Is the word without a preposition

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Some verbs are often given an unnecessary following preposition. It may be helpful to know which they are and why this error occurs

THE ERROR OF THE UNNECESSARY PREPOSITION

Unnecessary prepositions appear quite often in the speech or writing of advanced learners of English. They tend to come between certain active verbs and any noun or pronoun placed after them as an “object” (objects are explained in the Guinlist post 8. Object-Dropping Errors). The verb LACK is a typical verb often given an unnecessary preposition:

(a) Poverty exists when people lack … the necessities for life.

The preposition that is often wrongly added here is of. In this post I wish to provide a list of verbs like LACK that often tempt learners to add an unnecessary preposition, and to suggest some reasons why the need to add an unnecessary preposition is so often felt.

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NECESSARY AND UNNECESSARY PREPOSITIONS

Before the discussion of problem verbs, it is important to appreciate that many verbs in English do actually need a preposition with them. These are what grammar books often call “prepositional” verbs. Here are some examples:

(b) Plants depend on water.

(c) Many elderly people have to cope with disability.

It is normal to say that here the prepositions on and with are parts of the verbs depend on and cope with, so that the following nouns water and disability are the verbs’ objects. Prepositions like this are different from ordinary prepositions that introduce an adverb-like phrase after a verb, like into in this example:

(d) The Nile flows into the Mediterranean Sea.

Here the verb is only flows: the preposition into “belongs” to the noun after it. Linguists have some ways of deciding which of these two different preposition uses exists at any particular time, but I will not go into those here. Other Guinlist posts that touch on the idea of prepositional verbs are 31. Prepositions after Action Nouns 1,  35. Words Followed by “to -ing”,  44. Troublesome Prepositional Verbs,  84. Seven Things to Know about Prepositions,  108. Formal and Informal Words,  123. Prepositional Verbs Containing a Noun and 139. Phrasal Verbs.

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VERBS THAT ARE COMMONLY GIVEN AN UNNECESSARY PREPOSITION

The existence of prepositional verbs in English is undoubtedly a major part of why some verbs are wrongly given a following preposition. Here is a list of non-prepositional verbs that are often taken to be prepositional, but mixed in with them are a small number that really are prepositional. The reader may wish to test his/her knowledge of preposition use by trying to identify the true prepositional verbs in the list:

(1) ACCESS, (2) AFFECT, (3) ATTACK, (4) AWAIT, (5) COMPRISE, (6) CONFRONT, (7) CONTACT, (8) CONTINUE, (9) CONTRADICT, (10) CORRESPOND, (11) DEMAND, (12) DISCUSS, (13) DISPOSE, (14) EMPHASISE, (15) ENTER, (16) EQUAL, (17) INFLUENCE, (18) INHABIT, (19) INVESTIGATE, (20) LACK, (21) OBEY, (22) OPPOSE, (23) REACH, (24) REGARD, (25) REQUEST, (26) RESEARCH, (27) RESEMBLE, (28) RESPECT, (29) SEEK, (30) SPAN.

All of the verbs in this list are non-prepositional except the tenth and the thirteenth (which take to and of). This means that with the other 28 any following preposition is likely to be wrong – the object of the verb must be used without one.

If the correct use of any verb in the list above surprises you, it is worth noting in order to avoid future error.

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POSSIBLE REASONS FOR UNNECESSARY PREPOSITIONS

There seem to be various possible reasons for the use of unnecessary prepositions like of after lack, about after discuss and on after emphasise.

1. Verbs that Look Like Nouns

The word lack can be both a verb and a noun. When it is a verb, it needs an ordinary object without a preposition. When it is a noun, the same object of the verb can still be mentioned but now it has to be placed after the preposition of (see 31. Prepositions after Action Nouns 1). Compare:

(e) VERB: The investigation has been dropped because the police LACK evidence.

(f) NOUN: The investigation has been dropped owing to A LACK OF evidence. 

Other verbs in the earlier list that can also be nouns without a change of spelling are ACCESS, ATTACK, CONTACT, DEMAND, INFLUENCE, REGARD, REQUEST, RESEARCH, RESPECT and SPAN. The prepositions used after the nouns are respectively to, on, with, for, on, to/for, for, into/on, for and from. Surprisingly, none of these is the regular object preposition of. Unsurprisingly, these are usually the prepositions that are used unnecessarily when the above words are verbs. For details of REGARD, see 48. Tricky Word Contrasts 1, #9.

