mardi 16 septembre 2014

Top Tips Grammar: Noun + preposition

Main points

*‘Of’ can be used to add many different types of information, ‘with’ is used to specify a quality or possession.
*Some nouns are always followed by particular prepositions.

 

a) You can give more information about a noun by adding a prepositional phrase after it.

- Four men on holiday were in the car.
- Sound behind him made him turn.

 

b) You often use the preposition ‘of’ after a noun to add various kinds of information. For example, you use ‘of’ to indicate:

*what something is made of or consist of

- ... a wall of stone.
- A feeling of panic was rising in him.


*what the subject matter of speech, writing, or a picture is

- She gave a brief account of her interview.
- There was a picture of them both in the paper.


*what a person or thing belongs to or is connected with

- She gave the daughter of the village priest.
- The boys sat on the floor of the living room.


*what qualities a person or thing has.

- She was a woman of energy and ambition.
- They faced problems of great complexity.

 

c) After nouns referring to actions, you use ‘of’ to indicate the subject or object of the action.

- ... the arrival of the police.
- ... the destruction of their city.

After nouns referring to people who perform an action, you use ‘of’ to say what the action involves or is aimed at.

- ... supporters of the hunger strike.
- ... a student of English.

Note that you often use two nouns, rather than a noun and a prepositional phrase. For example, you say ‘bank robbers’, not ‘robber of the bank’.

 

d) After nouns referring to measurement, you use ‘of’ to give the exact figure.

- ... an average annual temperature of 20 degrees.
- ... a speed of 25 kilometres an hour.

You can use ‘of’ after a noun to give someone’s age.

- Jonathan was a child of seven when it happened.


e) You use ‘with’ after a noun to say that a person or thing has a particular quality, feature, or possession.

- ... a girl with red hair.
- ... the man with the gun.

Note that you use ‘in’ after a noun to say what someone is wearing.

- ... a grey-haired man in a raincoat.
- ... the man in dark glasses.

 

f) Some nouns are usually followed by a particular preposition. Here are some examples of:

*nouns followed by ‘to’

alternative attitude reaction return
answer introduction reference  
approach invitation resistance  

- This was my first real introduction to Africa.


*nouns followed by ‘for’

admiration need responsibility taste
desire reason search thirst
dislike respect substitute  

- Their need for money is growing fast.


*nouns followed by ‘on’

agreement comment tax
attack effect  

- She had a dreadful effect on me.


*nouns followed by ‘with’ or ‘between’

connection contact link relationship

- His illness had some connection with his diet.

 

*nouns followed by ‘in’

decrease fall rise
difficulty increase  

- They demanded a large increase in wages.

 

 

 

 

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Top Tips Abz Ingles: Part A    -    Part B
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See also:

Words related to Failure to Cooperate Irregular Verbs list
Common Phrasal Verbs Common Slangs
Common misspellings Regular vs Irregular Verbs
Common Errors Frequently confused words
Common Slangs Lista de Términos Gramaticales
Common Clichés Common Prepositions

 

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