Grammar Study - Understanding The Prepositions

Prepositions are words which express the relationship between two entities
which may be nouns or pronouns in the same sentence.

Prepositional words include 'in','at','under','inside','outside', 'behind','towards', 'below', 'about', 'after', 'upon', 'onto' etc. These words however fall into different types of prepositions.

Types Of Preposition

1.Prepositions For Place 

This form of preposition uses the words 'at', 'in','under', 'on' and many other words to refer to different types of places.

At - used to represent a specific place
Under-used to represent a place below an object
On- used to represent a surface
In- used to represent a place that has a virtual boundary

Sentence Examples

1.There was a large crowd at the bus stop
2.He kept his mobile phone on the table
3.The school bag is under the table.
4.We convened in a hall for the meeting
5.The boys were running on the road before the incident.



2.Prepositions For Time

These prepositions are used to refer to the different time aspects. 
Months or years, a particular time of the day, a time in the past, a date or even the time of a clock.
'At' ,'On' and 'In' also serves as prepositions for time.

Sentence Examples
1. I was born in 1980
2.The event will start at 8pm
3.My cousins will travel on 30th October
4.We will travel away in the summer
5.He pleaded guilty on the first day of trial.



3.Prepositions For Direction

These prepositions tell the direction of a person or an object in a sentence. Frequently used words include 'to', 'towards','through','into'.

Sentence Examples
1.The lady is coming towards me
2.They went to the airport.
3.His car fell into the river.
4.The criminal fled through the window.
5.The teacher just went into the classroom.



4.Prepositions For Instruments or Devices

These prepositions are used for joining nouns to other objects in a sentence. Frequently used words include 'on' 'by' 'with' 'through' as well as other prepositional phrases such as 'with the help of', 'along with' etc.

Sentence Examples
1.He opened the lock with the key.
2.She travelled with her luggages,
3.John went home by a car.
4.I went through the back door.
5.She climbed the wall with the help of a ladder.



5.Prepositions For Agents

These prepositions are used to express a relationship between the noun and an action (verb) in a sentence.

'By' and 'with' are commonly used.

Sentence Examples

1.The English textbook was written by our teacher.
2.She was beaten up by her parents
3.The kids made a lot of noise with their music.
4.The task was finished by him.


Conclusion

A clear understanding of prepositions make reading and writing of the English grammar easier and comprehensible, as you can easily determine the relatiosnhip between the different words which make up a sentence or paragraph.

Test Your Knowledge Of Prepositions

Identify non prepositional words in this list

1. Between
2. Continue
3. Ahead
4. Beneath
5. Visit
6. Confront
7. Through
8. Dense
9. Contrast
10. Below

Also Read - Six English Words You Should Learn To Use Properly

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Grammar Study - Differences Between Impart and Impact

On this edition of Grammar Study, we review clear differences between two English words
which can subconsciously be misplaced for each other in written sentences.

Ever been guilty of this error or struggle to establish clear differences ?

Let's learn!

Differences Between Impart and Impact

Albeit the words Impart and Impact being six letter words and only visibly differentiated by the presence of 'r' and 't' as the penultimate letter, a clear difference is noted in vocalization.

Impart is pronounced as  /ɪmˈpɑːɹt/

Impact is pronounced as /ˈɪmpækt/

Definitions and Sentence Application

Remarakable differences are also spotted in dictionary definitions and sentence applications

Impart Definition

1.To give quality to something

• Preservatives can impart colour and flavor to a product.
• The use of garlic in cooking imparts a subtle flavor to food
• His presence imparted an air of gaiety to the occasion

2.To make something known or to disclose

• She was persuaded to impart the secret

3.To pass on or transmit

• The sun imparts warmth
• As a teacher he was able to impart knowledge to his students.
• His subordinate rank gave him no chance to impart a greater measure of energy to the naval operators.

 Impact Definition

1.The striking of one body against another or the force transmitted by collision

• The impact of the colliding cars broke the windshield.
• The bomb exploded on impact.

2.The impression of one thing on another

• The manager is still gauging the impact of automation on the lives of factory workers.

