Lesson 1
Here are some prepositions you may remember from 1A: on, in, over, under, next to, in front of, in back of, between,.....
Prepositions are little words. In 1A, we teach how prepositions show 'where' something is: Carlos is next to Maria. The table is between the computers. These are called prepositions of place.
Prepositions are also used after certain verbs or adjectives. You may have noticed that Americans say: I went to school; She's going to church; I didn't go to school yesterday. After the word 'go,' no matter if it's the present or past or any other tense, we almost always use the preposition 'to.'
How about the verb 'think?' We say, I'm thinking about my future; I think about you all the time; Have you thought about looking for a new job? We use the preposition 'about' after the verb think.
The prepositions here don't change the meaning of the verb; they are just necessary additions to it.
We also use prepositions after some adjectives. Remember some examples of adjectives? They are descriptions: good, bad, rich, poor, fat, thin, dirty, clean.....
He is good at speaking English. She was good at swimming five years ago. We use the preposition 'at' after the adjective good.
There is a list of verbs and adjectives in your workbook on page 19. First, you must learn what all the words mean. Second, you'll have to memorize which preposition they are followed by.
Students ask, "Why do we say 'plan on' and not 'plan in, or plan about'?" I have no answer to that question. It's just the way it is. There is no method or explanation to help you learn them. You'll have to memorize them one by one.
Prepositions are little words. In 1A, we teach how prepositions show 'where' something is: Carlos is next to Maria. The table is between the computers. These are called prepositions of place.
Prepositions are also used after certain verbs or adjectives. You may have noticed that Americans say: I went to school; She's going to church; I didn't go to school yesterday. After the word 'go,' no matter if it's the present or past or any other tense, we almost always use the preposition 'to.'
How about the verb 'think?' We say, I'm thinking about my future; I think about you all the time; Have you thought about looking for a new job? We use the preposition 'about' after the verb think.
The prepositions here don't change the meaning of the verb; they are just necessary additions to it.
We also use prepositions after some adjectives. Remember some examples of adjectives? They are descriptions: good, bad, rich, poor, fat, thin, dirty, clean.....
He is good at speaking English. She was good at swimming five years ago. We use the preposition 'at' after the adjective good.
There is a list of verbs and adjectives in your workbook on page 19. First, you must learn what all the words mean. Second, you'll have to memorize which preposition they are followed by.
Students ask, "Why do we say 'plan on' and not 'plan in, or plan about'?" I have no answer to that question. It's just the way it is. There is no method or explanation to help you learn them. You'll have to memorize them one by one.
Lesson 2
Make sure you know what these words mean. There's no point in memorizing which preposition to use if you don't understand the word.
gerund_verb_definitions.docx | |
File Size: | 26 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Lesson 3
Here's more practice for you. All you have to do is write the correct preposition.
preposition_combination_with_gerundssahud.doc | |
File Size: | 27 kb |
File Type: | doc |
Lesson 4
Look at the following examples. See if you can see a pattern.
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The sentences on the left are correct. And, the sentences on the right are correct.
On the left, after the preposition, you see a regular noun: person, place, thing, idea.
On the right, after the preposition, you see a noun, too. It is called a gerund.
A gerund is a word that ends with -ing and is a noun. It represents an activity.
I worry about losing my job. (The verb in this sentence is 'worry.' 'Losing' is a gerund; it's a noun. I could replace 'losing' with the pronoun 'it': I worry about losing it. In the sentences, no one is losing their job in the moment. The person feels nervous about that idea or possibility.)
Here let's look at -ing as you normally recognize it, as a verb.
She is cooking tortilla soup for her family. (Verb: is cooking. Subject: is. In this sentence, someone is doing the action of cooking).
I can use the same word, 'cooking', but use it as a noun or gerund.
She's good at cooking. (Verb: is. Subject: she. She's good at it. (the activity of cooking, but in this sentence she is not cooking).
On the left, after the preposition, you see a regular noun: person, place, thing, idea.
On the right, after the preposition, you see a noun, too. It is called a gerund.
A gerund is a word that ends with -ing and is a noun. It represents an activity.
I worry about losing my job. (The verb in this sentence is 'worry.' 'Losing' is a gerund; it's a noun. I could replace 'losing' with the pronoun 'it': I worry about losing it. In the sentences, no one is losing their job in the moment. The person feels nervous about that idea or possibility.)
Here let's look at -ing as you normally recognize it, as a verb.
She is cooking tortilla soup for her family. (Verb: is cooking. Subject: is. In this sentence, someone is doing the action of cooking).
I can use the same word, 'cooking', but use it as a noun or gerund.
She's good at cooking. (Verb: is. Subject: she. She's good at it. (the activity of cooking, but in this sentence she is not cooking).
GAP
Gerund After Preposition
If you have a sentence that uses a preposition (at, in, of, for, with, about,..), and you're thinking about a word that is a verb, you must use it in the gerund form.
She's proud of learning English. (Not, She's proud of learn English. Not, She's proud of to learn English. No, She's proud of learns English.)
Once you memorize, Gerund After Preposition, it will make life much easier for you. This is a good rule that you can follow a good 90% of the time! That's pretty solid for a language like English.
Practice:
If you look at the examples at the beginning of this lesson, you'll see sentences that don't use gerunds after prepositions, just regular nouns. Those sentences are still correct. There's no problem saying, "He worries about money." You could also say, "He worries about making enough money."
She's proud of learning English. (Not, She's proud of learn English. Not, She's proud of to learn English. No, She's proud of learns English.)
Once you memorize, Gerund After Preposition, it will make life much easier for you. This is a good rule that you can follow a good 90% of the time! That's pretty solid for a language like English.
Practice:
- She's tired of ___________________________________ to school. (go)
- He's good at _________________________________friends fast. (make)
- We're responsible for __________________________________ our bills. (pay)
- I'm looking forward to __________________________________ on vacation. (go)
- They're guilty of ______________________________________ too much. (complain)
- He dreams about ______________________________________ his own business. (have)
- I forgot about __________________________________________ you back. (call)
- They are interested in _________________________________ a new home. (buy)
- She's been successful at ______________________________ a lot of money. (make)
- They're angry at _____________________________________ such high taxes. (pay)
If you look at the examples at the beginning of this lesson, you'll see sentences that don't use gerunds after prepositions, just regular nouns. Those sentences are still correct. There's no problem saying, "He worries about money." You could also say, "He worries about making enough money."