Prepositions in a sentence are part of a prepositional phrase, where they take the first position. A prepositional phrase necessarily requires a noun after the preposition. A phrase can be completed either by a single noun or by a group of dependent words. This nominal part is called the prepositional complement. In addition, prepositions can act as a particle in a phrasal verb.

The use of prepositions in English in the table

A prepositional phrase can play the role of an adverb of time and place, an object, a complement of a verb or adjective, and even the role of a subject. Sometimes prepositions act as a link between the main and secondary sentences. For literate speech (and writing), the correct use of prepositions in the following is very important, they describe the behavior of prepositions and prepositional phrases in various situations.

As a circumstance of place

Prepositions can show a physical or abstract direction (location).

• at/ at point;
• in/ within some area;
• on/ on the surface;
• in front of / before;
• near / near;
• on top of/ on top;
• across / through;
• down / down, etc.

As a circumstance of time

Prepositions can be used to limit time periods ('for', 'during', from ... to/till/until ...) and to define points in time relative to each other ('ago', 'before', 'since', 'at', 'after', 'in').

• He is here for a month / He is here for a month.
• There were two big victories during the war / There were two big victories during the war.
• They have lunchtime from one o "clock till two o" clock / They have from one to two.
• His frog died a month ago/ His frog died a month ago.
• We met even before lunch / We met before lunch.
• He've been living on the seaside since he broke up with it
• He finished at five o'clock / He finished at five o'clock.
• We must be there after ten thirty / We must be there after 10:30.
• We'll find out in the next three days / We'll find out in the next three days.

The use of prepositions in English with dates: 'at' is used with various religious festivals, 'in' is used with years, 'on' is used with days of the week, special events and regular dates.

• at Christmas / at Christmas; at Easter/ at Easter;
• in the year 2015/ in the year 2015; in 2015/ in 2015; in the twenty first sentury/ in the twenty-first century;
• on Saturday/ on Saturday; on her wedding anniversary/ on her wedding anniversary; on the twenty fourth of October/ on the twenty fourth of October.

The use of prepositions in English with months and seasons: 'in', however, with dates where the month comes first, it is set to 'on', as with regular dates, for example, 'on October 24th'.
October; in November/ in October; In November; in autumn

as subject

A prepositional phrase can function as a subject: Out of memory was the safest place of all to keep this information/ Out of memory was the safest place to store this information.

As an addition to a nominal predicate

In a compound nominal predicate, where the nominal part is expressed by a sign or state, some adjectives following the linking verb can be used both with and without a preposition, and some are not used independently.

• He was afraid / He was afraid.
• He was afraid of his enemies/ He was afraid of his enemies.

1. At the same time, they may require some specific preposition, such as: /aware of, accustomed to, used to/.

• Jeremy used to live in the merchant's house / Jeremy lived in the merchant's house.
• He is unaccustomed to the heat / He is not adapted to the heat.

2. Some adjectives may be alone or accompanied by different prepositions depending on the type of information they reveal. For example, with /cruel, friendly, unkind/, 'of' is used to link an impersonal subject and a logical subject:

• It was rude of him to leave so suddenly / It was rude of him to leave so suddenly.

To connect a personal subject and an object, put 'to':

• She was rude to him for no reason / She was rude to him for no reason.

Also, either alone or with the preposition ‘about’ to characterize a thing, or ‘with’ to characterize a character, /angry, furious, happy/ are used.

• She was still angry about the result/ She was still angry about the result.
• Are you happy with that stinky guy?

3. Other adjectives can be used alone or with specific prepositions.

• For example with 'of' to:

1) describe the cause of the feeling expressed by the adjectives /convinced, suspicious, terrified/;

Isn "t it a bit suspicious of him? / Isn't that a little suspicious?
- It was terrified of her / It terrified her.

2) name a character who has a quality (such as /clever, polite, stupid/).

That was clever of you!
- I turned the job down, which was stupid of me / I turned down the job, which was stupid of me.

• With ‘to’ to say about the degree of similarity (close, related, similar), marriage (married, engaged), loyalty (dedicated, devoted, loyal), rank (junior, senior) in relation to something:

My problems are very similar to yours/ My problems are very similar to yours.
- He was dedicated to his job / He was devoted to his work.

