Of usage in English. Use of the preposition ‘By’. Prepositions To, From: direction and time

Watch this video to get a basic understanding of articles in English before reading this article.

Why are articles needed in English?

Did you know that the article is a part of speech that does not exist in Russian?

We change the stress and word order to give the phrase a shade, and in English it is strictly fixed.

See how the meaning of the phrase changes:

• I like the car.
• I like the car.

Do you feel a trick? In the first case, it is not clear what kind of car it is, and in the second it is about a specific car.

In English, you cannot interchange words, so articles are used to give the desired shade to the phrase. A, An and The.

Article rules

The concept of the article in English grammar is associated with the category of definiteness. Simplified, the rule of articles is:

Remember!

If we are talking about an unknown subject, then the indefinite article A / An. If we are talking about something specific, then the article is placed before it. The.

Task: What articles should be used in the following examples?

We bought a car.

We bought the car we saw yesterday.

Click on the arrows for the answer.

Clue.

Article The descended from This(this) - you can point with your finger.
A / An descended from One(one).

That's why the article A/An used only in the singular!

In a simplified form, the grammatical rules of articles can be represented as follows:

Plural noun?
Noun countable?
Have you heard of him before? (indefinite or definite article)
Is it about something in common?

What is the difference between the articles A and An?

Let's repeat!
Indefinite article A/An(which is derived from one) put only before in the singular!

So what is the difference between A and An?

Article A placed before words that begin with consonants (a c at, a h ouse, a y ard), and An- before words that begin with vowels (an a pple, an h our).

Let this picture pop up before your eyes when you choose a meju a and an.

When do we use the indefinite article?

1. When we classify an object, we attribute it to a certain group of objects.

• A cow is an animal. - A cow is an animal.
• An apple is a fruit. - An apple is a fruit.

2. When we characterize the subject.

• My mother is a nurse. - My mother is a nurse.
• He is an idiot! - He's an idiot!

The topic of prepositions in English is almost inexhaustible. We have repeatedly considered various prepositions on the pages of our site. English preposition ‘ by' can be used in different meanings - as a preposition of place, mode of action, time. Let's take a closer look at these values.

Preposition of manner of action

Google shortcode

In this meaning, the preposition 'by' is used to indicate how, in what way an action is performed, for example -

• send something by post - send something by mail
• do something by hand - do something with your hands
• pay by credit card / check - pay by credit card / check
• happen by mistake / by accident / by chance - happen by mistake / by accident

Please note that in these phrases the noun is used without the article.

• We hadn't arranged to meet. We met by chance. We didn't plan to meet. We met by chance.
• I didn't put the pullover in the washing machine, I washed it by hand. I didn't put this pullover in the washing machine, I washed it by hand.

The preposition 'by' is also used to indicate the way of travel:

by car / by train / by plane / by boat / by bus / by bicycle / by road/ by rail/by air / by sea / by underground

• How did you get here? Did you come by bus? — How did you get here? By bus?
• How long does it take to cross the Atlantic by sea? How long does it take to cross the Atlantic by sea?

Note: by analogy, some use the preposition ‘by’ when talking about walking – by foot. This is not entirely true. The correct form is on foot.

• Sorry we are late. We missed the bus and had to come on foot. — Sorry, we're late. We missed the bus and had to walk.

As you may have noticed, in these examples the noun is without the article. If a noun is used with an article or a possessive pronoun, then other prepositions are used: in (car and taxi) or on (bike, public transport).

• They didn't come in their car. They came in a taxi. They didn't come in their car. They came by taxi.
• We traveled on the 7.45 train. We went by train at 7.45.

Instrumental preposition by

In the passive voice, with the help of the preposition by, the performer of the action is introduced:

• Have you ever been bitten by a dog? Have you ever been bitten by a dog? (have you ever been bitten by a dog?)
• This candidate is supported by a lot of people. – This candidate is supported by a lot of people (this candidate is supported by a lot of people)
• This man was followed by a big crowd. A large crowd followed the man.

Do not confuse with the instrumental preposition with, which introduces a means of performing an action. Compare:

• The door must have been opened by someone. – The door must have been opened by someone (someone is the performer)
• The door must have been opened with a key. - The door must have been opened with a key (the key is a means)

Preposition of place

As a preposition of place, by means "near, near, at"

• Who is that man standing by the window? Who is this man standing at the window?
• There was a small table by the bed with a lamp and a clock on it. There was a small table by the bed with a lamp and a clock on it.

