BIZ1053 : PROGRESSIVE ENGLISH PREPOSITIONS AND CONJUNCTIONS

PREPOSITIONS?
A preposition is a linking word. It links one word to

another or a phrase to another phrase.

i)The trekkers took hours to make their way through the thick mangrove swamps. ii)His father works in a bank.

PREPOSITIONS?
When there is no link, the word that comes after the

verb is not a preposition. The words in bold are adverbs, modifying the verbs sat and came respectively.
The tired traveller sat down. The news came through.

TYPES OF PREPOSITION
The preposition of place shows location or direction.

i)A van and a lorry broke down at the Ayer Rajah Expressway and caused a massive jam. ii)Strong gales blew across the plain and hit the village in full force, causing extensive damage to crop and property.

TYPES OF PREPOSITION
Other examples of prepositions which indicate location

are :
Under, near, above, inside, opposite Against, beside, by, on, upon Up, within, between, across, beyond Among, before, behind, in front of

TYPES OF PREPOSITION
Some prepositions are used to indicate where

something or someone is moving from (the starting point).

i)The box fell from a tenth storey window. ii)The cat ran away from the fierce dog.

TYPES OF PREPOSITION
The preposition of time shows time and duration.

ii)The monsoon rains will affect life in the coastal region for months.

CONJUNCTIONS
A conjunction connects words or groups of words.

There are basically 3 types of conjunctions :

i) co-ordinating Ii) correlative Iii) subordinating
i)Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. ii)We left early because it was already late. iii)Neither Jim nor I am going.

CO-ORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS
A co-ordinating conjunction shows that the parts of

the sentence that it connects are of equal importance. Such conjunctions include; and, but, or, so, for and yet.
i)He is tall for his age but he still cannot be admitted. ii)We were not interested in the talk so we left.

CORRELATIVE CONJUNCTION
A correlative conjunction also connects sentence parts

of equal importance but they work in pairs. They are: Eitheror, neither..nor, not onlybut alsobothand
i)She has either forgotten about the appointment or she had an urgent matter to attend to. ii)Plastic is not only cheap but also durable.

SUBORDINATING CONJUCTION
A subordinating conjunction shows that one part of a

sentence is dependent on another. The part which is dependent is introduced by conjunctions such as when, since, while, where, so that, than, if, even though, whereas and since.
She cried before the sad news was announced. Please wait here while we get things ready.

THE FUNCTIONS OF CONJUNCTIONS

Within a sentence, conjunctions are used to express various intentions. These include addition, comparison, contrast, illustration, alternative, conclusion/deduction and means Type Addition: and, as well(as), besides, together, with, not onlybut also, bothand. Comparison : as, as well as, as if, like Contrast: but, yet, while, whereas, although, even though, despite Example Both husband and wife were invited to the wedding. We will invite both of them. He was as swift as an arrow He ran as if his life was in danger. He ran like the wind. I was not hungry but I ate a lot. John likes meat whereas his sister likes vegetables. Although he had little money, he bought a big new car.

THE FUNCTIONS OF CONJUNCTIONS

Type Examples

Illustration : such as, that is, for example, for instance, in particular, namely (used to expand sentences or to make them clearer.)

There are many entertaining programmes on television such as/for example/for instance There are many local fruits that are cheap and yet high in nutritive value, for instance /in particular/namely bananas, papayas..
Have you seen Tom or Dick? They are neither here nor there. Neither of them can be found.

Alternatives : or, nor, either..or, neither, neither.nor, instead of (indicate a choice between two things)

Note : either.or is positive (+) and neithernor is negative (-)

THE FUNCTIONS OF CONJUNCTIONS

Type Examples

Conclusion or Deduction : for, therefore, so..

She expected to receive free medical care for she was the widow of a war hero. The economic outlook is bright so we expect a bigger bonus this year.
His interest in astronomy was sustained through/by means of the inspirational stories of great discoveries that he had read. The best way to learn a second language is by means of a nation wide campaign.

Means : by, by means of, through..(these connectives are used to show means that is a method or a way whereby one attains a desired end.

THE FUNCTIONS OF CONJUNCTIONS

TYPE EXAMPLE

Although and Though

Although/Though I was late, I managed to get admitted. He agreed to pay though/although it was not his turn to do so. Because is usually accompanied by the main sentence. The expression because of is very useful and can be used in the beginning or middle of a sentence.

Because and because of

i) ii)

Joe was late for his appointment because he couldnt find his keys. Because of the civil war, she could not continue her studies.

THE FUNCTIONS OF CONJUNCTIONS

TYPE Since and For EXAMPLE We use since to indicate a definite date or point in time. It answers the question when? We use for when we wish to indicate a length of time. It answers the question for how long? For : two years, half an hour, five minutes So that is to show the purpose of an action So is often used to show the consequence of an action or situation.

Since : August, 1984, last night So that and So

I shut the door so that it would not be so noisy. He was tired so he ended the game early.

THE FUNCTIONS OF CONJUNCTIONS

TYPE EXAMPLE

Time : before, after and until

We use these words to introduce an expression concerning time, before, after, until

We need to get there before the food is served. We hope to leave after the dinner. We will wait until the rain stops before we leave.