Chapter 13 Prepositions Chapter 13

Prepositions

Find as many prepositions as possible in the following passage

During World War II, life in England was filled with hardships and

sorrow because Hitler’s Nazi air force was bombing London

repeatedly. The people of the country had to pull together and help one

another in countless ways so that normal daily life could continue as

much as possible. England’s Royal Air Force was heroic in the way

the few pilots continued to meet and fight against the tremendous

number of Nazi airplanes. The citizens on the ground worked bravely

and with determination to rescue the wounded, put out the fires, and

dig out the buried. Men, women and children felt the effects but stood

firm, willing to resist until the last Englishman died if necessary.

The hardships of London really started in the first week of September, when Hitler was at last convinced that the English did not intend to give in. On September 7, 1940, nearly four hundred German bombers hammered the city with bombs in broad daylight. Marshal Goering boasted, “This is the historic hour when our air force for the first time delivered its bombs right into the enemy’s heart.”

   

The list of ills attributable to obesity keeps growing.

• Fat people are said to be running their health with their bad habits. They are considered repulsive

They attributed their success to their teacher’s enco

uragement. 他们把成功归因于老师的鼓励。

1,150 deaths a year can be attributed to drunk drivin

g. 每年有 1,150人死于酒后驾驶。  

(to)say that a situation or event is caused by sth.

We attribute our success to being in the right place at the right time.

FOR EXAMPLE:

Now you try:

attribute vt. 

我们把成功归因于天时地利。

专家把今冬频繁的沙尘暴归因于水土流失和过度专家把今冬频繁的沙尘暴归因于水土流失和过度伐木伐木。。

Experts attributed the Experts attributed the frequent sandstorms frequent sandstorms this winter to erosion this winter to erosion and deforestation.and deforestation.

1.Exercises:fill in the blank with an appropriate preposition • 2.

Translation from English to Chinese with much attention to the uses of prepositions.

• 3. Some special points need much attention.

• 4. Thanks for your cooperation

1. Each month he puts some money _______ and saves up for an apartment.

2. Albert is sure to beat his enemy Max: ____ one thing, he is calm, and _____ another he is more intelligent.

Fill in each of the blanks in the following sentences with a suitable preposition or adverb.

Exercises

asideaside

forfor

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forfor

3. The whole composition is good _______ for some careless mistakes.

exceptexcept

4. The secretary raised the devil _____ the manager who fired her for nothing but refusing to accept his invitation to dinner.

5. ____ the sudden knocking at the door, he

made a swift movement _________ the

window and jumped out of it. 6. ______ a commanding gesture, the terroris

t odered the passengers to lie down on the plane floor. 

Exercises

withwith

WithWith

AtAt

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towardstowards

7. The secret agent entered the room, closed th

e door ________ him, and switched _______

_ the light.

8. They were in a very bad mood as they

read _________ the death of their

favorite football star in a car accident in

today’s newspaper.

Exercises

behindbehind

about/ofabout/of

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on/offon/off

9. He died __ mysterious situations and the police are

looking into it.

10. He looked like a farmer, but he was reall

y a policeman __ disguise.

Exercises

inin

inin

11. Walkman is quite popular among young people. __

_ one thing, it’s convenient and inexpensive; ___

another it brings them much pleasureForFor

ForFor

1. Everyone in the class is expected to participate____these discussions.

Attention to the difference between preposition and adverbAttention to the difference between preposition and adverbAttention to the difference between preposition and adverbAttention to the difference between preposition and adverb

inin

2. It’s a long trip; we’ll have to start___early and start back for home in the afternoon.

off/outoff/out

Fill in each of the blanks in the following sentences with a suitable preposition or adverb.

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3. He is home____leave from the Navy.

onon

4. She grew____in Tokyo; that’s why she speaks excellent Japanese.

upup

5. Will you see____it that this letter gets posted today?

toto

V. V. Exercises--VocabularyExercises--Vocabulary

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6. I was in a nightclub in New York, when a fire broke____.

outout

7. It has been hard to adjust____the idea of being a junior clerk but now I’m getting satisfaction from work.

toto

8. No one would willingly subject himself ____such treatment.

toto

V. V. Exercises--VocabularyExercises--Vocabulary

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BackBack

1.1. Scotland has given rise to many famous Scotland has given rise to many famous people, notable in the arts, literature, the people, notable in the arts, literature, the sciences and as inventors, philosophers, sciences and as inventors, philosophers, architects and so on.architects and so on.

2.2. Besides those who were doubtful about his Besides those who were doubtful about his identity, there are still others who began to identity, there are still others who began to be suspicious of his wealth long ago.be suspicious of his wealth long ago.