• With the preposition ‘with’, adjectives such as /bored, pleased, satisfied/, as well as to say about the reason for the expressed feeling:

Gave to him a glorious glance she was satisfied with the effect.
- He was pleased with her / He was pleased with her.

• With 'at', talking about a strong reaction to something (amazed, astonished, surprised) or potential (bad, good, useless):

He had been astonished at this point / He was brought to a stupor by this circumstance.
- He was not bad at dancing / He was not bad at dancing at all.

• With the preposition ‘for’ to say about the character or thing to which the given characteristic refers (common, easy, unusual):

It "s common for them / This is a common occurrence for them.
- Oh, nothing is easier for me / Oh, nothing is easier for me.

• A small number of adjectives ending in 'ed', which are used exclusively after copulas such as 'be', 'become' or 'feel', share a commonality with transitive verbs and are often followed by a prepositional phrase:

The Brazilians are pleased with the result

As an addition to a simple or verbal predicate

1. The use of prepositions in English is natural for many verbs that are used without To say:

• about the subject of what is happening, ‘about’ is suitable,
• about the direction of action - ‘at’,
• root cause or purpose - ‘for’,
• involvement - ‘into’,
• facts and information - ‘of’,
• about what you can rely on - ‘on’,
• about the receiver of information - ‘to’,
• about who agrees/disagrees - ‘with’.

I've heard about the intrusion plans
- Look at me / Look at me.
- They asked for hep / They asked for help.
- A sheap run into the doorway / The sheep ran into the doorway.
- To think of it ... / If you think about it ...
- It depends on him/ It depends on him.
- Explain to me / Explain to me.
- I argue with nobody / I do not argue with anyone.

At the same time, it should be borne in mind that prepositions appear in standard tandem with some verbs, and with some they can replace each other depending on the meaning and situation.

As a complement to a noun

The use of prepositions in English makes it possible to form phrases with nouns that reveal their meaning in more detail. Some words are undemanding to the preposition that follows them, and some always attach some specific one. In general, the prepositional phrase comes after the noun.

Two girls on weekends were having fun in a pool
- A wisper behind her made her turn / A whisper behind her made her turn around.

Often 'of' is used to convey various kinds of information after a noun, in particular to say:

• what something is made of or consists of;

- … a wall of stone.
- A heeling of panic was rising in him/ The feeling of panic grew in him.

• about what is the subjects of conversation, text, or images;

There was an image of a lion in the magazine

• about the belonging of a character or object or its connection;

He was the son of a good man/ He was the son of a good man.
- Girls sat on the back seat of the car / The girls sat in the back seat of the car.

• about the qualities inherent in a character or object.

She was a woman of enegry and ambition/ She was an energetic and ambitious woman.
- They faced problems of great compexity / They faced problems of extreme complexity.

After action nouns, 'of' is used to denote the subject or object of an action.

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

Following nouns that represent people performing a specific action, a prepositional phrase beginning with 'of' communicates what the action involves or its goals.

Supporters of the hunger strike
- …a student of English.

At the same time, a phrase with two nouns sounds more natural than with a noun and a prepositional phrase, for example, 'bank robbers / bank robbers' instead of 'robbers of the bank / bank robbers'.

- …temperature in the pot of 108 degrees.
- …a part of 30 percent

Also 'of' can be used after a noun to tell someone's age:

The most dangerous it is in the edge of eight / The most dangerous is at the age of eight.

The preposition ‘with’ is used to express some distinctive feature, detail, belonging, inherent in an object or character:

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

The preposition ‘in’ after the noun allows you to talk about who is wearing / wearing what:

- ... a pale child in a raincoat / a gray-haired man in a raincoat.
- ... the man in dark suit / a man in a dark suit.

Some nouns are always followed by specific prepositions. For example,

• ‘to’ follows the words: answer, introduction, reaction, return:

It happened on the return to Poland/ It happened on the way back to Poland.

• 'for' follows: reason, respect, taste:

His need for food was permanently growing up / His need for food was constantly growing.

• ‘on’ for: agreement, comment, effect:

She fad a dreadful effect on me / She had a disgusting effect on me.

