English Prepositions Explained: Revised Edition

English Prepositions Explained......Page 2
Title page......Page 4
LCC data......Page 5
Dedication......Page 6
Table of contents......Page 8
Acknowledgements......Page 10
Preface to the second edition......Page 12
Symbols, abbreviations and features of format......Page 14
2. Why not just consult a grammar handbook or dictionary?......Page 16
3. Prepositions covered in this book......Page 17
4. Prepositions not focused on......Page 18
6. Prepositions in whose minds?......Page 19
7. Collocations, strong collocations, fixed expressions......Page 20
8.1. The basics......Page 21
8.4 Locating events in time......Page 22
8.7 Grammatical subjects and landmarks in questions......Page 23
8.9 Omission of lexical landmarks......Page 24
9. Meaning and form......Page 25
10. Meaning, sense and usage......Page 26
11. Literal, spatial meanings and abstract, figurative usages......Page 27
12. Geometry, function and role......Page 28
13. The icons as aids to understanding......Page 29
14. Classifying prepositions......Page 30
15. Prototypical (~ ‘primary’ or ‘most representative’) meanings and secondary (~ ‘extended’) meanings......Page 35
16. Phrasal verbs (~ multi-word verbs)......Page 36
17. Ordinary, idiomatic phrasal verbs vs perfective phrasal verbs......Page 37
18. Prepositions, directional adverbs and particles......Page 38
19. Prepositions and the guessability of idioms......Page 41
20. The roles of functionality and metonymy......Page 42
21. Major non-spatial notions......Page 43
2.1 The meaning of toward(s)......Page 44
3.2 To ~ ’toward’......Page 45
4.1.2 The difference in the scale of mental images for In/into and to......Page 46
4.2 In vs into......Page 47
4.3 Metaphorical usages of in & into......Page 48
5. Inward(s)......Page 49
6.2 Metaphorical through......Page 50
6.3 Metaphorical through ~ ‘because of’, ‘by means of’, ‘owing to the action of’......Page 51
7.1 The of in out of......Page 52
7.2.3 Out: Straightforward metaphorical usages of the basic meaning......Page 53
7.3.2 Out ~ ‘From the beginning to the end’......Page 54
7.4.1 Leaving a house: The possible vantage points......Page 55
7.4.2 Person B’s viewpoint: Out & ex- ~ ‘not here/there’, ‘gone’......Page 56
8. Outward(s) = ‘away from the center’......Page 57
9.1.2 From and other prepositions of ‘separation’: Out, off, off from......Page 58
9.1.3 Literal from vs of......Page 59
9.2.2 More on from vs of......Page 60
9.2.4 From & to: Different from/to & similar expressions......Page 61
9.3.2 A stylistic difference between off and from......Page 62
10.3.1 Away for metaphorical taking and removing......Page 63
10.3.3 Away for acting freely, again and again......Page 64
11. Time......Page 65
2.1 The basic spatial meaning of on1......Page 66
2.3.1 Supportive contact blends into non-supportive contact......Page 67
3. On2: ‘in the direction being faced’ &/or ‘in the same direction as before’......Page 68
4. Onto: ‘forceful contact’......Page 69
5.1 Off as a preposition of path......Page 70
6. On top (of)......Page 71
7. On the right/left (hand)(side) (of) vs to the right/left (hand)(side)(of)......Page 73
8.2 On2 vs out......Page 74
9.1.1 On1 with topic Landmarks vs about, around, concerning......Page 75
9.1.2 The burden metaphor: on1, under, upon, off......Page 76
9.1.3 On1: Forceful contact from above......Page 77
9.1.4 On1: Contact from any direction, including very forceful contact......Page 78
9.1.6 The basis metaphor: On1 & do X ‘on the back of’ Y......Page 79
9.2.1 On1 (vs off): Accessibility, availability, existence, currency......Page 80
9.2.2 Not on & off ~ ‘not good enough’......Page 81
9.2.5 On fire/watch/guard/duty/patrol…& on the run, on the go…......Page 82
11.1 A probably illusory, figurative blend of on1 & on2......Page 83
12.1 On1 vs at & in......Page 84
12.2 On2 & onto......Page 85
12.4 Ahead (of)......Page 86
2.1 In, on, within, inside, out (of): Representative applications......Page 87
2.3 Being ‘in’ without really being geometrically ‘in’......Page 88
3.1 In, inside, within......Page 90
3.2 Inside & within vs outside & without......Page 91
5.1.1 Long spans of time: In......Page 92
5.3 During vs in, at & on......Page 93
5.5 Inside & within......Page 94
