Prepositions and Idiomatic Expressions
Core concepts
English fixes many prepositions by convention, so these items reward memorized chunks rather than logic. Study four patterns: time and place (in a month or year, on a day or date, at a clock time or night), verb + preposition (depend on, consist of, result in, apologize for, apply for), adjective + preposition (interested in, capable of, responsible for, different from, similar to), and noun + preposition (reason for, increase in, solution to). Fixed phrases such as according to, in spite of, and on time also appear.
Common traps
- Translation interference: depend of, married with, interested about, discussion about the plan (correct: depend on, married to, interested in, discussion of the plan).
- Wrong time preposition: in Monday should be on Monday; at the morning should be in the morning.
- An extra preposition: discuss about the issue and explain me the rule are both wrong; write discuss the issue and explain the rule to me.
- A missing preposition: listen music needs listen to music.
- Mode of travel: by car but on foot.
Rule of thumb
Memorize prepositions attached to their partner words, not alone. When a blank follows an adjective or verb, recall the whole phrase aloud: responsible for, capable of, consists of. Example: The committee is responsible ___ reviewing applications takes for, because responsible is always followed by for.