When to use the preposition for in English. Prepositions in English. The main meaning of the preposition of

Prepositions in English are service part speech. They reflect temporal, spatial, causal or other types of relationships between two significant words. In Russian, cases are used for these purposes, while in English, word order and prepositions are used to construct constructions. You should study the rules for using prepositions in English in order to correctly compose sentences.

All English prepositions can be divided into:

• Simple or simple;
• Compound or complex;
• Derived or production;
• Composite or composite.

The vast majority of prepositions have the Simple form. These include, for example, against (against, with, on, to, under), the preposition in (in, for, by, on, at), about (about, about, on, about, about).

Compound includes several components. These include whereupon (after which, as a result of which), within (in, inside).

Derived come from words of other parts of speech. These include, for example, concerning (about, on).

Composite uses when forming phrases. They consist of a word from another part of speech and one or two prepositions. These include, for example, because of (due to), with regard to (in relation). Any element of a compound preposition cannot be shortened or expanded - it is a single whole unit. The meaning of Composite is directly dependent on the significant word included in its composition.

Adverbs and prepositions in English

Some English prepositions have the same spelling as adverbs. They can be distinguished from each other only by the role they play in the design. Adverbs carry their own meaning and in some cases define the verb. In addition, adverbs, as a rule, receive logical stress. Prepositions only reflect the relationships between significant parts of speech.

To better understand the difference, consider an example:

The guests were led above. – The guests were taken upstairs. In this case, above is an adverb, since it has its own meaning and answers the question “where?”

There is only clear sky above me. “Above me there is only clear sky.” In this case, we will use above as a preposition, since it expresses the spatial relationship between 2 words.

Grammatical meaning

As mentioned above, English uses prepositions instead of cases. In this case, they are not translated, and the noun to which the preposition refers is placed in the required case.

Preposition of– corresponds to the genitive case (“whom? what?”). For example, This is the hat of Mr. Brown. - This is Mr. Brown's hat.

Preposition to– corresponds dative case("to whom; to what?"). For example, You should give such a difficult task to a more experienced specialist. – You should give such a complex task to a more experienced specialist.

Preposition by answers the questions “by whom? how?". This is the active instrumental case. Nouns that are used in conjunction with this preposition are used to describe an actor or force that performs actions. For example, This book is written by a famous journalist. — This book was written by a famous journalist.

Preposition with answers the question “with what?”. This is the instrumental instrumental case. The noun with which this preposition is used characterizes the instrument of action. For example, Such toys are cut with a knife. – Such toys are cut out with a knife.

Preposition about– corresponds to the prepositional case (“about whom? about what?”). For example, Anna likes stories about spies. – Anna likes stories about spies.

The semantic meaning of prepositions

Some prepositions of the English language have several meanings, these include the prepositions in, to, at. And others, on the contrary, have only one, for example, till, among.

However, the same verbs in combination with different prepositions also have different meanings. For example, let's take the preposition to before verbs in English: to look for – “to search” and to look after – “to look after”.

Prepositions can have following values presented in the table below:

Where should the preposition appear in the sentence?

Typically, a preposition that expresses the relationship between 2 words comes between them.

For example: He plans to return in October. – He plans to return in October.

If there are one or more adjectives, a preposition is placed before them. This is the basic rule for how adjectives and prepositions are used:

For example: She is sitting under a big old apple tree. “She’s sitting under a big old apple tree.”

However, there are exceptions to this rule:

• Special questions when the preposition is at the end of the sentence. For example, Who am I supposed to send it to? - Who should I send this to? But some people want to put a preposition before a question word. This is necessary to give the design a more official sound. For example, To whom am I supposed to send it? – Who should I send this to? Both options are composed correctly.
• In subordinate clauses with prepositions and in sentences that begin with relative and conjunctive pronouns. For example, What I’m really surprised about is this nasty weather. – What I'm really surprised about is this terrible weather.
• In passive designs. For example, This problem must be taken care of. – This problem needs to be solved.
• In exclamatory sentences. For example, What a terrible thing to brag about! -What a terrible thing to show off!
• In some constructions with a gerudium or an infinitive. For example, He is impossible to work with. “It’s impossible to work with him.” It's a too noisy place to live in. “This is too noisy a place to live.”