• 'with' or 'between' for: connection, contact, link:

The link between them was so hard to see

• ‘in’ follows the words: difficulty , fall, increase:

They had not been prepared to difficulties on that side.

As a verb complement

The use of prepositions in English as part of prepositional phrases is permissible, in addition, in a nominal predicate as a nominal part:

It's in her bag / It's in her bag.
- He was in danger / He was in danger.
- It was against his will / It was against his will.

Like a particle of a phrasal verb

Prepositions can be presented as inseparable particles of a verb phrase in four combinations:

• particle verb,
• verb-particle-object,
• verb-object-particle,
• verb-particle-preposition-object,
• verb-object-particle-prepositional phrase.

Storm broke up at midnight
- His faith grow on wrong beliefs/ His faith grows on false beliefs.
- ‘Call me back’ said Lucy / “Call me back,” said Lucy.
- They ran away with all our food/ They ran away with all our food.
- Don't try to talk them out of it / Don't try to talk them out of it.

As a complement to an adjective

Although the sign usually comes before the noun, in some cases the use of prepositions in English allows the adjective to be placed after it, usually followed by a circumstance, ‘to’-infinitive minor clause or - prepositional phrase.

This is a warning to people eager for a quick profit.

After the superlative degree of adjectives, a prepositional phrase can be used to indicate the group from which the item is distinguished:

Henry was the biggest of them
- Cakes are probably the best in the world / Cakes must be the best in the world.
- He was the most dangerous man in the country/ He was the most dangerous man in the country.

As an conjunction in a complex sentence

Some prepositions have the same form as the conjunctions used to attach secondary clauses, for example /'since', 'till', 'until', 'after', 'before'/.

I've been looking for the new opportunity since I knew that

Prepositions in English are an official part of speech. They reflect temporal, spatial, causal or other types of relationships between two meaningful words. In Russian, cases are used for these purposes, while in English, word order and prepositions are used to build constructions. You should learn the rules for using prepositions in English in order to correctly compose sentences.

All English prepositions can be divided into:

• Simple or simple;
• Compound or complex;
• Derived or production;
• Composite or composite.

The form Simple has an overwhelming number of prepositions. These include, for example, against (against, from, on, to, under), the preposition in (in, for, on, on, at), about (about, about, on, about, about).

Compound include several components. These include whereupon (after which, as a result of which), within (in, inside).

Derived come from words of other parts of speech. These include, for example, concerning (about, by).

Composite uses when forming a phrase. They consist of a word from a different part of speech and one or two prepositions. These include, for example, because of (due to, due to), with regard to (in relation to). Any element from a compound preposition cannot be reduced or expanded - it is a single whole unit. The value of the Composite is directly dependent on the significant word that is part of it.

Adverbs and prepositions in English

Some English prepositions are spelled the same as adverbs. You can distinguish them from each other only by the role they play in the design. Adverbs carry their own meaning and in some cases define the verb. In addition, adverbs, as a rule, are logically stressed. Prepositions only reflect the relationship between significant parts of speech.

To better understand the difference, consider an example:

The guests were led above. The guests were taken upstairs. In this case, above is an adverb because it has its own meaning and answers the question “where?”.

There is only clear sky above me. “There is only clear skies above me. In this case, above is used as a preposition, as it expresses the spatial relationship between 2 words.

grammatical meaning

As mentioned above, in English, prepositions are used instead of cases. In this case, they are not translated, and the noun to which the preposition refers is put in the necessary case.

Preposition of- corresponds to the genitive case (“whom? what?”). For example, This is the hat of Mr. brown. This is Mr Brown's hat.

Preposition to- corresponds to the dative case ("to whom? to what?"). For example, You should give such a difficult task to a more experienced specialist. - You should give such a difficult task to a more experienced specialist.

Preposition by answers the questions "by whom? how?". This is the agentive instrumental. Nouns that are used in conjunction with this preposition are used to describe the actor or force that performs the action. For example, This book is written by a famous journalist. — This book is written by a famous journalist.

Preposition with answers the question "what?". This is an instrumental instrumental case. The noun with which this preposition is used characterizes the instrument of action. For example, Such toys are cut with a knife. These toys are cut with a knife.