5.6 In doing (~ ‘while doing’) vs on doing (~ ‘when doing’)......Page 95
2.1 Beside vs along, alongside......Page 96
2.2.1 Place or endpoint of a path......Page 98
2.3 Alongside vs beside & along......Page 99
3.2 Along with ~ ‘in addition to’; vs together with & with......Page 100
3.5 Beside yourself with anger......Page 101
5. Right/left – to the right/left (of), etc.......Page 102
6. Time......Page 103
2.1 Between as a preposition of place & in Between......Page 104
2.3 Between as a preposition of path vs in Between......Page 105
2.4 Between for dividing and sharing......Page 106
2.6 The difference between/among; There’s nothing in it!......Page 107
3. Literal and metaphorical usages of among(st) ~ ‘in a group or crowd’......Page 108
5. Amid(st) vs among(st) & in the midst of, in the middle (of)......Page 109
6. Inter-......Page 110
7. Time......Page 111
2. Across (from) vs opposite (from)......Page 112
2.1 Across & opposite: More about flexibility of application......Page 114
4. at the other/at the opposite end (of) vs on the other side (of)......Page 115
5.2 Beyond: Metaphorical usages......Page 116
6. Time......Page 117
2.1 Behind, in back (of) vs on the other side (of)......Page 118
2.2 Behind: Faces, fronts, and points of view......Page 119
2.3 Behind: Metaphorical usages......Page 120
4.2 In front (of) for spatial location vs before/prior (to) (& after) for chronological sequence......Page 121
4.4 Before for location......Page 122
6. Time......Page 123
2.1 Above (~ ‘situated directly up & separated from’) & over......Page 124
3.1.1 More about basic spatial meanings......Page 126
3.1.2 More about spatial usages of over vs above & on......Page 127
3.1.3 Summary of the basic spatial applications of over & above......Page 128
3.2.1 Over for paths of virtual (or ‘fictive’) motion......Page 129
3.2.3 Fall ‘over’......Page 130
4. Above & over: Additional metaphorical usages......Page 131
4.1.4 above for location in written texts......Page 132
4.2.2 Over’ metaphorical obstacles......Page 133
4.2.6 Over ~ ‘finished’......Page 134
4.2.8 over in statements of preference......Page 135
4.2.11 Over ~ ‘remaining’......Page 136
4.2.12 Look over vs overlook......Page 137
5.1 Across: Basic literal usages......Page 138
5.2 Across vs over......Page 139
5.4.2 Come across x ~’encounter by chance’......Page 140
6.1.1 Basic meanings, typical physical Landmarks......Page 141
6.2.1 Situations viewed as spaces in time......Page 142
7. Via......Page 143
8.2.1 over & throughout......Page 144
8.2.2 During vs throughout & in......Page 145
8.2.5 Across vs over & through......Page 146
2.1 Go around vs go by/go past......Page 148
2.3 Water flowing around a stone in a stream......Page 149
2.6 Around ~ ‘in all directions’......Page 150
2.7 Around for aimless movement vs about......Page 151
3. Around as a preposition of place......Page 152
3.2 (All) around ~ ‘randomly scattered’ vs all over & all across......Page 153
3.4 Around ~ ‘concerning in a general sort of way’......Page 154
4.1 About’s spatial meaning; about vs (a)round......Page 155
4.2.3 Speak to a topic......Page 156
6.2 Past ~ ‘to and after’, ‘after’......Page 157
6.6 By ~ ‘not after’......Page 158
1. Overview......Page 159
2.2 By ~ ‘past’......Page 160
2.4.1 By vs past as prepositions of path referring to ‘border’ 
and to ‘opening’ Landmarks......Page 161
2.4.2 By & past as prepositions of place: By ~ ‘near’ vs past ~ ‘beyond, 
on the other side of’......Page 162
3.2 By for ‘means’ & ‘manner’ vs in, on, with......Page 163
3.3 By for rate & amount of change......Page 164
4.2 Near vs near to......Page 165
5. Close to ~ ‘rather or very near’......Page 166
6.1 Next & next to vs near, close to......Page 167
6.2 next to vs beside......Page 168
8.1 Near, around, about, round, close to, roundabout, close to ~ ‘approximately’......Page 169
8.2 Next to......Page 170
1. Overview......Page 171
2.1 Under & below: Basic spatial meanings......Page 172
2.2 Underneath and its kin......Page 173
2.3 Beneath and its kin......Page 174
3. At/On the bottom (of)......Page 176
4.2 Under ~ ‘(more) thoroughly in’, vs in......Page 177
5.1 under: And the metaphor down is bad, vs below......Page 178
5.4 To be under something is to be hidden from view......Page 179
6. Metaphorical usages of below......Page 180