Prepositions in English are quite easy to remember, and the rules of use are clear to everyone.

Common prepositions and how they are used

Below we will look at the most common prepositions and in what meaning they should be used.

The first meaning of the preposition is place. For example, Jack is at school now. Jack is at school now.

The preposition at, used in English, can have the meaning of time. For example, We will be back at 5 p.m. – We will be back at 5 pm.

The preposition on can be used to indicate place. For example, I love fresh snow on the ground. – I love fresh snow on the ground.

Used to indicate time. For example, They forecast sunny weather on Tuesday. – Sunny weather is predicted for Tuesday.

And also for on in English they are used to indicate the scope of activity. For example, After a short speech on modern ecology problems Mr. Litz answered several questions. – After a short speech on the topic of modern environmental problems, Mr. Litz answered several questions.

Belongs to the group “prepositions of place”. For example, I saw the remote in my room. – I saw the TV remote control in my room.

The preposition can also mean geographical location, but unlike at, which means a point on a map, in in English is used when talking about a large area with houses and streets.

For comparison:

We had a change of plane at Budapest on our way to Roma. – On the way to Rome we had a transfer in Budapest.

Pete lives in New York. – Pete lives in New York.

It is advisable to use these prepositions in English to indicate time. It is worth noting that in means a somewhat extended time period. For example, Gorky park is so beautiful in October. – Gorky Park is so beautiful in October. Here it is worth drawing a parallel with at, denoting a specific point in time. For example, We leave at 6 o’clock. – We leave at 6 o’clock.

The use of this preposition is advisable when it is necessary to indicate the topic of conversation. For example, I would like to tell you about the harm of smoking. – I would like to tell you about the dangers of smoking.

And also to indicate the direction or place where you should move. For example: Walk about the square and meet me in 10 minutes. – Walk around the square and meet me in 10 minutes.

If a rough estimate is given, this preposition is also used. For example, It must be about 2 o’clock. It should be about 2 o'clock now.

This preposition conveys the meaning “above or above.” For example, Our neighbor above is so loud. “Our upstairs neighbor is so loud.”

Its second meaning is “more than and above.” For example, Above 2000 visitors took part in the expo. – More than 2,000 visitors took part in the exhibition.

This preposition is the opposite of Above and means “below, under.” For example, I love flying on airplanes and seeing only clouds below me. – I love flying on airplanes and seeing only clouds below me.

The preposition is used when talking about time in the sense of “after.” For example, After we finish packing the furniture it must be loaded on the truck. “After we finish packing the furniture, it will need to be loaded onto the truck.

It also belongs to the group of “prepositions of place” and is used in the meaning “behind something or someone.” For example, Don’t run, the dogs will run after us. “Don’t run, otherwise the dogs will run after us.”

The preposition is the antonym of After and serves to indicate time in English in the sense of “before, before”, for example, You must tell me a tale before I go to sleep. - Before I go to bed, you must tell me a story. And also to indicate a place in the meaning of “before”, for example, You keep stopping before each shop window. – You always stop in front of every shop window.

A preposition that corresponds to an active force or person. In other words, it plays the role of the agentive instrumental case in the Russian language. For example, This violin was made by a famous master. – This violin was made by a famous master.

It can mean a period after which some action must be performed. For example, The plane will land by midnight. — The plane will land before midnight.

The preposition is also used when talking about a way or means of doing some work. For example, I’ve started my business by selling oranges. – I started my business selling oranges.

In addition, the preposition can mean place in the sense of “near, at, near.” For example, I know a lovely place by the lake nearby. I know a wonderful place near a lake nearby.

The preposition for is used to mean “for” when talking about any goal. For example, We’ve decorated the room for your return! – We decorated the room for your return!