Translation the following from English to Chinese, paying more attention to the prepositional phrases

3. 3. Before you leave the classroom, it’s necessary for you to check on whether all the windows and doors are closed.

4. When the seller refused to pay compensation for the customers, many people present raised the devil with him.

raise the devil / hell / the roof (with) 非常生气，大声抱怨 between the devil and the blue sea 进退维谷 like the devil 拼命地 go to the devil 堕落

5. At the very beginning I just wanted to pay 5. At the very beginning I just wanted to pay off some of the money I owed to others, off some of the money I owed to others, but by and by I became more and more but by and by I became more and more greedy. greedy.

6. He has never done this type of work 6. He has never done this type of work before; I am not sure how he will fit in before; I am not sure how he will fit in with it.with it.

7. The older New England villages have 7. The older New England villages have changed relatively little except for /besides changed relatively little except for /besides a gas station or two in recent decades.a gas station or two in recent decades.

8.There are those who hold that money is the root of happiness. There are others who believe that money is the source of all evil. But the truth is that money is nothing but a means to an end.

Translation: 9. I want to weep. In fact, I do

weep a little, standing there by the stove holding one of the instruments, so white, so precisely rolled, that could cause my daughter’s death. When she smoked Marlboros and Players I hardened myself against feeling so bad; nobody I knew ever smoked these brands.

Version: 我想哭。 事实上，站

在炉子旁边 , 我确实哭过。

我手里捏着一支雪白雪白的香

烟，制作得非常精致。那可是

会致我女儿于死地的东西啊。

当她抽“万宝路”及“运动

员”牌香烟时，我硬起心肠 ,

不让自己感到难过。我认识的

人当中没有哪个抽过这两种牌

子的香烟。

Translation

10

灾民们非常感激党和政府在他们危难之际给与的真诚关怀和帮助。

The victims of the disaster are grateful to the Party and government for their sincere care and help when they were in danger.

11.“Our sales picked u

p a bit in May,” the

manager of the mark

eting department sai

d, “but they took a tu

rn for the worse agai

n in June.”

“我们的销售五月份有了起色，” 市场部经理说，“可是在六月份又不行了。”

______________________________, he has to take up another job.

12 有这么一大家人需要养活，他不得不再干一份工作。

TranslationTranslation

With a gun in hand, the gangster threatened to kill the hostage if he was not paid.

With such a big family to support

13.歹徒手里拿着枪，扬言如果拿不到钱就杀掉人质。

• In the event of rain, the part will be held indoors.

• Candles will lit in the event of a blackout.

TranslationTranslation

14.要是下雨，球赛就延期。

In the event of rain, the game will be postponed.

a mix of good experiences and bad experiences

Life is full of ups and downs.

     人生充满了欢乐与痛苦。   He has seen the ups and downs in the history of

the relations between the two countries.

FOR EXAMPLE:

他经历了两国关系史上的阴晴圆缺。

ups and downs

Except ,Except for,Excepting• She is naked except for a Bikini suit.• The dress is ready except for the buttons.• The purse was empty except for some coppers. • Your composition is very good except for a few spelling mis

takes.• We come to school every day except Sunday. • I looked everywhere except in the bathroom.• Lionhead Hill has nothing to see except its old temples.• Lionhead Hill is not worth seeing except for its old temples.• Excepting(initiating the sentence) his son, they are all right.• Excepting Sundays the stores are open daily. • All my brothers are married, not excepting the youngest.• All my brothers come here every day, always excepting the

youngest.

Of a man of wealth(a wealthy man), a girl of wisdom• a lady of virtue=a virtuous lady• a woman of years=an old woman• The case is of great importance.(=very important)• Birds of a feather flock together.• The machines are of a kind. • He is a man of an unyielding spirit. • When three men are of one heart, earth can be changed into g

old.三人一条心， 黄土变成金。• The tool has proved of great assistance.• Much of the disaster is of man’s own making. (Man makes mu

ch of his own disasters).• The garden is of her own designing.

• The dictionary is of her compiling.• Life is a web of his own weaving.• These vegetables are of her own growing.• ——— 徐广联， 2003： 161-162

Above • Above all,

• above suspicion 无可怀疑 ,

• above praise 赞美不尽 ,

• above criticism 无可指责 ,

• above reproach 无可厚非 ,

• above price 价值连城 ,

• above one’s head (Above one’s understanding) 不可理解 ,

• above one’s income 入不敷出

By He was sitting by the door. • They came by the nearest road. 经由• She ought to be here by now. • We work by day and sleep by night.• He has two girls by his first wife. • The news came by telegram. 方式• He caught the thief by the coat. 抓• There is no enough light to read by. 凭• I met him by chance. 由于• Never judge a man by his looks. 根据• They sell the apples by the pound. 按…… .计算• He moved along inch by inch. • She is taller than you by a head. 以……之差• Do as you would be done by. 对待• He is a scholar by temperament. 就（气质，本性，职业）来说 

By

• North by east,

• 北偏东• South by west

• 南偏西

In

• The house was built in Spanish style.

