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PREPOSITIONS
VERBS WITH PREPOSITIONS AND PARTICLES

PREPOSITIONS: after at to with

during without

for

from

into

of

out of

(ADVERB)PARTICLES: ahead aside away

back

forward

home behind outside

out by over

BOTH PREPOSITIONS AND PARTICLES: about across along (a)round before down in inside near on past through up off under

PAY ATENTION Prepositions: help nouns and pronouns to fit into sentences, e.g. She ran down the road; I hate the idea of death; Im glad about your new job. Adverb particles: small adverbs that follow verbs; they look like prepositions, but are not, e.g. Sit down; Lets go on. English has many two-word verbs, made up of a verb and a small word like at, in, on, up. Two-word verbs are very common in an informal style. 1. Match the two-word verbs and the more formal one-word verbs. Follow the example 1. blow up 2. break up 3. get up 4. give up 5. go away 6. go into 7. look for 8. put off 9. send back 10. talk about 11. think over 12. turn over ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ) ) ) ) ) ) 1) ) ) ) ) ) abandon arrive consider discuss disintegrate enter explode leave postpone return rise seek
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The small word in a two-word verb may be a preposition or an adverb particle. (a good dictionary will tell you which). There are some differences. VERB + PREPOSITION Look out! Look at this. Sit down. Dont sit on that chair. She cut the wood up / cut up She climbed up the ladder. the wood. I fell in the river I filled the form in. / I filled in He got off the bus. the form. Switch the light off. / Switch off the light.
VERB + ADVERB PARTICLE

An adverb particle must go after a pronoun object. She cut it up. (NOT She cut up it) Switch it off. (NOT Switch off it) Compare the word order with a preposition and a pronoun object. She climbed up it. (NOT She climbed it up.) He got off it. 2. Change the object to a pronoun; change the word order if necessary. Examples: Sit on the wall. (preposition) Sit on it. Switch on the light. (adverb particle) Switch it on.
1. We talked about the accident. (preposition) 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

___________________________________ I put off the meeting. (adverb particle) ___________________________________ Could you look after the children? (prep.) ___________________________________ We broke off our relationship. (adv.part.) ___________________________________ Can you clean up the kitchen? (adv. part.) ___________________________________ She put the dress on. (adv. part.) ___________________________________ Im looking for my bag. (prep.) ___________________________________ I wrote down the address. (adv.part.) ___________________________________
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9. I sent the steak back. (adv.part.)

___________________________________ 10. I stood on the table. (prep.) ___________________________________

3. Look at the adverb particles in the following sentences, and choose the best meaning from the box for each one.
(f)quiet er

(a)away (g)on paper

(b)further (h)to various people

(c)higher (i)working

(d)into pieces (e)louder (j)not working

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

He drove off. Write it down. The heater is off. Turn the radio down. Can you cut up the onions?

6. Ive sent out the invitations. 7. Go on. 8. Prices are going up. 9. Is the printer on? 10. Who turned the music up?

Note the position of prepositions and particles in passive sentences: after the main verb. Their wedding has been put off. She likes to be looked at. All the lights were switched on. Hes already been spoken to.

Bibliography: SWAN, Michael. & WALTER, Catherine. How English Works: a grammar practice book. Oxford University Press, Oxford: 1997 pp. 184-185.