Used when talking about compensation or price. For example, You did not even thank us for all our help. – You didn’t even thank us for all our help. You must pay for the dinner in Euros. – You must pay for lunch in euros.

A preposition is used when talking about a reason. For example, You were fired for always coming late. – You were fired for constantly being late.

When they talk about time in the sense of “during.” For example, I was on vacation for the last 2 weeks. - I spent the last 2 weeks on vacation.

A preposition is used when talking about an object in whose favor a certain action was performed. For example, I voted for another candidate. – I voted for another candidate.

This preposition belongs to a group called “prepositions of movement in English”. It is used when talking about the direction of action in the sense of “from whom or from where.” For example, I did not hear from him for 8 years. – I haven’t heard anything about him for the last 8 years.

It is also possible to use this preposition when we are talking about the starting moment of performing an action. For example, This bank is working from 10 to 16. – This bank is open from 10 to 16 hours.

This preposition acts as the genitive case and answers the questions “whom?” what?" and is not translated into Russian. For example, This is the dictionary of our teacher. – This is our teacher’s dictionary.

In addition, a preposition can highlight one object from a group. For example, One of your children has broken my window. - One of your children broke my window.

It is also suitable for use when talking about materials. For example, Such huts are made of clay. “Such huts are built from clay.

This preposition corresponds to the dative case in Russian and can mean direction. For example, Throw the ball to me! - Throw me the ball!

We have looked at the rules and use of basic English prepositions. To consolidate the material, you should independently compose several sentences with each preposition. In this way, you can learn to accurately use and place prepositions.

The English language is special, and although it has absorbed words and rules from different languages ​​(several German dialects, the language of the Franks, Romans and Celts), it turned out to be in many ways different from its sources.

Its most important difference from its ancestors was the almost complete absence of cases (with the exception of the possessive and objective), but this is incomprehensibly compensated by the controlled word order, various forms pronouns and prepositions.

Today we will look at performing various functions, among them genitive function, which we observe when translating some sentences. Examples:

The traditions of local people are completely different- The traditions of local people are completely different

This is a car of my girlfriend- This is my girlfriend's car

The roof of the house is brown- The roof of the house is brown

When translated into Russian, in all these cases the preposition disappears.

It should be noted that often the use of constructions with the preposition of, when we are dealing with the ownership of objects, is simplified by the possessive case:

A car of my girlfriend - my girlfriend’s car(my girlfriend's car).

A day of a bear(bear's den) - a bear's day(Bear Den).

In some cases, such pairs are translated the same way, and sometimes there are some nuances.

The use of the preposition of with is interesting possessive pronouns V absolute form. Examples:

My friend - a friend of mine(translated the same way - “my friend”)

Her dress - a dress of hers(her dress)

Our dog - a dog of ours(our dog)

Also, the preposition of in English is used to distinguish one or more people, objects or phenomena from a group, cluster, or only-begotten mass.

A jar of water(jug of water). Three of horses(three of the horses). One of my friends(one of my friends).

It is interesting to use the preposition of when it denotes what material an object is made of. In this case, a specific substance is meant, and in some cases you need to be very careful and use the preposition from:

The sculptures on the beach were made of sand. The sculptures on the beach were made of sand (a substance).

The house is made of brick. The house is made of brick (substance). The house was constructed from 50,0000 bricks. The house was built from 50,000 bricks (bricks as individual objects).

The stable was made of wood. The stable was built of wood. (substance). The stable was constructed from logs(the stable was built from individual wooden logs).

Sentences with the preposition of in English are sometimes translated without a preposition at all, often replaced by the preposition from.

Sometimes the preposition of is used in such a way that in one sentence it is used more formally, while in the second its absence may sound neutral.

Let me invite you on a tour of the city of London. Let us invite you to see around the city of London.

Let's go to London. Let's go to London.

Now let's move on to filling out the table to consolidate the material. You need to add your own sentences to it, and at the same time take a dictionary and translate the examples given.

