Questions tagged [prepositions]
Prepositions are function words like "to", "over", "through", "in". The meaning of a sentence can be dramatically altered by choosing the wrong preposition. Questions need to include enough information for the intended meaning to be deduced.
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What is the grammatical name and function of 'who were cleaning windscreen' [migrated]
My name is Moses
A student
A lover of English language
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Which is the correct use of these prepositions?
Trying to discern correct use of prepositions. Here's the sentence as I have it:
This was proof that he could stay steadfast under conditions in which other men could not!
Should it be: "......
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Which preposition is correct, "asset to", "asset for" or "asset of"? [closed]
Which preposition would be grammatically correct?
I am confident that I have the character and integrity to be an asset to your organization.
I am confident that I have the character and integrity to ...
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'Wracked with" or "wracked by"?
Which is considered (more) correct: wracked by [X] or wracked with [X]?
Example sentences:
He is wracked with grief.
He is wracked by grief.
The Cambridge definition of wrack contains examples of ...
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preposition for "research" [the verb] [duplicate]
I would like to know the correct preposition for research when used with "any topic."
Should it be:
It enables us to research any topic with ease.
Or:
It enables us to research into any ...
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Difference between "wave AT" and "wave TO"
What's the difference between "wave" used with "to" and "wave" used with "at"?
Two sentences as examples:
She's waving at the person behind me.
and
The ...
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Prepositions in Relative Clauses: Placement Rules and Exceptions (during which)
"In the form of 'preposition + relative pronoun (whom, which),' we can place the preposition at the end of the phrase. For example:
I read a book in which I was interested. (✔)
I read a book ...
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'In the belief' or 'under the belief'?
I was doing a grammar Multiple Choice Question in a top school examination paper and I came across a question:
Mr. Mohan is __________ the belief that artificial intelligence changes the way we work, ...
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Which is better: "On first reading" vs. "At first reading"?
In the context of a section in a technical document that describes several topics, one of which is essential and others can be skipped, which of the following is better?
You can skip the others on ...
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How to know when to use preposition with an adverb of place? [migrated]
I saw a video of an English tutor saying that we day "I am going home" not "I am going to home" because home is an adverb here. Why do we not follow the same with sentences like &...
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"New additions *for*..." or "New additions *to*..."
If I'm trying to advertise that you can scroll through this webpage to find additions that go in/on your home, would it be...
"Find new additions for your home."
"Find new additions ...
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Challenge to a chess match / challenge over a match [closed]
I am wondering if the correct one is:
He challenged me to a chess match. OR
He challenged me over a chess match.
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What is the difference between “to support someone in all they can” and “to support someone with all they can”?
Good day. I am writing to a dear friend of mine, and I don’t want to sound incoherent and inarticulate in my English. He is way older than me. I am like a daughter to him. And English is my native ...
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Has the conception of prepositions broadened?
When I studied linguistics 40-some years ago, it was understood that
PP → Prep NP
But I’ve discovered sources that suggest that the class of prepositions is (now?) understood much more broadly.
...
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Obtained "by" or "through"? [duplicate]
I work in STEM and a problem I often face with is the use of "by" or "through". Let me explain it with an example. I have a quantity named "variance" that is derived ...
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Effect of using an unidiomatic expression - "a tableau in happiness"
EDIT:
Thank you everyone for the answers. The point about grammatical vs idiomatic is interesting.
To clarify, I would like to know if an average reader would a) understand the meaning of the (...
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Difference between "Walk" and "Walk down" / "Drive" and "Drive down" [closed]
I'm an English learner, and sometimes I cannot understand why some words are used to express a meaning. For example, the word "Down". What's the difference between "I walked on the ...
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"at" or "in" with the city 's name [duplicate]
This question is about the use of preposition 'at'.
In this passage:
In 715 CE, ten years after the foundation of the Umayyad Mosque at Damascus, the Umayyad Caliph Al-Walid engaged in the ...
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"Planned on system": meaning (G.M. Trevelyan, A Short History of England)
Their method of conquest was to make military roads, planned on system for the whole island, and to plant along them forts garrisoned by the regular troops.
I can't manage to explain this ...
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Are "the roof of the building" and "a house of stone" grammatically the same constructions?
Are "the roof of the building" and "a house of stone" grammatically different prepositional phrase constructions? Or are they both understood to be possessives with the latter not ...
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"Students leaving on campus often complain having roommate problems." [closed]
I came across the following sentence in a corpus called SkELL (Sketch Engine for Language Learning):
(1) Students leaving on campus often complain having roommate problems.
https://skell.sketchengine....
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A "change in scenery" or a "change of scenery"? Are both forms of this sort of expression truly correct? I know the latter one is, but the former? [closed]
As my title says, is a "change in scenery" as correct as a "change of scenery"? I am self-conscious of how a "change in" might sound odd or off or be even absolutely ...
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Who is being fed in "Did hourly feed him by" from Walden, or, Life in the Woods? [duplicate]
There was a shepherd that did live,
And held his thoughts as high
As were the mounts whereon his flocks
Did hourly feed him by
From Walden, or, Life in the Woods by Henry David Thoreau
I'm confused ...
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What is the grammatical ground for this prepositional phrase? [duplicate]
In below formal excerpt, how the first part, bolded, can be thought grammatically:
With personnel an enduring target of violence, we must work together to ensure our safety.
It is structured this way:...
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Question regarding the expression ¨One kind of + [plural noun].¨ [closed]
Which one is correct?
There is only one kind of sunglasses, and it´s small.
There is only one kind of sunglasses, and they are small.