Preposition about- corresponds to the prepositional case (“about whom? about what?”). For example, Anna likes stories about spies. Anna likes stories about spies.

The meaning of prepositions

Some English prepositions have several meanings, these include the preposition in, to, at. And others, on the contrary, only one, for example, till, among.

However, the same verbs in combination with different prepositions have different meanings. For example, take the suggestion to before verbs in English: to look for - “search” and to look after - “look after”.

Prepositions can have the following meanings, presented in the table below:

Used values	Construction in English	Translation
Separation relation	to tell something from something	distinguish something from something
Meaning of the course of action	in a positive way	optimistic
Similarity relation	You are like me.	You look like me.
Goals	I did it just for entertainment.	I did it just for fun.
The meaning of relativity	He is very smart for a kid.	He is very smart for a child.
Temporary relationship	after sunrise	after dawn
relationship relationship	to take part in the contest	to take part in the competition
causal relationship	dislike someone for being a coward	not loving someone because of their cowardice
Attitude to the field of activity	But I sing terrible!!	But I sing terribly!
Spatial relationships, including the meaning of movement	up the stream	upstream
Object relation (what the action is aimed at)	shout at somebody	yell at someone
Concession value	in spite of bad weather	despite bad weather
Origin, material	A table made of glass.	Glass table.
Relations corresponding to instrumental case in Russian. A noun with the preposition by is used to describe an actor or force, with the preposition with an instrument of action	Such kind of painting must be executed with a thin brush. This project was developed by one of our managers.	This type of painting is done with a thin brush. This project was developed by one of our managers.
The meaning of belonging to or part of something	a decline in sales	decline in sales
Definition value	people under threat	people are at risk

Where should a preposition be in a sentence?

As a rule, a preposition that expresses the relationship between 2 words stands between them.

For example: He plans to return in October. He plans to return in October.

If there are one or more adjectives, the preposition is placed before them. This is the basic rule for how adjectives are used with prepositions:

For example: She is sitting under a big old apple tree. She is sitting under an old big apple tree.

However, there are exceptions to this rule:

• Special questions when the preposition is at the end of the sentence. For example, Who am I supposed to send it to? Who should I send this to? But some want to put a preposition before a question word. This is necessary to give the design a more formal sound. For example, To whom am I supposed to send it? Who should I send this to? Both of these options are correct.
• In subordinate clauses with prepositions and in sentences that begin with relative and allied pronouns. For example, What I'm really surprised about is this nasty weather. “What I'm really surprised about is this terrible weather.
• in passive structures. For example, This problem must be taken care of. – This problem needs to be solved.
• In exclamatory sentences. For example, What a terrible thing to brag about! What a terrible thing to brag about!
• In some constructions with gerudium or infinitive. For example, He is impossible to work with. - It's impossible to work with him. It's a too noisy place to live in. It's too noisy a place to live here.

Prepositions in English are quite easy to remember, and the rules of use are clear to everyone.

Common prepositions and how they are used

Below we will consider the most common prepositions and the meaning in which they should be used.

The first meaning of the preposition is place. For example, Jack is at school now. Jack is at school now.

The preposition at, used in English, can mean time. For example, We will be back at 5 p.m. We will return at 5 pm.

The preposition on can be used to indicate a place. For example, I love fresh snow on the ground. I love fresh snow on the ground.

Used to indicate time. For example, They forecast sunny weather on Tuesday. Sunny weather is forecast for Tuesday.

And also for on in English will be used to indicate the scope of activity. For example, After a short speech on modern ecology problems Mr. Litz answered several questions. – After a short speech on the topic of modern environmental problems, Mr. Litz answered a few questions.

It belongs to the group "prepositions of place". For example, I saw the remote in my room. I saw the TV remote control in my room.

Also, the preposition can mean a geographical location, but unlike at, which indicates a point on a map, in in English is used when talking about a large area with houses and streets.

For comparison:

We had a change of plane at Budapest on our way to Roma. – On the way to Rome, we had a change in Budapest.

Pete lives in New York. Pete lives in New York.