In addition to the verbs listed above, it is possible that AFFECT and RESEMBLE acquire their unnecessary prepositions from their related nouns (an effect on, a resemblance to), and EQUAL does so (at least partly) from its related adjective (is equal to: see 231. Confusions of Similar Structures 3, #4).

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2. Verbs that Have a Preposition-Using Synonym

Many of the verbs in the main list above can be matched with a prepositional verb expressing more or less the same meaning:

AWAIT / WAIT FOR
COMPRISE / CONSIST OF
CONTINUE / CARRY ON
CONTRADICT / CONFLICT WITH
DISCUSS / TALK ABOUT
EMPHASISE / FOCUS ON
ENTER / GO INTO
EQUAL / CORRESPOND TO
INVESTIGATE / LOOK INTO
REACH / ARRIVE AT/IN
SEEK / LOOK FOR
SPAN / GO FROM…TO…

The prepositions needed by the prepositional synonyms are mostly the same ones that are often used unnecessarily with the non-prepositional verbs, suggesting that the synonyms may be causing the unnecessary prepositions (see the discussions of REACH /  ARRIVE in 250. Synonym Pairs with Contrasting Grammar, #1), and EQUAL / CORRESPOND in 292. Synonym Pairs with Contrasting Grammar 2, #1). 

A further possible cause of the error with COMPRISE is that its passive, which needs of before a following noun, means the same as the active.

Many other pairs of prepositional and non-prepositional synonyms can be identified in English. I present some below in a smaller version of a matching exercise whose original is in my book Grammar Practice for Professional Writing. Again, any of the non-prepositional verbs which tempt the use of a preposition should be noted for future reference.

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3. Verbs whose Derived Noun cannot Have “of”

A very striking feature of the problem verbs listed above is that the nouns derived from them rarely have of before an object-like noun, despite this preposition being the most typical after “action” nouns (cf. a lack of in [f]). I think this could help explain why these verbs are often given an unnecessary preposition.

To understand the explanation, it is first necessary to appreciate that many nouns that do not have of before an object-like noun are derived from a prepositional verb, and normally need the preposition of that verb instead of of (see 31. Prepositions after Action Nouns 1). Thus, dependence, derived from DEPEND ON, needs on, reference, from REFER TO, needs to, and application, from APPLY FOR, needs for.

The problem is that the reverse of this rule is not true: although many nouns requiring a preposition other than of correspond to a verb requiring their same preposition, quite a few – demand, discussion, emphasis, entry, influence, investigation, etc. – correspond to verbs needing no preposition. And you cannot predict which nouns are which, but simply have to memorise them. As a result, writers not sure about whether a particular noun’s non-standard preposition can be used with its corresponding verb may just guess sometimes that it can, on the basis of the number of nouns that actually are derived from prepositional verbs. Such assumptions will sometimes be right, but unfortunately they will also sometimes be wrong.

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4. Verbs that can be both Prepositional and Non-Prepositional

Some verbs vary in their need for a preposition, depending on their meaning. Examples are APPROVE, which may or may not have of, ENTER which does sometimes have into, and ATTEND, which sometimes needs to (see 44. Troublesome Prepositional Verbs). Such verbs can cause prepositions to be wrongly left out as well as wrongly put in.

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5. Mother Tongue Influence

Some languages other than English, such as French, use a preposition where English does not. Errors that might have this kind of cause include unnecessary in after ENTER (= go in) and to after ATTEND (= participate in).

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PRACTICE EXERCISE: PREPOSITIONS AFTER VERBS

The following exercise involves two lists, one of verbs that must or can have a preposition and one of verbs that cannot. Each verb means roughly the same as one of the verbs in the other list. Readers are invited to find the matching pairs. Answers are provided at the bottom.

PREPOSITIONAL VERBS:  ASK FOR,  CALL FOR,  LIVE IN,  AMOUNT TO,  RELATE TO,  COMPLY WITH,  APPROVE OF,  APPEAL TO,  OBJECT TO,  DEAL WITH

NON-PREPOSITIONAL VERBS:  LIKE,  CONCERN,  OPPOSE,  MANAGE,  REQUEST,  TOTAL,  DEMAND,  ATTRACT,  INHABIT,  OBEY

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ANSWERS:  ask for / request;   call for / demand;   live in / inhabit;   deal with / manage;   amount to / total;    relate to / concern;   comply with / obey;   approve of / like;   appeal to / attract;   object to / oppose

Prepositions are certain words that go directly before nouns. They often show direction; for example, below, above, over, under, around, through, in, out, between, among, to, toward(s), etc. Other common prepositions include of, for, from, with, like.

