
Weak forms occur in many phrases in everyday English where the boundaries between words disappear – the phrases almost sound like one word.
e.g. How do you do! /haƱdjәdu:/
Here are some more examples. Listen, and repeat:
bread and butter
plenty of money
bacon and eggs
see you later
take your time
thanks a lot
pleased to meet you
it’s a pleasure
bricks and mortar
knife and fork
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