It is advisable to use these prepositions in English to indicate time. It is worth noting that in means a somewhat extended time period. For example, Gorky park is so beautiful in October. – Gorky Park is so beautiful in October. Here it is worth drawing a parallel with at, denoting a specific moment in time. For example, We leave at 6 o'clock. We leave at 6 o'clock.

The use of this preposition is useful when it is necessary to indicate the topic of conversation. For example, I would like to tell you about the harm of smoking. I would like to tell you about the dangers of smoking.

And also to indicate the direction or place where you should move. For example: Walk about the square and meet me in 10 minutes. – Walk around the square and meet me in 10 minutes.

If a rough estimate is given, this preposition is also used. For example, It must be about 2 o'clock. It should be about 2 o'clock by now.

This preposition conveys the meaning "above or above". For example, Our neighbor above is so loud. Our upstairs neighbor is so loud.

Its second meaning is “more than and above”. For example, Above 2000 visitors took part in the expo. – More than 2000 visitors took part in the exhibition.

This preposition is the opposite of Above and means "below, under". For example, I love flying on airplanes and seeing only clouds below me. - I like to fly on planes and see only clouds below me.

The preposition is used when talking about time in the meaning of "after". For example, After we finish packing the furniture it must be loaded on the truck. – After we finish packing the furniture, it will need to be loaded onto a truck.

It also belongs to the group "prepositions of place" and is used in the meaning of "behind something or someone." For example, Don't run, the dogs will run after us. Don't run or the dogs will run after us.

The preposition is the antonym of After and serves to denote time in English in the sense of "before, before", for example, You must tell me a tale before I go to sleep. Before I go to bed, you must tell me a story. And also to indicate a place in the meaning of "before", for example, You keep stopping before each shop window. “You always stop in front of every shop window.

A preposition that corresponds to the active force or person. In other words, it plays the role of the agentive instrumental in Russian. For example, This violin was made by a famous master. This violin was made by a famous master.

It can mean a period after which some action must be performed. For example, The plane will land by midnight. The plane will land before midnight.

The preposition is also used when talking about the way or means of doing some work. For example, I've started my business by selling oranges. I started my business by selling oranges.

In addition, the preposition can mean a place in the meaning of "near, at, near." For example, I know a lovely place by the lake nearby. I know a wonderful place near the lake nearby.

The preposition for is used in the sense of "for" when talking about a goal. For example, We've decorated the room for your return! We have decorated the room for your return!

Used when talking about compensation or price. For example, You did not even thank us for all our help. “You didn't even thank us for all our help. You must pay for the dinner in Euros. You must pay for lunch in euros.

A preposition is used when talking about a reason. For example, You were fired for always coming late. You were fired for being constantly late.

When talking about time in the meaning of "during". For example, I was on vacation for the last 2 weeks.- I spent the last 2 weeks on vacation.

The preposition is used when talking about an object in whose favor a certain action was performed. For example, I voted for another candidate. I voted for another candidate.

This preposition belongs to the group called "prepositions of movement in English". It is used when talking about the direction of action in the sense of "from whom or from where." For example, I did not hear from him for 8 years. I haven't heard anything about him for the last 8 years.

It is also possible to use this preposition when it comes to the starting moment of performing an action. For example, This bank is working from 10 to 16. - This bank is open from 10 am to 4 pm.

This preposition acts as a genitive case, answers the questions “who? what?" and is not translated into Russian. For example, This is the dictionary of our teacher. This is our teacher's dictionary.

In addition, a preposition can single out one object from a group. For example, One of your children has broken my window. One of your children broke my window.

It is also suitable for use when talking about materials. For example, Such huts are made of clay. These huts are built of clay.

This preposition corresponds to the dative case in Russian and can mean direction. For example, Throw the ball to me! - Throw me a ball!

We have analyzed the rules and the use of basic English prepositions. To consolidate the material, you should independently compose several sentences with each preposition. In this way, one can learn to accurately use and arrange prepositions.

Hello my wonderful readers!

You can probably guess what is the most frequently used word in English speech, right? Of course it is the article "the". And today we will analyze where its use in English is appropriate and where it is not. We will study the rules for its use, look at numerous examples, and analyze a table with stable expressions that you can always have at hand. And then you can go to and to consolidate everything you learned here.