The preposition by also means "on" when two quantities are compared, for example in these sentences:

• My daily newspaper used to cost 50 pence. From today it costs 60 pence. The price has gone up by 10 pence. My daily paper used to cost 50p. Now it costs 60. The price has increased by 10 pence.
• Claire's salary was $1,000 a month. Now it is $1,100. Her salary has increased by $100 a month. Claire's salary was $1,000 a month. Now it is $1,100. Her salary increased by $100 a month.

Preposition of time

As a preposition of time, by translates as "by (such and such time), before (such and such time)"

• Fred is away at the moment. He'll be back by Monday. Fred is away at the moment. He will be back by Monday.
• Sorry, but I must go. I have to be at home by 11 o'clock. I'm sorry, but I have to leave. I need to be home by 11.
• I'll have finished my work by 11.30 - I will finish work by 30

You can also say " by the time something happened / happened" and " by then» (by the time something happens/has happened)

• Peter finally arrived at the party, but by then most of the guests had gone. Peter eventually came to the party, but by that time most of the guests had already left.
• By the time I finished my work, it was too late to go shopping. By the time I finished work, it was too late to go shopping.
• By the time you come I will have finished cooking. By the time you come, I will have finished cooking.

In English, the role of prepositions is more important than in Russian, because in English these little words have a huge task of not only managing and coordinating between words in a sentence, but also playing the role of cases, which, oddly enough, they do an excellent job.

There is also some correspondence between the cases of the Russian language and the prepositions of the English language. Of course, they are not identical, but the analogy is already good. Preposition of- one of the most important suggestions. This preposition is indicative of the genitive case. If it stands before a noun, then when translating we put the noun in the genitive case (if you forgot, it answers the question of whom? what?). In addition to the indicator of the genitive case, it performs other functions. Preposition of used:

1) after words denoting quantity;

2) in combinations “who from…”, “none from…”, “many from…” in the role of “from”;

Which of them is our president?- Who is our president?

None of Germans like frost.- None of the Germans like frost.

3) usually neighbors and cooperates with out;

He went out of the room.- He left the room.

The driver got out of the car and started running round it.- The driver jumped out of the car and ran around it.

4) is used when it comes to the origin of the nobility, in the meaning of "from".

I know that noble knight. He is Sir Charles of Perigor and Lavendor.“I know this noble knight. This is Sir Charles of Perigord and Lavendor.

Here is a series of expressions with the preposition of:

a bar of chocolate - chocolate bar

a slice of sausage - a piece of sausage (cut off)

a piece of chalk - a piece of chalk

a sheet of paper - a sheet of paper

a lump of sugar - a lump of sugar

a bit of information - a piece (bit) of information

a pair of gloves - a pair of gloves

a can of meat - jar (Am.: canning) of meat

a tin of fish - can (Br.: canning) of fish

a box of cereal - a box of cereal

a bottle of milk - a bottle of milk

a pint of beer - a pint of beer

a bunch of grapes - a bunch of grapes

a loaf of bread - a loaf of bread

a jar of honey - jar (glass) of honey

a tube of mustard - a tube of mustard

a pound of potatoes - a pound of potatoes

a kilo of apricots - a kilo of apricots

a cup of coffee - a cup of coffee

a glass of water - a glass of water

a group of students - a group of students

a pack of wolves - a pack of wolves

a team of workers - a team (team) of workers

Above, you got acquainted with the measures taken, volumes and units of measurement of various nouns. And everywhere there is of. Below is another list. This time words denoting quantity.

a great (good) deal of - a large number (unlimited)

a lot of, lots of - a lot (exhausted and inexhaustible)

a great (large, small) amount of - a large (small) amount (unlimited)

a great (large, small) number of - a large (small) number (exhaust)

plenty of - set (excess and inexhaust.)

a couple of - a couple (excl.)

I would also like to mention combinations of cardinal numbers and plural nouns. In this form, they also cannot imagine their own existence without of:

hundreds of men and women- hundreds of men and women

thousands of slaves- thousands of slaves

millions of books- millions of books

billions of years- billions of years

Hello to all English lovers!
Today I would like to touch on such an important topic as prepositions in English and their use. Why is this topic so important? Yes, because not a single conversation, not a single conversation is complete without pretexts. Although this is a service part of speech, English prepositions serve to link words in a sentence, which is why they help us make our speech logical and understandable to the interlocutor.

