Meaning of to in English. The use of prepositions in English

All prepositions in English. Online pronunciation and use of from in English language.

• - -
• from, from

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The preposition from is used:

1 To indicate the initial moment of action in the value from, s:

I had to stay with my little sister every day from noon till 5 p.m. - I had to sit with my little sister from noon until 5 pm.

From the early morning to the darkness they worked on farm. - From early morning until dark they worked on the farm.

2 To indicate the direction of action (opposite in meaning to the preposition to). Answers the questions “Where? from whom?". In this case, from can be translated into Russian by various prepositions:

I got e-mail from my Spanish friend. - I received an email (letter) from my friend from Spain.

I took the magazine from the table. - I took the magazine from the table.

The team came back from their trip to the North. - The team has returned from their trip to the North. I took this disc from my relative. - I got this disc from my relative.

From can also be used in combination with other prepositions:

The one who gets more scores would be chosen from among our students to go to study to Germany. - The one with the most points will be selected from among our students to study in Germany.

The moon came out from behind the clouds. - The moon came out of (appeared from behind) the clouds.

She got her T-shirt from under the pile of clothes. - She pulled her T-shirt out from under the pile of laundry.

Verbs used with the preposition from:

• to buy from - buy from
  We bought some stocks from the broker.
  - We bought a few shares from a broker.
• to borrow from - borrow from
  Can I borrow some money from you?
  - Can I borrow some money from you?
• to differ from - differ from
  How does the new version of the program differ from the old one?
  - How is the new version of the program different from the old one?
• to judge from - judge by
  He judged so from my words.
  - He judges so by my words.
• to make from - make from
  This salad is made from tomatoes, cucumbers and some oil.
  - This salad is made with tomatoes, cucumbers and butter.
  But: The watch was made of gold. - The clock was made of gold.
• to prevent from - hinder, hinder
  Something prevented him from coming.
  Something prevented him from coming.
• to save from - save from
  It was hard to save the plants from drying.
  - It was difficult to save the plants from drying out.
• to translate from - translate from
  Are you able to translate the text from French to Russian and vice versa?
  - Can you translate the text from French into Russian and vice versa?

Expressions with from preposition:

• from day to day day by day, day by day
• from the bottom of one "s heart- from the depths of the soul
• from day to day - from day to day
• from now onward- in the future, henceforth
• from time to time - occasionally
• from the beginning - first
• from side to side from side to side
• from here on from this - time (place)
• from my point of view - from my point of view

One of the most important and at the same time difficult topics in English is the study of prepositions. It is not surprising that in foreign schools for the study of English, the topic - prepositions in english, ranks first in terms of the number of hours allocated for its study.

Even without a general knowledge of the topic of prepositions, it will be difficult for you to speak on the simplest everyday topic with native speakers. In order not to get confused in terms, remember that the concept - preposition in English means - a preposition. This is the topic we are going to study now.

So, let's begin!

Prepositions call service words that show the connection (relation) of nouns or pronouns with other words:

I need answer her at 10 o "clock - I need to answer her in 10 hours.

He began by beheading the king He started With king's beheading

they came from Dol Guldur- They came from Dol Guldur.

Prepositions are a part of speech have no independent function and are not part of the proposal. In Russian, in addition to prepositions, case endings are used, but as we know, English has practically no case endings.

In fact, the use of prepositions in English is the most important way of expressing the relationship of a noun to other words in a sentence.

Prepositions express:

1) Relationships in space:

On the wall- on the wall

In the garden in garden

2) space time:

In June- in July

At 10 o'clock - in 10 hours

3) Various abstract meanings: causes, goals, etc.:

They prayed fo r her life- They prayed per her life.

Types of prepositions

Prepositions can be classified:

1) according to the form of education on:

a) Simple

Simple prepositions in English consist of only one root:

at, in, for, on, with

b) Derivatives

Prepositions that contain suffixes and prefixes

across, below, behind, along

c) Complex

These are prepositions that have several roots.

inside, without, outside, within

d) Composite

Such prepositions consist of several words.