The preposition is also an exception, which is due to the quantity and ambiguity of this part of speech. This article will help you “break down” its meaning, functions in a sentence and classification.

In contact with

Functional part of speech

A preposition (in English preposition) is a function word that expresses various relationships between words in sentences and phrases. Shown relationship between nouns and pronouns with other words.

The Russian language expresses such relationships using six-case endings or similar endings with corresponding prepositions.

Important! The use of prepositions in has a special meaning, which is due to the presence of a small number of such parts of the word as the ending, which often expresses interverbal relations.

Meaning

Table of the most common words with the translation

The table showed that prepositions have multiple meanings in English. The result of this is compliance one English word from several Russians.

So, on corresponds to Russian:

• on: The vase is on the windowsill.
• in: I will go out on Saturday.
• by: I’ve got the test in English.
• about: The students have a lecture on Pushkin.
• from: Everything depends on you, etc.

The preposition at in English is used to denote:

• location (on, in, at, at): I am at home; at the desk;
• time: Lessons start at eight o'clock; at the night.

The preposition by in English is comparable to the Russian instrumental case: The article was written by that scientist; indicates location (near, at, near): She has a rest by the see.

The preposition in in English indicates a place (in): in the building; and time: in 2000, in the afternoon. Also, the preposition in in English means “through” (any period of time): in 3 hours.

The preposition of in English is compared to the genitive case. Also translated as “about” (“relatively”): Think of it.

The Russian preposition often has different translations, it all depends on the context.

Russian "na" corresponds to:

• on: There are carpets on the floor.
• in: Office in the attic.
• at: Don't look at the photo like that.
• into: Please translate to .

Functions of cases

Conclusion

Preposition – an indispensable element of speech, indicating the relationship between words and phrases. All prepositions in English replace cases and perform the functions inherent in endings in the Russian language.

Prepositions since and for have several meanings. The main thing is an indication of the validity period. They often appear in similar contexts: for example, in the Past Perfect. But they cannot replace each other: you need to remember the rules for their use.

Among prepositions of time in English, these two words occupy a special position: they do not denote the time of action itself, but refer to a period. And they do it in different ways. For reflects the period itself, and since its starting point. In addition, indicating time is not the only meaning of for and since; they are found in other contexts. To understand these two words, let's look at the meanings of each of the prepositions with examples.

Preposition for

The first of the prepositions for and since denotes the period during which an event lasted and has the meaning “for a certain time”:

When he came to the office, I had already worked for two hours - When he came to the office, I had already worked for two hours.

This apartment has been empty for years - This apartment has been empty for years.

We go to the seaside for two weeks every year - Every year we go to the seaside for two weeks.

My brother will be in Spain for the next week - My brother will be in Spain over the next week.

From these examples it is clear that the preposition for can be used with at different times: past, present and future. The most typical tense with for as the period of action is the Perfect form, although its use is not required. For example, the period may refer to the future tense (He’s going to Brazil for the winter - He is leaving for Brazil for the winter).

At the same time, indicating the period of action does not interfere with the use of other time markers, for example, the repetition of the action, as in the example We go to the seaside for two weeks every year (“Every year we go to the seaside for two weeks”).

When we talk about how long an action has lasted up to the present moment, the preposition for is used with time Present Perfect. In such examples it is necessary to carefully distinguish since or for should be used.

Mr Taylor has known me for three years - Mr Taylor has known me for three years.

In conversational style, the preposition for can be omitted. It is often omitted with the question how long (how long) and is not used before the word all:

We’ve lived in this house (for) six weeks - We live in this house for six weeks.

How long have you been waiting (for)? - How long have you been waiting?

I’ve had a headache all day - I have a headache all day.

Preposition since

The preposition since indicates the period of an event in a different way: it conveys when the action began, serves as its starting point:

We’ve been waiting since six o’clock - We’ve been waiting since six o’clock.

We’ve known your brother since January - We have known your brother since January.