As a rule, prepositions or prepositions in English are divided into two types:

• simple prepositions, that is, consisting of one word
• compound or complex, these are those that consist of two or more words.

And now let's take a closer look at English prepositions, their meaning and cases of their use. But first, remember the article English prepositions: case analogy

Most often, beginners use simple prepositions (SIMPLE PREPOSITIONS) in their English speech. They are easy to remember and memorize, because they consist not only of one word, but they are also very short. The most common simple prepositions in English are:

• On - on

As a rule, this is a preposition of place (prepositions of place):
My book is on the table. — My book is on the table.
The picture is on the wall. - Picture on the wall.
I see a beautiful carpet on the floor. — I see a beautiful carpet on the floor.
This preposition is also used when we are talking about the days of the week:
On Sunday, on Wednesday. - Sunday, Wednesday, etc.

• In - in

Most often a preposition of place. (prepositions of place) For example:
The children are in the classroom. — The children are in the classroom.
My pen is in my pencil box. — My pen is in the pencil case.
Also, this preposition is used if we are talking about months or seasons (prepositions of months and days):
In March, in April, in summer, in spring. March, April, summer, spring.

• Into - in

This preposition indicates direction and answers the question Where to? (prepositions of direction) For example:
He went into the room. - He entered the room.
She has dropped her doll into the water. She dropped the doll into the water.

• At - in

This preposition most often indicates time (prepositions of time):
At 7 o'clock we go to the cinema. We go to the cinema at 7 o'clock.
I finished my homework at 5 o'clock. — I finished my homework at 5 o’clock.

• To

If we are going somewhere, we will definitely use this preposition (prepositions of place and direction):
We went to the theater yesterday. We went to the theater yesterday.
This evening I go to my friend. - I'm going to a friend's tonight.

• since

This preposition is a preposition of time:
I haven't been to the Hermitage since winter. — I have not been to the Hermitage since the winter

• Of- case preposition, means belonging to something (prepositions of possession)

For example: London is the capital of Great Britain. - London is the capital of Great Britain.
I understand the need of this experiment. “I understand the need for this experiment.

• With - with

It means with someone or something. (prepositions of possession) For example:
I like tea with strawberry jam. — I like tea with strawberry jam.
My mother wants to speak with me. “My mom wants to talk to me.

• For - for, for the sake of

For example:
I am ready to do everything for you. I'm ready for anything for (for) you.

• About - about, about, about

If we are talking about something or someone, then we use this preposition (prepositions of possession):
What is this text about? - What is this text about?
I want to tell you about my friend Mike. — I want to tell you about my friend Mike.

• Across - through

Most often used in the meaning of "cross, pass" (prepositions of action):
We went across the field and saw a beautiful lake. We passed through the field (or: we crossed the field) and saw a beautiful lake.

• Through - through, through

For example:
We saw our friends through the window. We saw our friends through the window.

• Under - under

Prepositions of place:
My shoes are under wardrobe. — My shoes are under the wardrobe.
The saucer is under the cup of coffee. — The saucer is under the coffee cup.

• Above - above

Also prepositions of place:
The picture is above the bed. - Painting above the bed.

• After - for, after

Most often prepositions of time:
You will read the text after me. You will read the text after me.
Repeat after me! - Repeat after me!
After breakfast we went shopping. — After breakfast we go shopping.

• Before - before

Also prepositions of time:
Before reading the text, learn the new words. - Before reading the text, learn new words.

As you can see, these prepositions are constantly used in speech, you cannot do without them.
Now let's look at complex sentences.

Using difficult English prepositions

Compound or compound prepositions (COMPOUND PREPOSITIONS), as a rule, consist of two or more words. They can consist of an article, a noun and a preposition, a preposition and an adjective, etc. It is usually quite difficult for those who begin to learn English to use complex prepositions in speech, because they are a little more difficult to remember. But such prepositions are important and should be studied and used in speech, because they will make your speech richer.

Here are some of the most common speeches:

• In front of - before (prepositions of place)
• Because of - because (prepositions of cause)
• In accordance with - according to, in accordance with (prepositions of circumstance)
• In account with - due to (prepositions of cause)
• According to - according to (prepositions of circumstance)
• Thanks to - thanks (prepositions of cause).