Because of, in accordance with, in front of

2) depending on their meaning for prepositions:

· Locations ( Place) - in, on, below, under, near, in front of

· Directions(Direction) – to, from, out of, into, in

· time(time) - after, before, at

· abstract relations(abstract relations) - by, with, because of, with a view to

In English, there is a category of prepositions that perform only a grammatical function, i.e. in combination with a noun or pronoun, they convey relations (It is new roof of our house is a new roof ( what?) of our house). In Russian, such an attitude is conveyed by indirect cases without prepositions.

Remember!! the use of prepositions in English in this sense means that they lose their lexical meaning and, accordingly, are not translated into Russian in separate words.

Here are the suggestions:

Genitive case (of whom? What?) - of

1) The preposition of, showing the belonging of an object or person to something. Represents a relationship between two nouns. In this sense, the combination of the preposition of with a noun or pronoun is equivalent to the genitive case in Russian:

the door of the car was broken Door ( what?) car was broken

Our name will be written at the first pages of the books- Our names will be inscribed on the first pages ( what?) books

Dative case (to whom? What?) - to

2) The preposition to before the noun and conveying the relation, in which the object (person) to whom the action is directed is designated. In Russian, this relation is expressed in the dative case (to whom? To what?)

She explained our plan to the manager- She explained our plan to whom?) manager

He showed the note to Jane- He showed a note to whom?) Jane.

Instrumental case - by whom? how? - with

3) The preposition by, if it is after the verb in the form of a passive voice before a noun, which denotes a person and an object. The preposition by in this case is equivalent to the relation, which in Russian is denoted by the instrumental case

The room was cleaned by maid- The room has been cleaned by whom?) maid

Instrumental case (by whom? by what?) - with

4) The preposition with, being in front of the entity, which denotes the object or instrument of action with which the action is performed. In this sense, the preposition with is equivalent to a Russian noun or pronoun in the instrumental case:

His wound was treated with hydrogen peroxide- The wound was treated how?) hydrogen peroxide.

• Most prepositions may have more than one, and multiple values(The meanings of each of the prepositions will be discussed in more detail in the relevant sections). For example, the preposition at - can mean:

1) a place with a value of y, about

I saw your bag at window- I saw your bag at window

2) time with value in, when specifying the moment of time

The meeting will be at 9 o'clock - The meeting will take place at 9 a.m.

• In English, in many cases, the choice of preposition depends only on the word(verb, noun, adjective), which preceded the proposal.

For example, the verb to laugh (to laugh). After it, the preposition at is needed:

Our enemies will be laugh at us- Our enemies will laugh at us

• In some cases, one specific verb can have a different meaning if different prepositions are used:

Sara is looking at her cat- Sarah look at your cat

Sara is looking for her cat- Sarah looking for your cat

Saar is looking after her cat- Sarah takes care of to your cat

• Prepositions are also used in stable combinations: after all - in the end, at all - in general, to the end - to the end

• There is no 100% correspondence between Russian and English prepositions. This means that one English preposition can be translated into Russian by various Russian prepositions:

She will be here in two minutes - she will be here through two minutes

We've been living in USA since 2013 – we live in USA since 2013

Our company will make new branches in 1 year- our company will build new branches per 1 year.

I got a lot of tips for growing my business in one month - i learned a lot of tips for growing my business in one month

• On the other hand, one Russian preposition can correspond to different prepositions in English:

I could not pick up the box because something was heavy on it- I couldn't lift the box because on the she had something hard

Hey! Why are looking at me? - Hey! Why are you look at me

I really want to go to trip- I really want to go in travel

The great battles were in the south- On the there were great battles in the south

• There are cases when an English verb is used exclusively with a preposition, although the same verb in Russian does not require a preposition after itself:

Can you wait for me 5 minutes can you wait for me 5 minutes?

Listen to us - listen to us

• In English there are verbs that do not require a preposition, while in Russian a preposition is required after the corresponding verb:

We entered the White House we entered in White House

James followed us James followed per us

He did not answer all questions he did not answer either on the one question

These rules of prepositions in English are the most common and learning them will allow you to speak confidently with foreigners.

