Prepositions and Connectors in English

Prepositions of Time

• Used to indicate when an action takes place

• Common prepositions include:

  • Before
  • After
  • Until
  • Since
  • During
  • For
  • From... To...
  • By

• Examples:

  • I work from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Simon will come after lunch.
  • The doctor will not be available until June.

Connectors in English

• Words that make language more fluent and coherent
• Two main types:

  • Coordinating Connectors: Connect words or phrases of equal grammatical form and importance. Examples:

    • But
    • And
    • Also
    • So
    • Besides
    • On the other hand
    • As for
    • In comparison with

  • Subordinating Connectors: Connect a dependent clause to an independent clause. Examples include:

    • Single-word: But, Unless, However, Conversely, Nevertheless, Also, Moreover, Meanwhile, Before, Subsequently, Whenever

    • Compound: As well as, Such as, As soon as, As far as, Apart from that, On top of that, After that, Now that, So that, In order to, Because of that, Given that, Added to that

    • Correlative: Formed from an adjective or adverb, e.g., On the other hand, What is more, For that reason, These days, Formerly, As a result of, In view of

Articles in English

• Words that introduce nouns
• Common types:

  • The: Definite article (e.g., the, the, the)

    • Used before singular or plural nouns, irrespective of gender.
    • Examples: The presidents have a meeting today. / The girl is eating cake.

  • A/An: Indefinite articles (e.g., a, an)

    • Used before countable singular nouns.
    • Use "a" before words starting with a consonant sound, and "an" before words starting with a vowel sound.
    • Examples:
      • A bottle of water
      • An apple pie

Verb Patterns

• How verbs combine in sequences
• Three main patterns:
  • Verb + To + Infinitive: Example: I would like to see you after lunch.
  • Verb + Gerund (-ing): Example: Martin is eating a salad.
  • Verb + Infinitive (without To): Example: She must come to present the exam