Now let's trace these prepositions through examples of sentences:

• There is a law in front of my house. — There is a lawn in front of my house.
• I didn't come to the party because of you. - I didn't come to the party because you were there (because of you, because you were there)
• We shall proceed in accordance with our plan. We must act according to our plan
• We didn't get our salaries in account with our manager. We didn't get paid because of our manager
• According to our plan we must manage everything. “According to our plan, we must all be on time.”
• I have everything thanks to you. I have everything thanks to you.

Thus, we see that English prepositions are an integral part of the language. The use of prepositions in English is important and necessary. They help to logically connect words in a sentence, to convey the correct and necessary meaning of the sentence to the interlocutor. And the proposal without them, well, you can’t build it!

See also interesting article English language prepositions of place

That's all for today, I hope you will extract for yourself all the usefulness of prepositions in English. Thank you for your attention and see you soon!

Hi there! From today's article you will learn: how English prepositions differ from Russian ones, what their types and groups are, how to remember, systematize and use them correctly.

Preposition in English- this is a service part of speech, which is fraught with an analogue of the Russian case, moves objects in space and can irrevocably change the meaning of what you say.

There are many prepositions in English, but this does not mean that you need to learn them all at once. It will be enough to know the main ones and understand their division into groups.

What is the difference between Russian and English prepositions?

Yes, there are much fewer prepositions in Russian, but there are dozens of case endings. For example:

She read the text in English, crossed it out with a red pen and cry for hours. - She read the text on the English ohm, crossed out his red oh handle oh and cried for an hour ami.

In addition, there are differences that are hidden in our perception of the world.

The bird is in the tree. - Bird on the tree.
There are flowers in the picture. - On the painting flowers.
I'm at a concert. - I on the concert.
She is dancing in the rain. - She is dancing under rain.
I went to England. - I traveled in England.

There are a lot of such situations, try to memorize such “strange” (for the Russian language) prepositions from what you read, watch or listen to.

In addition to the physical world, a significant difference in prepositions accompanies abstract concepts and actions. Sometimes it coincides on- count on the) and sometimes not. For example:

depend on- depend from;
prepare for- get ready to;
tired of- tired from;
wait for- wait;
listen to- listen.

Forms of English prepositions

• Simple:

at- at, about, in, on;
in- in, on, for, through;
about- about, around, at, by;
against- against, facing towards, on;
before before, before, before.

• Derivatives(derived from words from other parts of speech):

concerning- regarding, relatively;
including- including, including;
depending- depending;
granted- provided that.

• Complex(includes several components):

side by side- near, near, at;
outside- outside, beyond, except for;
within- within, within, no further;
wherewith- than, through which.

• Composite(represent a phrase - include a word from another part of speech + 1 or 2 prepositions):

because of- due to;
instead of- instead of;
by virtue of- in force, on the basis of;
for the sake of- for the sake of;
with regard to- relatively, in relation to.

It is important to remember that none of the elements of a compound preposition cannot be extended, shortened or changed. Even a compound preposition always remains integral.

Preposition or adverb - how to determine?

Some prepositions are spelled the same as adverbs. However, their role in the proposal will still be different.

The preposition reflects relation between meaningful parts, and the adverb carries its own meaning.

There is only clear sky above me. - There is only a clear sky above me ("above" expresses the spatial relationship between the words - the noun "sky" and the pronoun "me").
The guests were led above.- Guests were taken away up(the adverb "above" has its own meaning of direction - "where to?")

Types of English prepositions by meaning

According to their meaning and functions, English prepositions can be divided into different groups. The most basic prepositions place, time, direction, person and tool.

• Prepositions of place:

above- above, above;
across from- Opposite, across the street from;
around- suddenly;
at- at, in, on;
behind- behind, behind;
below- under, below;
between- between;
by, beside, near- at, next to, near;
under- under.

close to- close to, next to;
in- in, inside;
in front of- in front, before;
next to- near, following;
on- on the;
opposite- against;
over- above;
past- for, on the other side.