• Deal with the case in a proper way.

• The book was written in Chinese.

• They talked in a low voice.

• Please bound the book in hardback, not in paperback.

• China is fruitful in natural resources.• This is an enterprise fruitless of profit.• I am almost persuaded of his honesty.• They dissuaded him from going. • He was sensible of your kindness.• Mars is never insensible to the glance of beauty.He is

insensible of shame. • I have no particular liking for chocolate.• They have taken a violent dislike to him. • He has a dislike for bananas.• He joined himself to the opposite party. • They disjoined the sick children from the hen. • He is guilty of murder. (He has committed a crime.)• He felt guilty about having done that.(feel sorry for )

To be done with/by • The room was lighted by electricity.*• The room was lighted by electricity.• The room was lighted with electric light.• The bear was killed by a hunter with a gun. • The bird was killed with a stone• The palace is surrounded with a moat.• The house was destroyed by fire.

( =Fire destroyed the house.)• The house was destroyed with fire.

(They destroyed the house with fire.)

With,attendant circumstance• They are running with their ears erect.(adj.)

(with+noun+complement)• She was lying in bed with the window open.• Don’t talk with your mouth open.• She followed her guide with her head down(adv.)• What a lonely world it will be with you away. • She looked in my face with tears streaming down her face.

(present participle)• He was listening to the music with her eyes half closed.(past

participle)• The dog slunk away with his tails between his legs. • The dog slunk away ,his tails between his legs. (absolute sentence)

Listen to, Listen in to, listen for

• Please listen carefully for the telephone bell while I’m upstairs.

• It is a mother who always listens for a baby’s cry.

• A man of character always listen to reason on all occasions.

• It is a matter of course that you should listen to the lecture of your teacher.

• You must listen to the suggestions of wisdom.

• When I called on him he was listening in on the radio.

• I like to listen in to symphonies and chamber music on the radio.

At the beginning/in the beginning• At the beginning of the term, our teacher addressed us in a

n eloquent speech. (time)

• The entrance examination for admission to Nanyang University will take place at the beginning of April.

• In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.(event)

• You will find it rather difficult in the beginning.

• At eh end(=at last), in the end(=finally)

• At the middle (=between beginning and end)

• In the middle(=in the midst)

• I have often been stopped in the middle of a speech.

• At the middle of July, the school breaks up.

At/in /on/around the corner• He saw an old man sitting in the corner of the room.

(He is in the room.)• There is a flower shop on the corner of that street.• A tall tree stands at the corner of the street. • The war was over and peace was just round the

corner. (refer to the time)• They said church is situated at the corner of A and B

street. • Pease put it over there in the corner of the room. • The placard is posted on the corner of the

department store.

Comparison • As the examination is at hand, we must study heart a

nd soul.• His proposal has no reference to the subject in hand .• We are now at peace with all nations of the world.• If you show kindness to them all, you will live in peac

e. • He is at work in the office just now. • The majority of the workers are still in work, but som

e of them have been out of work. • Father divided the cake among the children. • Father divided the cake with the children. (Father will share s

ome with the children.) • He has something in mind. 记得， 想到某事• He has something on his mind 为某事担忧， 犹如重物压在心头。 

Preposition+object • It is far from possible. (prep.+adj.)• There are three fine silken threads of six inches long. • John was a schoolboy of fourteen years old. • He is reported for missing. (prep.+PP.)• I considered the problem as settled.• From where shall we start and up to where shall we

go?(from abroad., from then, for long, by far)(prep.+adv.)

• Nothing remains but to die.(prep.+infinitive.)• He never did anything but read newspapers.from

under the table, from behind the curtain, • He differs from us in that he dislikes most games. • It will do except that it is too long. (prep.+clause)

There is no doing.• There is no disgrace in failing once. = It is no disgrace to fail once.• There is a bus coming. • There is a book and two pencils on the table. • There is no accounting for taste. • There is no denying the fact. • There is no knowing what may happen. • There is no trusting to appearances. • There is no doing. =It is impossible to do.

There to be

• It was too late for there to be any taxis.

• It is impossible for there to be any more.

• They say there is going to be a war.

• Would you like there to be a picture on the wall?

• I do not want there to be any misunderstanding between us.

There + present/past participle

• I never dreamt of there being a picture on the wall.

• There being nothing else to do, we went home.• I was wrong about there being some

misunderstanding between us. • There was born a child to them.• Here, there were found various relics of

Franklin’s expedition.