Go ahead, friends!

A little bit of grammar

If the article “a” (about it in detail!) Is used only with nouns that can be counted, then “the” is used with all nouns: and in singular and plural; both countable and non-countable items .

By the way, the pronunciation of the article also changes depending on which letter the next word begins with. If the word begins with a consonant, then the article is pronounced like [ðə], for example the banana - banana. But if the subject begins with a vowel, then it is pronounced like [ði], for example, the apple - Apple.

When to use

• If in speech or in writing already mentioned subject, then in the future you can put this article with it.

I received an e-mail from my friends. The letter told me that they would visit me on the weekend.- I received a letter from my friends. The letter said that they would visit me over the weekend.

• With unique items that are one and only of their kind, we also use the - the sun, the moon, the Earth.

The moon today is extremely beautiful. The moon is incredibly beautiful today.

• The article has a special relationship with geographical names. With titles rivers, deserts, oceans, island groups and mountain ranges we can confidently use the article, but we must not forget about exceptions. I am very detailed about them.

The Atlantic Ocean is the most beautiful ocean on the planet.- The Atlantic Ocean is the most beautiful ocean on the planet.

The Comoro Islands attract lots of tourists every year.- Comoros attracts many tourists every year.

• With titles hotels, cinemas, ships, museums, galleries and newspapers we most often also use the definite article.

The Hilton hotel is about to open in our city.- In our city, the Hilton hotel is about to open.

The Louvre is the most attended museum in Europe.- The Louvre is the most visited museum in Europe.

• With adjectives in the highest degree of comparisons: the most, the best, the worst.

The most beautiful place I've ever been is Japan in spring.- The most beautiful place I have ever seen is Japan in the spring.

The best books I've ever read were about Harry Potter.- The best books I've read are Harry Potter.

• With musical tools and titles dancing.

The violin is my most beloved musical instrument.- The violin is my favorite musical instrument.

The contemporary has become very popular among dancers some years ago.- Contempo became very popular among dancers a few years ago.

When not used

It is important to know when the definite article is used, but it is equally important to know when it is. not used.

• with plural nouns that can't be counted when we say something general.

Trees produce oxygen.- Trees produce oxygen. (any trees, in general)

• With names own and before names we never use it.

Jinny is very talented. She can play 3 different musical instruments. Ginny is very talented. She can play three different instruments.

• With titles countries, cities, streets, parks, mountains, lakes, bridges and islands we try to avoid it.

Spain is mostly famous for its football club Barcelona. - Spain is mostly known for its football club Barcelona.

I dream of climbing Everest.- I dream of climbing Everest.

• With titles sports, activities, games, colors, days, months, drinks, meals he is not friendly.

I can speak Turkish a little.- I can speak Turkish a little.

I was born in July. - I was born in July.

My favorite color is green. - Green is my favorite color.

• If we have pronouns this, that, those- we not use "the". In addition, with possessive pronouns (and the possessive case in general!) we also do not use it.

This the ball was signed by a famous football player.- This ball was signed by a famous football player.

Kathy's dress is ready. I've already cleaned it.- Casey's dress is ready. I cleaned it yesterday.

• With words school, church, hospital, college, university, court, prison we use it or we don't use it depending on meaning. Let's see an example:

I go to school from Monday to Friday.- I go to school from Monday to Friday. (as a student)

My mother went to the school for a meeting. My mother went to school for a meeting. (As a parent, not as a student)

• With titles diseases we can also use or do not use article.

I've got (the) flu. - I got sick.

Set expressions

Both the and a form fixed expressions that cannot be changed in any way. So let's get to know them (By the way, if you need general information about the articles of the English language, then you are).

I am sure that now that you have a hint in the form of a table and structured rules in your hands, it will be much easier for you to master the ones that I have prepared for you. And after them, you can move on to. Practice as much as possible, study, learn new rules and improve your English.

And I'm ready to help you with this. The materials on my blog are constantly updated, and my subscribers receive them even before they appear on the site. I look forward to seeing you there as well, to share important materials with the very first.

And for today I say goodbye.