3.The power of making a strong immediate impression

• The court ruling will have an impact on the education of minority students
• Winning this essay writing competition could have a huge impact on my life
• New technologies have only had a small impact on the overall level of employment
• His leg injury has a disastrous impact on his career as a footballer
• The industry has felt the impact of rising fuel prices
• Her speech made a tremendous impact on the audience
• Businesses around the country are beginning to feel the full impact of the recession.

Another difference ?

The word 'Impart' functions as a verb (action word) in a sentence while 'Impact' does the work of a noun. 

Also See - Six English Words You Should Learn To Use Properly

Conclusion

The most prominent difference these two words "impart" and "impact" is that impart implies giving out or disclosing while impact dwells with the effect of something or a decision on another thing.

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Grammar Study - Differences Between Impart and Impact

On this edition of Grammar Study, we review clear differences between two English words

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9 New English Words You Should Learn to Use

Over 1000 new English words are introduced annually and this edition of grammar study brings you, nine new English words and how to use them in sentences.


Here's a chance to improve your vocabulary.

Are you ready ?

Let's go!

9 New English Words You Should Learn To Use

1. Drool-worthy

Definition

Extremely attractive or desirable

Sentence Usage

• He is drool-worthy
• The company's drool-worthy website was hacked.
• Jane's drool-worthy appearance won her the contest.

2.Illiterati

Definition

People who are not well educated or well informed about a particular subject or activity.

Sentence Usage

• A member of the computer illiterati prepared the dish.
• He encouraged the growth of the blossoming illiterati
• Welcome to the world of the illiterati!

3.Infomania

Definition

The desire or enthusiasm to check for or accumulate news and information typically through a mobile phone or computer.

Sentence Usage

• Infomania keeps you abreast with latest trends on social media.
• The rise in infomania could reduce workers sharpness
• Web workers may be more familiar with infomania

4.Locavore

Definition

A person interested in eating locally produced food, whenever possible.

Sentence Usage

• Locavore eateries are everywhere.
• The farmer is a locavore.

5. Freegan

Definition

A person who seeks to help the environment by reducing waste, especially by retrieving and using discarded foods or goods.

Sentence Usage

• The freegan gathered all leftover food at the end of the party.
• Jesus was a freegan.

6.Screenager

Definition

A person in their teens or twenties who has a knack for computers and the internet.

Sentence Usage

• He has been working online since he was a screenager.
• The hack was attributed to a screenager

7.Chillax

Definition

To calm down and relax (coined from 'chill-out' & 'relax')

Sentence Usage

• Brother, chillax with some cool music.
• Stop stressing and chillax.

8.Voluntourism

Definition

Describing people who volunteer overseas for a charity with the actual motivation of visiting foreign places.

Sentence Usage

• I longed to visit America, so I thought voluntourism would do the trick.

9.Hangry

Definition

Bad temper or irritation caused by hunger.

Sentence Usage

• I'm starting to feel really hangry

Now, you can work on incorporating these new English words into your vocabulary.

Grammar Test

Write a sentence in the comments section featuring at least four new English words

Also, Read - Six English Words You Should Learn To Use Properly

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Grammar Study - Noun Phrase

Improve your use of grammar by understanding what a noun phrase is.


A noun phrase is one of the many types of phrase.It is a one where the main word is a noun or a pronoun.
It is very common and the most frequently occuring phrase type.

Ten (10) Noun Phrases

1. The good woman
2. The broken botle
3. Pretty ladies
4. The  garden
5. My Sister
6. The manager of the firm
7. The poor driver
8. The newspaper vendor
9. An application letter
10. The zonal officer

Features Of A Noun Phrase

1.The begining of a noun phrase can be premodified by articles,possessives,demonstratives,adjectives or a combination of two more of these.