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"of" in "slow of the mind" "slow of heart"
Stonecrusher considered both of them to be slow of the mind except in fights. (book)
This use of the preposition "of" sounds nonidiomatic to me, but I wonder if it is a dated use. This ...
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Comparing word order: "with whom" and "with" [duplicate]
Sentence 1: A person with whom I am particularly close has moved away.
Sentence 2: A person I am particularly close with has moved away.
What are some differences between these two sentences that are ...
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Is "as well as" a preposition here or conjunction?
A short passage from a book piqued my interest:
Nevertheless, it is this third line of argument which offers the most hope, by bringing
us into a largely unexplored area of moral philosophy which has ...
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'Some rats lived at/in the school. To get rid of them, the headmaster called in a rat control service.' [duplicate]
Can one use "at the school" instead of "in the school" in,
Some rats lived at the school. To get rid of them, the headmaster called in a rat control service.
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"The associations between x and y " vs "The associations of x with y"
When conducting and reporting a statistical analysis, is it more correct to state:
"The associations between x and y "
"The associations of x with y"?
Or are both equally correct?...
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To vs For difference [closed]
Could anyone help me to understand the difference between the usage for and to in the below sentences.
They will be more interested in the struggles of the downtrodden, in those who are fighting to ...
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Someone's inheriting a castle: 'Castle heirs', 'Heirs of the Castle', or 'Heirs to the Castle'?
What is the correct way to describe people inheriting a castle? (American and British English)
Castle heirs
or
Heirs of the castle
or
Heirs to the castle
It's just a phrase I've heard, but I've ...
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"Way to travel" or "Way of travel" [closed]
Which sentence is more grammatically correct?
Welcome to a new way to travel
Welcome to a new way of travel
(We are promoting our airport service which allows one to avoid stepping foot inside the ...
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Is using ‘down’ with ‘descend’ acceptable?
Is the following sentence grammatically correct?
A cascading silence that descends down the phone line.
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Is this sentence correct? "Adele says new album will explain her divorce to her young son." [closed]
So there's this debate ongoing on one post that this phrase is incorrect. People are getting confused and wondering how can Adele take a divorce from her own son. The sentence is:
Adele says new ...
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What does "for a mile" mean in this sentence of Thoreau?
In Slavery in Massachusetts, Thoreau writes:
But it chanced the other day that I scented a white water-lily,
and a season I had waited for had arrived. It is the emblem of purity.
It bursts up so ...
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In a sentence such as 'she said I should say hello to the baby' - is 'to' functioning as a preposition? [closed]
In the following sentence, does the 'to' function as a preposition?
She said I should say hello to the baby.
If it is a preposition, could it function as an oblique? Or is it just acting as an ...
user478955
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1
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“Amid concerns” vs. “Among concerns”
I’ve always been taught that the word “amid(st)” should be used exclusively with singular, specifically singular and uncountable nouns, especially those which express an abstract idea, (e.g. “His ...
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Is this ellipsis of the head noun in “be of” constructions? [duplicate]
I was asked about a sentence from The Economist and I found it difficult to explain the usage of of in it:
The most alarming scenario is of rogue AI turning evil, as seen in countless sci-fi films.
...
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I'm writing about advocacy, and I can't find the preposition to use in this specific case; [closed]
I advocate equality ....... decision-makers
I need to fill the space with a preposition that would convey the meaning that I am advocating equality and my target is decision-makers, I don't think it ...
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"Take the initiative to INFINITIVE" vs "Take the initiative of GERUND"
Should I say
Happy I finally took the initiative to bring two bottles.
or
Happy I finally took the initiative of bringing two bottles.
Is there a "universal" rule with the phrase "...
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"Aren't your hair long enough to be washed often?" [duplicate]
Is this statement grammatically correct?
Aren't your hair long enough to be washed often?
Should I say "Isn't your Hair...?"
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'Win $100 IN art' vs 'Win $100 OF art'
I'm writing some ad copy and we have a healthy disagreement about which of the following we should use:
Win $100 in art
Win $100 of art
Which one is correct, clearer, or more established?
The ...
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Get the path "to" vs "of" vs "for" a file?
Which phrase would be most correct to use?
Or are they all correct, and it just depends on the situation, which to use?
In my case it's regarding getting a path from a method in a Java program.
A ...
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Do we ever use "treatment with" instead of "treatment of"?
I'm trying to understand the syntax/meaning in the following sentence:
The poet was distinguished by concise treatment with the paraphernalia of fire that were characteristic of the genre.
My ...
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Is "[...]by only no state-prison offenses correct[...]?
In the first chapter of Walden, Economy, Thoreau writes:
It is very evident what mean and sneaking lives many of you live, for my
sight has been whetted by experience; always on the limits, trying to ...
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What role does the preposition “with” play in this sentence?
What role does the preposition “with” play in this grammatical sentence?
Cheating is the way of man. We deny that all wars are based on deception.
It can certainly be a big part of it. However, with ...
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Is it correct to say "he led me through a path"?
Is it correct to say: "he led me through a path in the forest"?
Here, path has been used as a synonym of 'road' or 'street' and is trying to convey the idea that you are traversing a path in ...
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Grammatical error in the expression "what would occur without"
Background
There is a system called YOLO which identifies objects in an image. For instance, YOLO can identify dog, bicycle, and car as objects in the image.
Internally YOLO uses a neural network ...
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How to properly phrase a sentence in which the two key words of the OR clause use different prepositions
Given these two sentences:
The mixin is a method of adding to the properties of a Javascript class.
The mixin is a method of removing from the properties of a Javascript class.
I'd like to combine ...
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