In many foreign languages ​​there is such a thing as an article. To start learning grammar from this topic will be a good option for those who want to know English. The article (the rule of use will help to understand the question) is a service part of speech in English. It shows certainty or indefiniteness. Further in the text, the rules for its use are given when the article a (an), the is omitted.

Types of articles

There are two types of articles in English:

• definite - the;
• indefinite - a (an) (two forms).

The definite article shows that we are talking about some well-known or familiar subject that is more individualized, somehow stands out from others. And the indefinite one indicates a more generalized meaning or an object that appears in the text for the first time. Examples:

The girl has a dog./The girl has a dog.

From this sentence, it can be understood that we are talking about a specific girl who is already familiar to the reader and she was previously mentioned in the text, but the word “dog” is more generalized, which dog is unknown.

Origin

We have already found out that in English there is such a part of speech as the article: a (an), the. They originally came from other words and to some extent retained their old meaning.

For example, the definite article is an abbreviated form of the word that (that, that), which is why it carries such a specific meaning.

It comes from the word one (someone, some).

Definite article

In English, the definite article has two functions: the first of them is concretizing, and the other is generalizing. And this part of speech is used if a person knows exactly what subject is being discussed, or if this subject is unique.

The definite article in a concretizing meaning

• It is used if one object stands out from the whole set, it has some excellent parameters, it is distinguished by a unique case, context. Before adjectives in

He is the best player in our team./He is the best player in our team.

• Placed before the words following, last, next, only and very. They make the noun more specific.

And not the next day. / And not the next day.

• Superlative adjectives are also preceded by the definite article.

It is the worst day in my life. / This is the worst day in my life.

The definite article in a general sense

• In generalizing - when a noun can be attributed to a whole kind of objects.

Examples include the German Shepherd - the double coat is straight, and short length./For example, a German Shepherd. The coat has two characteristics: straight and short in length.

Here we are talking about all dogs belonging to a particular breed.

• Omitted if replaced by a possessive pronoun.

She sure had some love for her German Shepards.

• If you can put the word "this" before the noun.

The hotel also features easy access to the several subway stations./The hotel is also easily accessible from several subway stations.

• When specifying the era, significant events.

The First World War./The First World War.

• Before uncountable nouns, only if we are talking about a certain amount of substance.

And then the farmer has to find another way to deliver the juice.

• Before the names of body parts.

The hand

• Before social classes and strata of society.

The police./Police officers.

The definite article with proper nouns and some titles

It will help to better understand how to use articles with proper names and some names, the table below. All of the following words must be preceded by the definite article the.

proper names	Examples
Rivers	the Nakdong
Names of newspapers	the Washington Post
place names	the North Field
Objects from astronomy	the Moon
Mountain names	the Andes
cardinal directions	in the East
Surnames in the plural (meaning all family members)	the Adamsons
Channels	the Nicaragua Canal
City districts	the West End
Nationalities	the Italian
Unique architectural structures	the Winter Palace
desert	the Bolivian
Names of reservoirs	the Black Sea
Ship names	the Aurora
Some countries	the Argentina
Nicknames	the Tall Ben

Definite article. Plural

• If the definite article is used before a word in the singular, then it is placed before it in the plural.

You can bring the ball with, if you want.

You can bring the balls with, if you want./If you want, take the balls with you.

• Also, the article remains before the plural when it comes to a group as a whole.

The members of Golf club can breathe fresh air./The members of the Golf club can breathe fresh air. (Everyone can breathe fresh air).

Indefinite article a (an)

"a" is used if the first letter in the word is a consonant, "an" if it is a vowel:

• a table, a carpet, a dog / table, carpet, dog;
• an elephant, an eagle, an orange / elephant, eagle, orange.

Exceptions to the rule:

• the article "a" is always placed before words that begin with the letter "u" if it is pronounced /ju:/ (English is a universal language);
• before the words "one", "ones" the article "a" (a one-parent family) is always used;
• if abbreviations start with a consonant but read with a vowel (F is pronounced like /ef/), they are always preceded by the indefinite article "an" (an FBI agent).

Classifying, generalizing and numeral meaning of the indefinite article

• In expressive sentences, in exclamatory sentences that begin with the word what, the indefinite article is used.

What a great!

