Prepositions Linguistics 140 Winter, 2014 Dr. Jan FrodesenPrepositions Introduction • As you read, prepositions are notoriously difficult for English learners at all levels. • One reason: As summarized and exemplified in the Grammar Book chapter introduction, even spatial prepositions do not match up well cross-linguistically: English to = German zu English at = German an/in/bei BUT:John is at home. = John ist zu Hause. • Also, many languages do not have any prepositions for spatial relations expressed through prepositions in English • Variation leads to confusion (Why are both going out for/to lunch possible?)Prepositions Using the wrong preposition can be dangerous!Prepositions Basic characteristics of prepositions • Prepositional phrases can make nouns adverbial He gets off work at night. • Prepositional phrases can create noun modifiers the mayor of Philadelphia • Prepositional phrases can follow verbs She works in New York City. • Prepositional phrases can follow adjectives She is good at math. • Some prepositions are multiword expressions (compound prepositions): on account of, because of, out of, on top of, in front ofPrepositions Co-occurrence with verbs, adjectives, and nouns (collocations) • verb + preposition to rely on, to detract from, to consist of, to substitute for, to part with • adjective + preposition to be dependent on, to be free from/of, to be afraid of, to be sorry for, to be content withPrepositions Deletion of prepositions (CP 126, TGB 404) • Time phrases containing a determiner used deictically (as seen from the perspective of the speaker): last, next, this We left early for the coast (*on) last Sunday. He will see you later (*in) this afternoon. Head nouns containing before, after, next, last, or this as part of its meaning: yesterday, tomorrow, today, tonight I will be busy (*on) tonight. • Noun phrases containing universal quantifiers (all, every): We toured the wine country (*for) all week. • When locative nouns (e.g. home, downtown) or pro-adverbs like here/there are combined with motion/direction verbs We went (*to) home after the wedding. I walks (*to) here in the mornings before work.Prepositions The meaning of prepositions can be very complicated. For example, consider the following meanings of at Hudson (1979) identified: 1) Locating objects in space: The paper is lying at my feet. 2) Locating objects in time: He was here at 10 pm. 3) Indicating a state, condition, or engagement in a particular activity: I’m not at ease in a rollercoaster. 4) Indicating a cause or a source of an action or state She wept at the bad news. 5) Indicating direction toward a goal or objective The child pointed at the clown. 6) Expressing skill: She’s a whiz at poker. 7) Indicating relative amounts, degree, rates, values, ordinal relationships, or positions: He retired at 65.Prepositions Core Meanings: Space at point or intersect: at the front door general area: at the UCEN, at UCSB address: at 1820 Anapamu by nearness: by South Hall in enclosure: in South Hall cities, states, countries: in Paris, in Utah, in Mexico on contact: on the floor with street names: on State Street to direction: go to the UCENPrepositions Core Meanings: Time at with hours and increments: at 4 p.m. by no later than: meet by noon for duration: for 100 years in with a period of time or year: in the morning, in 2008 on with days and dates: on Friday, on May 20, 2008 until up to: study until midnightPrepositions Semantics of case (just in case you are interested– you don’t need to know this!)) • In addition to expressing spatial relationships (and their extended meanings), prepositions can be used to show how parts of the sentence are related 1) by (agentive): It was composed by Chopin. 2) by (means): We went there by bus. 3) for (benefactive): I bought a gift for Mary. 4) for (proxy): He manages the store for the Bakers. 5) from (ablative, source): She bought the car from Dave. 6) of (eliciting): He asked a favor of us. 7) of (separation): He cleared the field of trash. 8) of (genitive): The hood of the car was dented. 9) to (dative): I gave the hat to my best friend. 10) to (direction, goal): We drove to Charlotte. 11) with (instrument): He broke the window with a rock. 12) with (comitative): I went to town with Jack. 13) with (joining): The storm covered the car with snow.Prepositions Teaching English prepositions • Typically, for beginning and low intermediate levels, instruction focuses on the place and time prepositions along with some common idiomatic usages • For more advanced learners, prepositions may involve: • collocations (e.g., which adjectives and verbs co-occur with which prepositions: agreeable to, skilled at, agree with, prevent from ) • the grammar of phrases following preposition, especially compound ones that express logical connections and are followed by long (e.g., because of the need to graduate next year, in light of the increasing gas prices…)Phrasal verbs Introduction • How would you describe the grammatical role of up in the following sentences? She walked up the street to get a bite to eat. I live up in Springfield. When are you going to clean up your room? I am sorry I messed that up.Phrasal verbs Prepositions vs. phrasal verbs She walked up the street to get a bite to eat. I live up in Springfield.  prepositions When are you going to clean up your room? I am sorry I messed that up.  particles (verb + particle [adverb] = phrasal verb)Phrasal verbs Learner problems with phrasal verbs • English stands out in its reliance on phrasal verbs; learners often use one-word verbs where a phrasal verb would be more idiomatic: I arose early this morning. I got up early this morning. • The meanings of phrasal verbs are not always compositional: Jackie gave up smoking. Don’t hold up traffic! • The position of the particle is not always the same: Turn out the lights. Turn the lights out. Turn them out. *Turn out them.Phrasal verbs Syntactic features of phrasal verbs • Intransitive phrasal verbs (no object) My car broke down. He really took off quickly. • Transitive phrasal