Examples

• An apple
• A bag
• The boy(premodified by articles)

• My mother
• Your bag
• Their cousin(all premodified by possessives)

• Handsome boys
• Small finger
• Big lorries (all premodified by adjectives)

• Those books
• That girl
• This car(all premodified by demonstratives)

• The big ugly goat 
• A tall rude boy(premodified by articles and adjectives)

2.The begining of a noun phrase can be premodified by adjectives,prepositional phrases or clauses

Examples 

• The girl in the classroom
• The house of the president(premodified by prepositional phrase)
• The girl who talks a lot.
• The man I told you about(postmodified by a clause)

3.It could also be an infinitive phrase

Examples

• The desire to dance well
• The boy to beat.

Functions Of A Noun Phrase

1.Subject of a Verb

This is noted when a noun phrase makes up the initial part of a sentence

Examples

• The tall ugly boy is rude ( Subject of the verb 'is')
• The beautiful girl comes here everyday (Subject of the verb 'comes')

2.As The Object of The Verb

When a noun phrase comes after a verb, it functions as the object of the verb.

Examples

• The girl bought a mango (Object of the verb 'bought')
• I gave Bimbo the money (The money is the object of the verb 'give')

3.As A Subject complement

This is noted when a noun phrase is the same thing as the subject ot tells more about the subject.

Examples

• My brother is an engineer (The 'engineer' is the same person as my 'brother')
• Peter is a student (;Peter' is the same person as the 'student')

4.As An Object Complement
When a noun phrase directly follows the direct object in a sentence, it serves as the object's complement.

Examples

• Your cousins named their son 'Bright' (complement of the word 'son')
• The masses elected you 'President' (compliment of the word 'you')

5.Object of A Preposition

When a noun phrase occurs after a preposition, then it functions as the object of the preposition.

Examples

• The boy put the book under his bag (compliment of the preposition 'under')
• The nice girl in the garden is my sister (compliment of the preposition 'in')

Did You Know ? 

A Noun Phrase is also called a nominal phrase.

That will be all for now! Catch you next week! 

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Grammar Study - Idiomatic Expressions

Idioms are phrases which have a deeper meaning than the surface meaning.
In other words, idioms are group of words that convey extended meanings apart from the individual word meanings.

The interesting thing about idioms are that they vary in different languages and often times sound ridiculous with it's explanation.

Learning the idioms of the English language can be very interesting and enlightening!

Here's an example of an idiomatic expression.

To Carry The Day

'The day' of course can never be literally carried therefore the phrase above clearly denotes something else - being victorious.

40 Idiomatic Expressions and Their Meanings

1. Behind closed doors - Without any publicity ; in secret
2. To do away with - To get rid of
3. To get even with someone - To get revenge upon 
4. To take heart - To have courage
5. To read between the lines - To work out meaning not immediately
6. To hold one's tongue - To keep silent for a moment
7. To pull the wool over one's eye - To deceive someone
8. To sleep over an issue - To think over an issue
9. To cry over spilled milk - To grieve over a situation that cannot be corrected
10. To know one's onions - To be an expert at a particular job
11. To smell a rat - To become suspicious
12. To build castles in the air - To think of an impossible task
13. To find one's feet at something - To become used to.
14. Starting something on the wrong feet - To make an initial mistake
15. To be at logger head with - To have a serious disagreement with someone
16. Coming out with flying colors - To perform very well
17. To lead a cat and dog life - To quarrel frequently with someone
18. To face the music - To bear the consequences of one's action
19. To be pushed to the walls - To reach the limits of what one can endure
20. Running away with tails between the legs - To leave a place completely defeated.
21. To raise one's eyebrows - To show surprise
22. To play to the gallery - Trying to win cheap applause or praises.
23. To give someone a wide berth - To keep far away from someone
24. To beat about the bush - To approach a matter in an indirect way
25. To tighten one's belt - To try to spend less money
26. Caught red-handed - To be caught in the very act of doing something - esp something wrong
27. To see eye with somebody - To agree totally with someone's idea or view
28. To be up to date - To have the latest information
29. To make ends meet - To try one's best to survive
30. To get away with an action - To go unpunished after committing an offence
31. To blow your trumpet - To praise your actions 
32. To happen once in a blue moon - A rare occurence
33. To eat one's words - To deny saying something
34. To fall out with someone - To have a misunderstanding with someone
35. To borrow a leaf from someone - To learn something good from someone
36. To fight tooth and nail - To struggle very hard to achieve something
37. To rise to the occasion - To handle an emergency situation well
38. To be in the same both - To be in the same situation as another person
39. Raining cat and dogs - To rain heavily
40. To leave no stone unturned - To do everything possible under a particular situation.

