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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.

5 votes

“The influence of ... on/upon ...”

The choice between on and upon in the sentence We study the influence of anion size on/upon localisation is not merely a matter of style. Two entirely different meanings are possible. With on: …
Jimi Oke's user avatar
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8 votes

"On the weekend" or "during the weekend"

The best choice for your construction would be over the weekend.
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8 votes
Accepted

Why 'in itself', why not just 'itself'?

According to my dictionary (New Oxford American, 2e), the phrase in itself means viewed in its essential qualities; considered separately from other things Plug in this meaning into your sentenc …
Jimi Oke's user avatar
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2 votes

Which one is correct? "Look here" or "Look at here"?

It is incorrect to use at in this case. You could say any of the following in the imperative sense: Look here Look at this Look at this place
Jimi Oke's user avatar
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3 votes
Accepted

What is the proper preposition for this question?

The New Oxford American Dictionary defines according to as: as stated by or in If you only had one-word prepositions to choose from, then on would be your next best option, although I would not …
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17 votes
Accepted

"Programs running in/on machine”

Programs run on, and not in, a computer or machine. I can run Windows on my mac using Boot Camp. Memory-intensive applications run on my multicore monster of a machine like a dream. Co …
Jimi Oke's user avatar
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43 votes
Accepted

"Outside" or "outside of"?

The preposition/adverb, outside, and the compound preposition, outside of, both have the same meaning: beyond the boundaries/limits of _ The New Oxford American Dictionary provides an excellent expos …
Jimi Oke's user avatar
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5 votes

What is correct, "in-stock" or "on-stock"?

It should be Do we have products in stock? where in stock functions as an adjective. If products are not in stock (available), then they are out of stock. When these adjectives precede the nouns …
Jimi Oke's user avatar
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3 votes
Accepted

What part of speech is "unless" in the following sentence?

In the sentence, Unless disciplined, a dog becomes a household pest unless is a conjunction*. This sentence is really a reduction of Unless it is disciplined, a dog becomes a household pest …
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1 vote

Preposition usage: on, in, and at

"I worked on a project" is correct. In would be wrong in this context. One can work in a particular place or location (obviously), as well as a field of endeavor, a professional or academic department …
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2 votes

At Night or In the Night?

Sometimes, native speakers drop the articles and prepositions where nonessential to the understanding of the intended recipient. …
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23 votes
Accepted

"Need of" vs. "need for"

With "of": have need of: This is very formal usage, though, as simply using "need" would suffice They had need of shelter. in need of: This is more commonly used in everyday English I am …
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40 votes
Accepted

"Studying PhD at the university" or "studying PhD in the university"?

I am studying PhD at the university. I am studying PhD in the university. In the above, both sentences are wrong. Inserting for a between studying and PhD would make sentence 1. correct. …
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20 votes

What does 'ten of six' mean in regard to time?

In American English, using "of" when telling the time denotes the number minutes before the upcoming hour. Thus, "ten of six" would mean 5:50 p.m. As another example, "quarter of three" would be 2:45 …
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3 votes
Accepted

Rules about prepositions and duplicating 'to'

While your sentence I think we really ought to leave that up to the people we're assigning the label to to judge. is not grammatically incorrect, it would be considered inelegant by many writers, es …
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