• Motion prepositions:

across- through, across, on the other side;
along- along;
away from- from, away;
back to- back to;
down- way down;
from- from, from, with;
into- in;
off- from, from;
onto- on the;
out of- from, beyond;
over- through;
past- by;
round, around- around;
through- through, through, on, inside;
to- to, to, in, towards;
towards- to, towards;
under- under;
up- up.

• prepositions of time:

after- after;
at- at, during;
before- before, before;
by- to, not later than in;
during- during, during;
for- during, in continuation;
from- from, from, starting from;
in- during, during, for;
on- at, during;
past- after, for;
since- since, since, since;
through- throughout, in continuation;
till, until- before, not before;
within within, within.

• Prepositions of agent and instrument:

by- on behalf of; indicates the one who performs the action (person / object);
with- by using; what is doing the action;
without- without something;
on- about; about through.

I was scolded by my teacher. - I was scolded by the teacher.
Our house was destroyed by a falling tree. Our house was destroyed by a fallen tree.
He always writes only with a pencil. He always writes only with a pencil.
I cut my hand on a broken glass. - I cut myself on a broken glass.

It's important to know! Prepositions with/by in this sense are used in passive voice and indicate by whom or what the action was performed.

The use of prepositions in English

Prepositions and cases. Let's see which cases in Russian which prepositions correspond to.

Genitive case (of whom? What?) - preposition " of».

Show me the plan of the house. - Show me the plan of the house.

Dative case (to whom? What?) - preposition " to».

Give it to me. - Give it to me.

Accusative case (whom? what?) - without pretext.

Give me a pen. - Give me a pen.

Instrumental case (by whom? What?) - preposition " with», « by».

She was cutting the letter with scissors. She was cutting the letter with scissors.

Prepositional (About who about what?)- suggestion " about»,« of».

Don't speak about me. - Don't talk about me.
I think of you. - I think of you.

Preposition in a sentence.There are a few general rules about where to put it.

• The preposition is placed before the noun or pronoun (if the noun has an article or definition, then before them).

Put the book on the table. - Put down the book on the table.
Give it to me. - Give it to me.
The shop is near the big house. - Shop next to a big house.

• In interrogative sentences (which begin with interrogative words), the preposition is placed at the end.

What city do you live in? - What city do you live in?
Who are you waiting for? - Who are you waiting for?

• By analogy with the question, the preposition is at the end of the subordinate clause or passive construction (in Russian, the preposition is placed at the beginning of the subordinate clause):

That is what they wanted to begin with. - This is what, With what they wanted to start.
You know who she is worried about. - You know, about who is she worried about.
Her marriage was very much talked about about. - Her marriage was very discussed.
Mary loved the cat and it was taken good care of. Mary loved the cat and she was well looked after.

Prepositions are also found in sustainable expressions which are easier to remember in their entirety. A few of the most common:

How to remember all this?

It is extremely difficult to juggle all the prepositions of the English language. There are a few tips on how not to "drop" the main ones:

• When you write out verbs from the dictionary, mark yourself at least 2 options with different prepositions. Soon this will save you from pauses in different contexts and speech situations.
• Like other parts of speech, prepositions are better study in context(at least in phrases).
• Start with the simplest and popular prepositions (direction, place, time).
• Prepositions of place easier to remember with pictures.
• Regularly exercise. Prepositions are not a topic that is enough to go through and return to it a month later.

Let's start memorizing sentences right now! We invite you to complete the exercise and write your answers in the comments:

1. This letter was written ___ English.

2. The sun was shining ___ our heads, the birds were singing ___ the tree.

3. Your results depend on ___ your preparation.

4. I have been waiting ___ you here for 3 hours!

5. We moved to another country because ___ my new job.

6. There is a lamp ___ two armchairs in my room.

7. He sits ___ front ___ a computer every day.

8. Give me the map ___ this city, please.

9. I don't know anything ___ this writer.

10. Give this book ___ him.

11. What are you worried ___?

12. He hopes he'll find a better job ___future.

13. We went there ___ foot.

14. ___the way, what do you think about it?

Conclusion

So, let's sum up.

• English prepositions replace cases(of, to, with, by, about).
• Prepositions may refer to location, time, direction and tool.
• In the proposal we put them before noun and his article(or definition).
• AT issues make a pretext in the end.
• There are combinations of words with prepositions that need to be memorized ( depend on, wait for etc.)

We hope that this article will help you use prepositions quickly and appropriately! good luck!

Big and friendly family EnglishDom