Conclusion

Use of idiomatic expressions in speech and writing is used to measure to what extent you understand a particular language.

As an English scholar, you should get to know and use this idioms as it improves your vocabulary. Surf the web for more of it!

Exercise

Write 20 English Idiomatic Expressions

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Grammar Study - Six English Words You Should Learn To Use Properly

Raise your hand if you've never made a mistake speaking or writing English.

Swear you've never been a defaulter!

Improving your vocabulary reduces the rate of blunders while reading this post keeps you alert to six English words you may have been using wrongly.

Six Commonly Misused/Misapplied English Words

1.Hung

The word hung means to suspend freely but doesn't mean from the neck until dead.

Wrong
The criminal was hung after the court's ruling

Right
I hung the portrait on the wall

2.Fewer /Less

Most people use the word 'less' when they actually mean 'fewer'.

Here's the difference between 'fewer' and 'less'.

The term 'fewer' refers to items that can be counted individually.

'Less' on the other hand refers to items that cannot be counted.

Wrong
1.Twenty items or fewer
2.There are less cakes now.

Right

1.Twenty items or less
2.There are fewer cakes now.

3.Number/Amount

In a similar way to fewer/less , you could unconsciously be interchanging these words in your sentences.

Here's the difference between number and amount.

Number refers to countable things
Amount refers to an item/commodity that can be counted.

Wrong
1.A greater amount of people attended this year's event.
2.We will know the amount of visitors at the end of the event

Right
1.A greater number of people attended this year's event.
2.We will know the number of visitors at the end of the event.

4.New Age

This term refers to spiritualistic and holistic practices, not modern developments.

Wrong
The New Age technology has transformed lives.

Right
He is a fan of the New Age philosophies.

Wrong The criminal was hung after the court's ruling

5.Opportunism

This means seizing or exploiting opportunities and doesn't mean creating or promoting opportunities.

Wrong
His opportunism makes him a popular choice for the middle class.

Right
His opportunism brought him to the head of the company.


ALSO SEE : Difference Between Moral and Morale

6.Irregardless / Irrespective

This English word is proscribed to assume the synonymous form 'regardless' or 'respective'.

It would therefore represent an error to use irregardless either in speech or writing.

Wrong

1.The man came to his rescue, irregardless of the fact he wasn't a Jew.

Right

1.The man came to his rescue, regardless of the fact he was a Jew.

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Grammar Study - Consonant Clusters

• Definition of consonant clusters
• Positions of consonant clusters
• Exercises

A consonant is a speech sound produced as a result of an obstruction of the free flow of air from the lungs.

For consonant letters, they include every other letters of the alphabets other than A,E ,I, O,U (verbs).

In the study of consonant clusters , however , great attention is paid to the sound of the clustering consonants.

Consonant clusters refers to the occurrence of two or more consonant sounds in a word without the interference of a vowel. In this case, every vowel sound in the said word is found either before or after the clusters.

Consonant clusters are also called consonant blends.

POSITIONS OF CONSONANT CLUSTERS

There are basically three positions of consonant clusters

Initial Clusters

This is observed  when the consonants cluster at the beginning of the word.

It may be a combo of 2-3 consonant sounds

Examples of initial two consonant clusters

Slay
Speak
Fry
Dwarf
Dress
Skate
Fly


Examples of initial three consonant clusters

Splash
Strong

Medial Clusters

Clusters in this category are noticed in the middle of words.

Examples of words with medial clusters 

Kidnap
Casket
Pregnant
Basket
Comfort

Final Clusters 

This is noted when consonants cluster at the end of the words.