• With singular nouns preceded by words such as rather, quite, such, and most.

In a rather prescient way./Very far-sighted.

• If a noun is a generic value for the entire class, species, layer, etc., then it is preceded by an indefinite article. Most often, such a noun is at the beginning of a sentence and does not carry any important information. More significant details are described later in the text.

A newspaper text is a very laconic and relevant essay.

• In the numeral value, the article denotes its original meaning - one.

I can stay in Paris for only a day./I could stay in Paris for only a day. (Here it is clear that the particle -a can be replaced by one, the word from which the article a (an) was formed (the - from that). In this sentence, the particle takes its usual place).

Indefinite article a (an). Plural

Articles that are used before singular nouns are not used in the plural.

She had a book of astrology./She had a book on astrology.

She had two books./She had two books. (As you can see, the article is omitted).

Proper nouns and the article a (an)

The article a (an) is used before if they:

• unknown

A Mr. Anderson has come to see you./A certain Mr. Anderson has come to see you.

• used as a noun

You think, I am a Leonardoda Vinci?

• point to individual family members

It is no wonder; in fact, she is a Smith./No wonder, because she is a Smith.

• describe the position of a place or object

We saw a rebuild Rome. / We saw a rebuilt Rome.

In addition, there are stable expressions that, regardless of the context, never change and always remain in their place. These phrases just need to be learned:

a few / a few, it is a pity / sorry, a little / a little, etc.

When the article is not needed

In English there is such a thing as when it is absent in sentences before nouns. Above in the article, cases were already mentioned when the article is omitted. Let's look at a few more typical rules.

• If nouns are preceded by adjectives old / old, little / small, poor / poor, lazy / lazy, honest / honest.

She is little girl./She is a little girl.

• If there is no definition for a noun.

I do not like Peter. / I do not like Peter.

• Before titles, titles.

Lord Green./Lord Green.

Article exercises

To consolidate the acquired knowledge, you need to do a few exercises. Then check your answers with the keys, analyze the errors. For example, you can do the task below.

Insert the missing article a (an), the:

Paris is … beautiful town./Paris is a beautiful city.

What "s going on? I think it's ... salute. / What's going on? I think it's a salute.

Britney Spears is … singer./Britney Spears is a singer.

This is Nick. He is … engineer./This is Nick. He is an engineer.

… spider has eight legs./Spiders have eight legs.

It is … tomato./This is a tomato.

I am ... nurse. / I am a nurse.

She is … best./She is the best.

To take … seat./Sit down.

In ... country. / In the country.

Answers to the exercise. How to correctly insert the article a (an), the:

1. a. 2. a. 3. a. 4. an. 5. a. 6.a. 7. a. 8. the. 9 a. 10. the.

Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5

For most beginners to learn English, the question arises “what the meaning of the preposition of?” And this is quite normal, because where it is enough to use the appropriate ending in Russian, the same number does not work in English. In English, it is generally not customary to sculpt endings whenever the gender or case changes. This is what is causing the suggestion. of and those like him.

The main meaning of the preposition of

Let's consider the main the meaning of the preposition of. Most often, this short, but nasty word is found to indicate the belonging of an object or person to something, as well as to express the connection between the object and its component. It is cleverly written, but in the examples everything looks much simpler:

a friend of mine - my friend

history French literature (history of French literature)

a piece of cheese - piece of cheese

a bar of chocolate - chocolate bar

a drop rain - rain drop

a slice of bread - a piece of bread

a crumb of pie - crumb pie

If you look closely, it turns out that the of simply conveys the Russian genitive case (answers the questions "whom? what?"). It helps to trace the connection between objects and persons. Let's compare:

a piece of cake - piece of cake

a piece _ cake - piece of cake

The difference is significant! without pretext of turns out to be something. It turns out that the meaning of the preposition of simply cannot be overestimated. This little word is the link in the above examples.

Preposition of in English usage

What other rules are there on the topic " preposition of in English usage»?

1. Of will be needed to tell about the composition of something. For example: a desk made of wood - a table made of wood.

2. This preposition is a constant companion of words kind & type . For example: this type of men - these types of men

3. Transfers the contents of a container. For example: glass of juice - a glass of juice.