Place of a preposition in a sentence

1) A preposition always comes before a noun or pronoun (there are exceptions, which we will consider later). Accordingly, if the noun has an object, then the preposition is placed before this object:

I am looking at my cat- I look on the my cat

I am looking at my fat cat I look on the my fat cat

But the exception mentioned above: the preposition is placed at the end of the sentence - after the verb, or if there is an addition - after the addition in the following cases:

1) In the so-called indirect and direct questions. In such questions, the preposition refers to the pronouns which, who, what, whom, or the adverb where. But also a preposition, can stand before a question word:

What did you look for when selecting a girlfriend? - what do you look for (what do you pay attention to) when choosing a girlfriend?

Who did Monica speak to? - Who was Monica talking to?

2) In subordinate attributive sentences. In such sentences, the preposition refers to relative pronoun. However, a preposition can also be placed before a relative pronoun:

The flat which she lives in is very small (The flat in which she lives is very small) Flat, in where she lives, very small

3) In passive turns (passive). In such turns, the subject corresponds to the prepositional indirect object of the parallel real turn:

The police was sent for - Per police sent

4) In infinitive turns:

i don't have photo camera to photograph with - I don't have a camera that I can take pictures with

So the theory ended there. As you can see, the correct use of prepositions in English requires knowledge of not only the rules, but also vocabulary replenishment. After all, prepositions are used in stable phrases that just need to be learned. This can take a long time, but the use of prepositions in English is the most important topic which will help you to achieve the result.

In what cases is it necessary to setto before verbs in English? The question is rather sensitive, but you can figure it out. I remember the rule from school"there must always be to between two verbs". Over time, it turned out that this formula is not so universal, and there are some exceptions. But first things first…

When to put to before verbs in English?

To begin with, it is important to learn to distinguish between a preposition to and particle to. As a suggestion to used to express the direction of a movement. That is why very often to as a preposition used after verbs of motion.

For example:

I went to Europe last summer. - I went last summer in Europe.

As for the particle to, it usually just shows that the verb is not in any tense. Pay attention to the following suggestions.

Linda wants TO SELL her house. Linda wants to SELL her house.

We don't understand what TO DO. We don't know what to DO.

They decided TO WRITE one more letter. They decided to WRITE another letter.

It turns out that the universal rule for using a particle to before verbs in English sounds like this: “use the particle to if the verb is not in any tense or person, but simply answers the question “what to do / do?”. You can just remember here that the Russian ending "-t" becomes a particle in English "to".

When not to put to before verbs in English?

According to the rule, you can not use to before modal verbs in english. It's about c an, may, must, should, need. These words do not express action, but the ability of a person to do something, probability, advice, obligation.

Examples:

Everyone must be careful at work. Everyone should be careful at work.

The children may come back at noon. The children may return at noon.

You shouldn't say anything. “You shouldn't say anything.

Also, you do not need to use the to particle after verbs such as make and let.

Examples:

Let me do this myself. “Let me do it myself.

Prepositions to at fromoften used to transmit coordinate data: your location; location of relatives or colleagues; correctly set the direction; find out where something is, etc. There can be many reasons. And therefore, the group of these prepositions is closely related to each other, because. in such situations it is used constantly. It is important to understand correctly where (to) or from where (from) we are going, or where we are (at).

The preposition to is like a preposition of direction.

Used to indicate direction. It translates as "to, to, to." In Russian, it can be compared with the questions "Where?" or "To whom?":

• She walked to Oleg's house - She went to Oleg's house.
• Can you come to our party? – Can I come to your party?
• I often return to my old home town - I often return to my old home town.
• Kathy brought her daughter to work with her yesterday - Kathy brought her daughter to work yesterday.
• Did they come to me because they need help? Did they come to me because they need help?

The preposition at, like a preposition in place.