Examples of words with final clusters

Crust
Mask
Porch
Cost
Lurk

Sentences Where Clusters Take A Prominent Role

1.It is best to ask for help, if the task is too hard.
2.Most adults find it difficult to ask for help.
3.The president wore a mask to the camp at dusk.
4.He drank from the swamp at the end of the park. 

Exercises

1.List ten words to show the
-Initial clusters
-Medial clusters
-Final clusters.

2.Put down three sentences with at least two consonant clusters.

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Grammar Study - Collocation

     
This week's grammar study provides a run through on - Collocation


A collocation is a union of two or more words that are used together or combined regularly.
In a way, the words are more suitably used side by side than apart from each other.

To understand what we actually mean by collocation

Consider two words, 'thick' and 'dense'

We might form phrases like, 

• Thick forest or Dense forest
• Thick fog or Dense fog
• Thick smoke or Dense smoke

On the other hand, we can never say 'dense hair" rather we say 'thick hair'

Therefore 'thick' collocates or combines perfectly with hair rather than 'dense'

Also consider

Two other words 'sharp' and 'acute'

We might form phrases like

'sharp' pain or 'acute' pain

But we cannot say
'acute knife' rather we make use of 'sharp knife'

This means that 'sharp' collocates with 'knife'  more than 'acute'

         

EXAMPLES OF COLLOCATION

Verb Collocations

This is usually the most common form of collocation used in everyday situations.
It's a combo of a verb + noun

Examples of  Verb Collocations

1.Feel free to take a seat and enjoy the event.
2.Turn (off/on) the computer after use.
3.We are making rapid progress on the project.

Adjective Collocations

This collocation form is seen in sentences where an adjective precedes a noun.

Examples Of Adjective Collocation

1.He fell in a deep sleep after the party.

2.John is a heavy smoker

3. I bet you will get into deep trouble by following his advice.

Expression Collocations

This refers to the use of collocates to express how a person feels about an ongoing situation.

Examples of Expression Collocation

1.I deeply regret the loss of my most priceless asset.

2.I was positively encouraged by his remarks.

3.I did that in utter fury.

Business Collocations

These are collocates used more frequently in during business engagements.

Examples Of Business Collocations

1.We just sealed a contract worth millions of Naira.

2.I wouldn't spend my hard earned money on a fruitless mission.

3.He paid us with counterfeit money.

So we are done!

Test your abilities on collocations

Identify collocations in the following sentences

1.His poor performances resulted in strong criticism.

2.He is being held in high esteem by the fans

3. No one loves someone with low self esteem.

4.The teacher has an awe-inspiring personality.

5.Mark was greatly disappointed by his fiancee.


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Grammar Study: Difference Between Access And Assess

Today's edition of grammar study will discuss a clear difference between two other English words often misplaced in sentences.

Differences Between Access and Assess 

With the exception of the 'cc' and 'ss' which comes after the first letter of both words, another difference is detected in the pronunciation of the words.

Access is pronounced as /ˈæk.sɛs/
Assess on the other hand is pronounced as
/əˈsɛs/

A look at the definition of both words also clearly shows that one can't supersede the other in a sentence

Access Definitions

1.A way or means of approaching or entering; an entrance; a passage.

2.The act of approaching or entering; an advance.

3.The right or ability of approaching (accessibility)

4.The quality of being easy to approach or enter.

Further Definitions

Admission to sexual intercourse.

An increase by addition;accession; as, an access of territory.

An onset, attack, or fit of disease; an ague fit.

An outburst of an emotion ,usually a passion.

The right of a non-custodial parent to visit their child.

Connection to or communication with a computer program or to the Internet.

The process of locating data in memory.

Assess Definitions

1.To determine, estimate or judge the value of; to evaluate

Example
John will assess the situation upon his arrival.

2.To impose or charge, especially as punishment for a violation.

Example
A stipulated late fee will be assessed on all overdue accounts.

3.To calculate and demand(the tax money due) from a person or entity.

Example
The Tax Department will assess the amount of tax you still owe.


So next time you write, be careful not to misplace both words.

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