Here the question may arise,in what tense is since used?. If for is used with various verb forms, then since serves as an explicit Perfect tense marker:

I’ve been working since six o’clock and I’m getting tired - I’ve been working since six o’clock and starting to get tired.

Typical use of the preposition since in negative sentences to highlight when the situation last occurred:

We haven’t seen Jimmy since Christmas - We haven’t seen Jimmy since Christmas.

The preposition since can be replaced by the preposition from with perfect tenses, when it is necessary to emphasize the meaning “from now on”:

She’s been like that from (since) her childhood - She’s been like that since childhood.

Although the more typical use of from is with imperfect tenses. The preposition since cannot be used in such cases.

This vase dates from the 17th century - This vase dates from the 17th century.

since/for ruleat the time of Perfect

So, both variants of prepositions are used with perfect tenses. They both indicate how long the action lasts, but they designate the period differently. The preposition for serves to convey the duration itself, and since indicates only the starting point.

Compare offers:

I’ve known her for six months - I’ve known her for six months.

I’ve known her since last summer - I’ve known her since last summer.

She’s been working here for a long time - She has been working here for a long time (for a long time).

She’s been working here since July - She has been working here since July.

Since or for rule is determined not by the verb in the sentence, but by the indication of the tense that follows the preposition. If it denotes a point on the time scale (last winter, July), then since is used. If the preposition is followed by a description of a period of time (six months, a long time), for is used.

Other uses

The word since in English can act both as a preposition and as a conjunction. That is, it can be followed not only by a noun denoting the beginning of an action, but also subordinate clause. The meaning of the beginning of the event is preserved: the conjunction since is translated “since.”

I’ve known her since we were at college - I’ve known her since we were in college.

You’ve drunk four cups of coffee since you came home - You drank four cups of coffee (from the moment) you came home.

Although since can have other meanings. For example, the conjunction since can indicate a reason:

Since he had not paid the bill, the electricity was cut off - Since he did not pay the bill, the electricity was turned off.

When we talk about alliances, there is a fundamental difference between since and for : The conjunction for cannot indicate a period of time. The meaning of the conjunction for is an indication of the reason:

There won’t be any delay, for all the differences are resolved - There will be no delays because all differences have been resolved.

The words for and since there are other meanings. For example, the preposition for can indicate a purpose and purpose (to stop for a photo - stop to take a photo) or a reason (for many reasons - for many reasons). But the main difficulty in using for / since arises with time Perfect. In order not to confuse them, you need to remember well since or for rule.

Most people starting to learn English have the question “what is it like?” meaning of the preposition of? And this is quite normal, because where in Russian it is enough to use the corresponding ending, in English the same number does not work. In English, it is generally not customary to create endings whenever gender or case changes. This is precisely the reason for the presence of the preposition of and others like him.

The main meaning of the preposition of

Let's consider the main meaning of the preposition of. Most often, this short but nasty word is found to denote that an object or person belongs to something, as well as to express the connection between the object and its component. It’s cleverly written, but in the examples everything looks much simpler:

and friend of mine - My friend

the history of French literature (history of French literature)

a piece of cheese - a piece of cheese

a bar of chocolate - chocolate bar

a drop of rain - rain drop

a slice of bread - a piece of bread

a crumb of pie - crumb of pie

If you look closely, it turns out that the pretext of simply conveys the Russian genitive case (answers the questions “who? What?”). It helps to trace the connection between objects and persons. Let's compare:

a piece of cake - a piece of cake

a piece _cake – a piece of cake

The difference is significant! Without an excuse of God knows what happens. It turns out that meaning of the preposition of it simply cannot be overstated. This little word is the link in the above examples.

The preposition of in English usage

What other rules are there on the topic “ preposition of in English usage»?

1. Of will be needed to talk about the composition of something. For example: a desk made of wood - a table made of wood.

2. This preposition is a constant companion of words kind & type . For example: this type of men - these types of men

3. Transfers the contents of any container. For example: a glass of juice - a glass of juice.