Handout 1

Although grammar and vocabulary are often presented separately, the

boundary between them is not rigid. In fact, it is sometimes difficult to separate the
two. To use vocabulary effectively, learners need to be able to learn the main
grammatical categories of words, such as nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs, and
to know what grammatical patterns words fit into, such as which verbs can be used
with the present continuous and which normally cannot, which nouns are countable
and which are uncountable, which verbs are transitive and which are intransitive,
which adjectives can be used predicatively and which cannot and what the normal
order of adjectives is when more than one occurs. For example, many different kinds
of adjectives can occur before a noun in English, including those describing opinion,
dimension, age, shape, colour, origin or material. Normally, no more than three
adjectives occur before a noun, and when they do so, the order of adjectives follows
a regular sequence:
A beautiful old French house (opinion – age – origin).
A huge round red cushion (dimension – shape – colour).
A hideous brown plastic ornament (opinion – colour – material).
A tiny old Italian ring (dimension – age – origin).
Learners also have to learn the many different prefixes and affixes that can
change the grammatical function of words, turning happy into derived forms such as
unhappy, happiness, happily and so on. Knowing the meaning of the most frequent
affixes and what their grammatical functions are can help learners learn the
meanings of many words they encounter in texts, and using knowledge of prefixes
and suffixes to recognize new words is an important way in which learners expand
their vocabulary knowledge.

What do Phrasal and Prepositional Verbs have in common and what are the differences?
Two-word verbs can be Phrasal Verbs or Prepositional Verb.
Phrasal Verbs often have a very different (idiomatic) meaning.
verb: look
adverb: in
Phrasal Verb: look in
 1. What is the difference between a preposition and an adverb and why this distinction is
important.
An object can go before or after an adverb – but it can only go after a preposition. So:
Phrasal Verbs can be separated
Prepositional Verbs must not be separated.
1.1. Phrasal Verbs
correct: verb + object + adverb → I switch the computer on.
correct: verb adverb + object → I switched on the computer.
1.2. Prepositional Verbs
correct: verb + preposition + object → The cat jumped on the computer.
incorrect: verb + object + preposition → The cat jumped the computer on.
Note: Some adverbs can be also used as a preposition. You should use a good dictionary to
find out whether the word is an adverb or a preposition. 
Adjectives & Prepositions
Some adjectives go with certain prepositions. There is no real pattern – you need to learn
them as you meet them. Here are some examples but remember that there are many other
adjective + preposition combinations that are not covered here.
With ‘at’
I’m quite good at English but I’m bad at maths and I’m terrible at physics.
With ‘for’
Jogging is good for your health but smoking is bad for you.
The town is famous for its cheese.
As well as ‘good for’, ‘bad for’ and ‘famous for’ we also say ‘qualified for’ ‘ready for’,
‘responsible for’, ‘suitable for’ and several others.
With ‘of’
I’m perfectly capable of doing it myself, thank you.
I’m very fond of this old sweatshirt.
As well as ‘capable of’ and ‘fond of’ we also say ‘aware of’, ‘full of’, ‘tired of’ and several
others.
With ‘with’
We’re very pleased with your progress.
You’re not still angry with me are you?
As well as ‘pleased with’ and ‘angry with’ we also say ‘bored with’, ‘delighted with’,
‘satisfied with’ and several others.
With ‘to’
She’s the one who’s married to a doctor, isn’t she?
You’ll be responsible to the head of the Finance department.
Notice that you can be responsible for something but responsible to someone.
Other common adjective + preposition combinations include ‘interested in’ and ‘keen on’.
It’s a good idea to make a note of new combinations in your vocabulary notebook as you meet
them.