Used to indicate a place or indicate an object that is near something. Approximately translated as "in, on". In Russian, it can be combined with adverbs “at, near, about” or combined with the question “Where?”:

• Linda works at the post office - Linda works at the post office.
• We've arrived at the station half an hour late - We arrived at the station half an hour late.
• We landed at Athens airport at 5 o'clock in the morning - We landed at Athens airport at 5 o'clock in the morning.
• He waited for you at Alex's car - He is waiting for you near Sasha's car.
• I am at work now. Call me later - I'm at work now. Call me back later.

The preposition from, as a preposition of direction.

Used to indicate direction. It can be translated as "from, from". In Russian, it can also be compared with the questions “From where?” or "From whom?":

• We walked from Central Park - We came from Central Park.
• I caught the train and walked from the station - I caught the train and walked away from the station.
• You arrived from London - You came from London.
• I left from you because you was very nervous - I left you because you were very nervous.
• I remember it from that movie - I remembered this from that movie.

Of course, no one forbade making sentences more complex and inserting a couple of different prepositions into one sentence would be normal:

• They were tired when they arrived and they caught a taxi from the airport to the hotel - They were tired when they arrived and they caught a taxi from the airport to the hotel.
• I landed at Istanbul airport and caught the train from Istanbul to Ankara – I landed at Istanbul airport and caught the train from Istanbul to Ankara.
• He traveled all night from Paris and arrived at the office here in London at 6.30 in the morning - He traveled all night from Paris and arrived here at the office in London at 6.30 in the morning.

As you can see, the difference between these prepositions is very obvious, and confusing them can make the wrong mess. Much, of course, depends on the context, but if you can’t find the right pretext, then use the same questions that are listed above.

Incorrect use of the word to immediately betrays a foreigner in a person. After all, Russian speakers who are just starting to comprehend the intricacies of the English language, very often skip this particular part of speech or insert it where it does not belong. In many ways, we are confused due to the fact that to in English is also a preposition, which means direction (in Russian “to”), and a particle (infinitive) placed before the initial form of the verb.

How to define the infinitive?

In Russian, the infinitive is considered to be a verb in the initial form with the ending TH: to live, write, watch. In English, the ending of the verb in the indefinite form does not change - only the particle to is used before it. Therefore, if the to particle comes before the verb, it is safe to say that it has an indefinite form: to eat, to dance, to read.

I want to make a few purchases today. I want (what to do?) to do some shopping today.

I haven't managed to execute all the tasks. I did not have time (what to do?) to complete all the tasks.

I am going to visit a cat exhibition. I'm going (what to do?) to visit a cat show.

It is worth noting that the particle to is not always necessary to use before the infinitive, since there is such a thing as a “bare infinitive”. It is used after auxiliary and modal verbs, after let and make, and if in a sentence 2 verbs are combined with the preposition and/or, as well as in some other cases. Below is a list of common situations when the particle to is used before the verb:

A specific purpose is expressed by means of a verb with an infinitive.

He came back to pack his suitcase in time for tomorrow - He returned to have time to pack his suitcase for tomorrow.

The infinitive is preceded by the adverbs too or enough.

My brother is too lazy to take away his toys - My brother is too lazy to take away his toys.

The infinitive stands next to the phrases would like, would prefer or would love.

I would like to go on a trip around the world - I would like to go on a trip around the world.

In a sentence where the word only is present, which expresses dissatisfaction with a particular event or result.

He flew to France on a business trip, only to sign a contract with these thick investors - He flew to France on a business trip, only to sign a contract with these stupid investors.

After something, anyone, somewhere and nothing.

He has something to say about his friend - He has something to say about his friend.

The sentence contains the phrases: be the first (the second, etc.), be the next, be the last and be the best.

Am I the last to know where we will go on vacation? - I'll be the last to know where we go on vacation?

To simplify your task, just remember the 4 main rules for using the particle to:

1. It is used before verbs in the initial form.
2. There are exceptions where the to particle is not used.
3. The particle to and the preposition to are two different words. The former is used with verbs and the latter with nouns.
4. To find out whether it is necessary to use the to particle or not, it is enough to ask the question “what to do?”, “what to do?”. If the questions are appropriate, then the particle is needed. for example: Read this book. (What do you do?) Read this book. I want to read this book. I want (what to do?) to read this book.