On a daily basis, we see improper preposition usage. In fact, it drives us crazy when we hear supposedly well-educated people on national radio and TV misuse common prepositions in their reporting of the news and current events.
Just to be clear as to what we’re talking about here: a “preposition” is a word that is placed before a noun or pronoun to form a phrase by modifying another word in the sentence. The dictionary defines a preposition as: “…a word governing a noun or pronoun and expressing a relation to another word or element…” In less technical terms, prepositions are those little connector words that join words and/or phrases to other words and/or phrases.
Examples of common prepositions are: about, above, after, as, at, before, behind, between, beyond, but, by, down, during, in, into, of, off, on, under, until, up, upon, with, within, to name a few. These words almost always function as an adjective or adverb.
Below are about a dozen typical preposition phrases misused in the news media and on popular TV shows.
agree (on), agree (to), agree (with)
We now agree on the terms of the contract.
I intend to agree to his proposal after the modifications.
His observations agree with my findings.
answer (for), answer (to)
He will have to answer for what he did last night.
She will have to answer to her boss on that matter.
begin (by), begin (from), begin (with)
I will begin by taking the oath of allegiance.
The race will begin from the parking lot behind the car dealership.
The project will begin with an environmental assessment.
bored (by), bored (with); NOT “bored of”
She was really bored by last night’s concert.
Over time, I became bored with the whole thing.
capable (of); NOT “capable to”
I knew that they were capable of much more.
The coach told me I was capable of playing at a much higher level.
correspond (to), correspond (with)
Once it is repainted it will correspond to mine.
While away on course I made it a habit to correspond with my parents by e-mail.
impressed (by), impressed (with); NOT “impressed of”
Jason was impressed by their new approach to the issue.
Julia was quite impressed with Susan’s behavior.
graduate (from), graduate (to); NOT “graduated college”
When do you expect to graduate from college?
After the initial phase you will graduate to the next level.
invest (in), invest (with)
Once I receive the funds I will invest in a mix of stocks and bonds.
He decided to invest his savings with the bank.
live (off), live (on)
Once they move to the farm they plan to live off the land.
When I turn 65 I will start to live on a pension.
proceed (to), proceed (with)
After that is done, I will proceed to the next step.
Please proceed with what you were doing when we arrived.
report (on), report (to)
After his assessment he will report on the situation.
He will report to the recruitment center next Monday.
suited (to), suited (for)
They seem very suited to each other.
Brad is well suited for that accounting position.
The above are just a few examples of proper preposition usage in some of the more common preposition phrases. So, here’s a word of warning: if you are trying to improve your English by watching television or listening to the radio, don’t assume that everything you hear is correct. Often it isn’t. Really! So, if you read or hear something that doesn’t seem quite right, look it up.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I’ve been waiting for something like this. It is frustrating editing copy that uses prepositions incorrectly. People think they are being creative but it is annoying.
Sincerely speaking, this is highly educating and knowledgeable.
Thank you so much for the teachings.
Thank you so much. Its very useful.
Thank you for the educational blog. Last year I wrote a blog in which I said that when I graduated from HS I did not know the difference between a noun and a verb. Then I went to college at Texas A&M and when I graduated I still did not know the difference. It was not until I was at the F.B.I. Academy that I had an instructor in report writing that finally taught me how to understand and use verbs, nouns, pronouns, and so forth. But you made your point very well and very quickly. Thank you.
Thank you Shaun!
Shaun, thank you. Excellent.
Informative. I like it.
This is really informative. Thanks shaun
Thank you Shaun,This is what I was looking for on the usage of proper prepositions.
Thanks, Shaun. I like rekindling what used to be natural. I blame FB myself.
I Really appreciated the lesson. Very educational and so simply taught. I love the way it is given to us, so simply presented and explained. So understandable. These kind of lessons are very beneficial. I for sure will benefit a lot from your lessons.
Thank you so much!
Thanks. Very Useful.
Excellent. I often get confused and this is of great help. Thanks
This lesson is has refreshed my memory of the correct use of some prepositions. Thank you Shaun.
Thank you very much. Very useful.
Dear Shaun and friends,
Thank you for the clear way of explaining the prepositions. It allows us to use them properly and clearly.
Nice to hear spring in here must be the best time of the year. With the El Nino around we are having hot weather with occasional rain just enough for the plants.
Thank you so very much, you are a great help.
Hello Shaun,
Thank you very much, it was very interesting.
Regards,
Thank you, quite useful.
Thank you Shaun. Actually I was looking for this. It is very important for me but the problem is when I write I could not use it properly. I have a one request to you. How can I improve my sentence construction? I love to write easy but correct sentences. Please let me know.
Thanks for this Shaun. Grammar is something we can all use frequent polishing on and your blog is a great place to get it. I hope I used the preposition correctly! 🙂
Verbs followed by a preposition actually have a name. They are called phrasal verbs. While these are examples of informal language, they are technically correct. I hope this helps ASSIST WITH your knowledge.
Sorry for (or ‘about’ :-)) commenting so late. Shaun, although I am venturing slightly outside the main thrust of your topic, I believe this application belongs in your article. Moreover, this too is a common error perpetrated by writers in the media. “To”, a short but truly versatile word, is used both as a preposition and an infinitive, and often misused. It happens when ‘to’ is followed by a ‘verbal noun’ rather than a simple noun. Example: “I look forward to seeing you tomorrow”. It is amazing how often you read “I look forward to see you tomorrow.” Tricky variations are “He opted to brave the weather without an umbrella” and “An argument with John led Bill to braving the weather without an umbrella.” Shaun, please keep them up, especially your articles on how these short but immensely powerful words sometimes make writing elegant sentences a terrific challenge.
This is excellent Shaun. Thanks a pile.
Thank you Shaun.