7. Time......Page 181
2.1 Back ~ ‘in the opposite direction to the direction the Subject is facing’......Page 182
2.2 Back ~ ‘to or toward the place the Subject was before’......Page 183
3.1 Backward(s): Basic meaning & back, forward......Page 184
4.2 Back ~ ‘to a later time’......Page 186
4.3 Travel forward/ahead in time......Page 187
2.1 At for zooming out; at for intersections & junctions vs on1......Page 188
2.2 At for points on a route – way stations, ports of call, pause points, 
end points......Page 189
2.4 At for contact with (or extreme nearness to) edges, ends & extremities 
in general & near, by, close to, on1......Page 190
2.6 At with hotels, restaurants, etc.......Page 191
3.1 At as an expression of ‘typical activity-related connection’......Page 192
3.2 At as an indicator of ‘focal point’......Page 193
3.3 At for indicating that the Landmark is a target vs to for indicating it is a recipient......Page 194
4.2 Emotion expressions such as: Be delighted at/by, delight in......Page 196
6. Time......Page 197
2.1 Firm or forceful contact’......Page 198
2.2 Against vs near & by: ‘contact’ vs ‘proximity’......Page 199
2.3.3 The vividness of against......Page 200
2.5 Against vs into......Page 201
3.4 Against the background of…......Page 202
4. Time......Page 203
2.2 Up & down: Senses that depend on perspective......Page 204
2.3 Up & down for static scenes......Page 205
3.2 Up & down for long-distance travel where altitude is not a factor......Page 206
4.2 Up ~ ‘more important, better’......Page 207
4.4 Perfective up: ‘Completion’, ‘thoroughness’, ‘briskness’, ‘intensity’, ‘ease’......Page 208
4.5 Up ~ ‘in a good mood’......Page 209
4.8 Up ~ ‘unresolved, undecided’......Page 210
5. Imageable idioms with up......Page 211
6. Systemic metaphors expressed by down......Page 212
6.2.1 Down ~ ‘accessible’......Page 213
6.2.3 Down for attribution vs up......Page 214
6.2.4 Down for groundedness, earthiness, contact with reality, seriousness......Page 215
8.2 Perfective up & down ~ ‘less’......Page 216
8.4.1 Dry up vs dry out......Page 217
9.1.1 Up to ~ ‘for as long as’, ‘until’......Page 218
9.2 Up (or down) to the bitter end/end of time......Page 219
2. The integrative function of of (vs with, at, in, about)......Page 220
3. Of for possession......Page 223
5.1 From as marginal or even acceptable substitute for of......Page 224
5.2 Of in expressions of privation, ridding, emptying......Page 226
6. A giant of a man......Page 227
7.2 Of for parts of units of time......Page 228
2.2 With: ‘Proximity’ plus ‘co-classification’......Page 229
3.1.1 Subject is a whole + part, whole + feature......Page 230
3.1.4 Agent + material and agent + device ensembles......Page 231
3.2 With: Ensembles in which the Subject & Landmark are relatively equal......Page 232
3.2.4 With for ‘competition’......Page 233
3.3.2 With ~ ‘(as if) in the presence of’ → ‘in the case of’ ~ ‘given’......Page 234
5. With in idioms......Page 235
6.1 Without: The converse of with re some senses of ‘co-classification’ but not re ‘proximity’; be/run out of something......Page 236
7.2 Together as an emphasizer......Page 237
9.2 Together & apart......Page 238
1. Overview......Page 239
2. A thumbnail semantic history of for......Page 240
4. For’s implications of ‘benefit’ and ‘support’ vs to & against......Page 241
5.2 For ~ ‘on account of’......Page 242
5.3 For: For the reverse of ‘on account of’ ; for vs of......Page 243
5.5 For ~ ‘as’......Page 244
6.2 For in hedges (~ assertion qualifiers)......Page 245
7.2 Getting on for/toward [clock time]......Page 246
7.4 For the nth time......Page 247
2.2 To for metaphorical pointing......Page 248
2.3 Connect/correspond to vs connect/correspond with, and similar expressions......Page 249
2.4 Belong to vs belong with, stake a claim to, the key to the door......Page 250
2.6 To for metaphorical presentation; against as a vivid, negative option......Page 251
2.7 Vulnerable to & similar expressions......Page 252
2.9 To vs for after words such as helpful and appropriate......Page 253
2.10 Idiomatic usages of to......Page 254
3.1 With to......Page 255
3.2 With -ing not to......Page 256
3.3 Interesting cases......Page 257
2. The notions......Page 258
References......Page 278
Glossary......Page 283
General index......Page 286