Rule: You shouldn’t use or end a sentence with an unnecessary preposition, i.e., when the meaning is clear without the preposition. Sentences may end with necessary prepositions.

Correct: That is something I cannot agree with.
With is a necessary preposition.

Incorrect: Where did he go to?
Correct: Where did he go?
To is unnecessary because the meaning is clear without it.

Rule: Don’t follow like with a subject and verb because prepositions are followed only by nouns that act as the object of the preposition. Use as, as if, as though, or the way instead of like when a subject and verb follow.

Correct: I wish I could be more like her.

Incorrect: It doesn’t look like she will show up for dinner.
Correct: It doesn’t look as if (or as though) she will show up for dinner.

Incorrect: Do it like I taught you.
Correct: Do it the way I taught you.

Pop Quiz
Which sentence is correct?

1A. Where did you get this at?
1B. Where did you get this?

2A. I will go later on.
2B. I will go later.

3A. Take your shoes off the bed.
3B. Take your shoes off of the bed.

4A. Cut it up into small pieces.
4B. Cut it into small pieces.

5A. I look like my sister.
5B. I look as my sister.

Pop Quiz Answers

1. B
2. B
3. A
4. B
5. A

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If the article or the existing discussions do not address a thought or question you have on the subject, please use the «Comment» box at the bottom of this page.

На основании Вашего запроса эти примеры могут содержать грубую лексику.

На основании Вашего запроса эти примеры могут содержать разговорную лексику.

Verbs of the first category are used with an object, usually it is a noun or pronoun in accusative or genitive case and the combination can be made without a preposition.

Первые могут присоединять к себе объект, обычно это существительное или местоимение в винительном падеже или родительном падеже, а сочетание возможно без предлога.

Другие результаты

Each group acts out a preposition without words.

When you make the cards, don’t forget the prepositions — without them a verb can mean a completely different thing.

Работая с карточками, не забывайте о предлогах, без них глагол может иметь совершенно другое значение.

The essence of the approach lies in the fact that when you create an index file (indexed array), it made all the important words (without conjunctions, prepositions, etc.) of all the documents in alphabetical order.

Суть подхода заключается в том, что при создании индексного файла (индексированной матрицы) в него вносятся все значимые слова (без союзов, предлогов и т. п.) из всех документов в алфавитном порядке.

Remember that the preposition «without» is used only when the answer to the question «who?»

Запомните, что предлог «в отсутствие» употребляется только при ответе на вопрос «кого?»

It’s not the end of the world if you dangle a participle or end a sentence with a preposition, just make sure that a reasonably intelligent person can read your sentences without wondering how you managed to graduate from high school.

Это не конец света, если вы пишите одними причастиями или заканчиваете предложение предлогом, просто убедитесь, что нормальный образованный человек может читать ваши предложения, не задаваясь вопросом, как вам удалось окончить среднюю школу.

sine: sine is a preposition that means ‘without‘.

Also, if the object of a preposition was marked in the dative case, a preposition may conceivably be located anywhere in the sentence.

Кроме того, если объект предлога был в дательном падеже, то предлог мог быть расположен в любом месте в предложении.

Many of these forms change again if the noun is the object of a preposition.

Многие из этих форм вновь меняются в том случае, если существительное является объектом предлога.

Beside is a preposition meaning «next to».

Beside — это предлог, который употребляется в значении «рядом», «около».

A preposition is one of the most important parts of speech.

Предлоги — одна из самых важных частей речи.

«And» is a conjunction, not a preposition.

«Или» является разделительным союзом, а не предлогом.

It is used only with a preposition.

If it is, then it is a preposition.

A comma or a preposition changes the meaning.

Ведь наличие предлога или наречия изменяет его значение.

Moreover, in English this word is a preposition.

Причем в английском языке данное слово представляет собой предлог.

In the Irish language, Éirinn is usually used with a preposition.

В ирландском языке сказуемое всегда ставится перед подлежащим.

A preposition is a word that describes where something is.

Местоимение — это слово, которое указывает, где что-то имеется.

Inside can be a noun or a preposition.

Внутри может быть предлогом или наречием.

Ничего не найдено для этого значения.

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