(upbeat music)
- [Lecturer] Hi, everybody, in this video,
you're going to learn five preposition rules
about using prepositions correctly in sentences.
In the video description,
you can print the worksheet to take notes
and answer practice questions as you watch.
If this video helps you,
click subscribe to get automatic notifications
of new videos on my channel at youtube.com/english units.
This video is part three of a three part video series
and the topics we'll cover include,
avoiding of after should, would and could.
Object pronouns using commas with a propositional phrase,
misplaced prepositional phrases and prepositions
at the end of sentences.
Rule number one.
Write should have or should've
with apostrophe VE and not should plus the preposition of.
The same rule applies to could have and what have.
This rule is more like a spelling rule
than a preposition rule
but I wanted to include it in this video
because many people make mistakes with this rule.
Look at these examples.
We should have come sooner, it's freezing.
We could of invited Angela too.
In these examples, we should not use the word of,
we need to use the word have
or contraction apostrophe VE.
Rule two, use object pronouns after a preposition,
not subject pronouns.
So what's a subject pronoun?
Subject pronouns include I, you, he, she, we, they and who.
A subject does the action in a sentence.
For example, she and I throw a basketball.
We know that she and I are subject pronouns in the sentence,
not object pronouns because she and I
are doing the action of throwing.
Object pronouns include me, you, him, her,
us, them and whom.
An object receives the action in a sentence.
One way that objects receive action is from a preposition.
Here's an example.
John throws the ball to her and me.
Because we have the preposition to,
her and me are the pronouns that must follow
because after a preposition,
we must use object pronouns, not subject pronouns.
The error that people often make in this situation
is they want to use she and I,
by saying John throws the ball to she and I.
That's not correct because she and I are subject pronouns
but after a preposition, we must use object pronouns.
Let's see how much you understood.
Read each sentence and where see parentheses,
decide whether you need the subject pronoun
or the object pronoun and why.
Now let's check answers.
Sentence one, send an email to Maria and...
Is the answer I, or me?
The answer is me.
Why? Because we see the preposition to.
After a preposition, we have to use the object pronoun me,
not a subject pronoun which would be I.
What about sentence two?
In sentence two, the answers are subject pronouns,
they and we.
In class, they and we spoke.
How do we know that this is the answer?
Because we see the verb spoke.
These pronouns need to tell us
who did the action of speaking.
So we need the subject pronouns, they and we,
not object pronounce them and us.
Sentence three.
The correct answers for this sentence are them and us.
We know because of the preposition except.
When pronouns come right after a preposition,
that means the pronouns are the objects of that preposition.
So we need to use the object pronouns them and us,
not subject pronouns, they and we.
Rule three, use a comma after a prepositional phrase
that begins a sentence.
However, do not use commas with prepositional phrases
in the middle or end of a sentence.
Here are some examples of prepositional phrases
that we would use at the beginning of a sentence
and follow with a comma.
At the beach, during our vacation,
after the month of June in the blue sky.
Here's an example sentence.
At the beach, we relaxed.
Here we do use a comma after the prepositional phrase.
Why? Because it's at the beginning of the sentence.
Let's look at the next sentence.
We relaxed at the beach.
Here, we do not use a comma.
Why? Because the prepositional phrase
is at the end of the sentence.
Let's check your knowledge.
I'm going to give you three sentences
and you decide whether or not you need a comma.
Sentence one, in the ocean I see a shark.
Sentence two, many birds fly in the sky.
Sentence three, around the beach you find shells.
Let's look back at sentence one.
Do we need a comma?
Yes, a comma is needed because the propositional phrase
in the ocean is at the beginning of the sentence
so we follow it with a comma.
Sentence two, many birds fly in the sky.
No comma is needed in the sentence
because the prepositional phrase in the sky comes
at the end of the sentence.
Sentence three, around the beach, you find shells.
A comma is needed because the prepositional phrase
around the beach is at the beginning of the sentence
so we follow with a comma.
Rule four, avoid misplaced prepositional phrases.
Basically this means place a propositional phrase
by the word it describes in a sentence.
If we don't do this, sentences can become very confusing.
Look at this example.
We learned about the spiders in our classroom.
Do you see the problem with the sentence?
We intended to say,
we learned about the spiders when we were in class.
But the sentence seems to mean
that there are spiders in the classroom
and we learned about them.
Why does it seem to mean this?
Because a propositional phrase
in a sentence describes the word beside it.
So the propositional phrase in our classroom,
describes the word spiders in this sentence.
How can we correct it so that it no longer sounds
like we have spiders in our classroom?
We move in our classroom beside the word
it actually describes in the sentence.
So which word does
in our classroom actually describe?
Learned, we need to move the phrase
in our classroom closer to the verb learned.
Let's take this prepositional phrase
and move it to the beginning of the sentence.
Now we have in our classroom, we learned about the spiders.
See the difference?
Now the sentence is correct.
Now let's practice.
I'm going to give you three pairs of sentences.
In each pair,
one of the sentences is written correctly,
while the other sentence contains
a misplaced prepositional phrase and creates confusion.
Choose the sentence that's written correctly.
Sentence pair one.
A, we heard about the tornado in McDonald's.
B, in McDonald's, we heard about the tornado.
Go ahead and choose the correct sentence
and we'll check your answers in a moment.
Sentence pair two.
A, for my friend get an apple in the refrigerator.
B, get an apple for my friend in the refrigerator.
Sentence pair three,
A, the teacher told us on Friday we have a test
and B the teacher told us we have a test on Friday.
Pause the video while you think about the answers
and then we'll check them in a moment.
Now let's check our answers.
Sentence pair one,
the correct answer is sentence B.
In McDonald's, we heard about the tornado.
How do we know that this is the correct answer?
Because, remember, we need to place a prepositional phrase
by the word it describes in a sentence.
Let's look at the propositional phrase in McDonald's.
In the sentence, which word does this phrase describe?
In McDonald's describes the verb heard
because it tells where we heard about the tornado.
So in this sentence, the prepositional phrase
in McDonald's appears by the word it describes
which is heard.
This is done correctly and the sentence is clear.
When possible, place the prepositional phrase directly
beside the word it describes in a sentence.
But notice in this example, that was not possible.
That's okay, in cases like this,
just place the propositional phrase as close
as you can to the word it describes in the sentence.
Now let's look at sentence A.
What's the problem with this sentence?
In this sentence, the propositional phrase
in McDonald's appears by the word tornado.
Remember, we place a propositional phrase
by the word it describes in a sentence.
So when we put in McDonald's by the word tornado,
it seems like the tornado is happening in McDonald's,
but this is impossible.
So in this sentence,
in McDonald's is a misplaced prepositional phrase
because it appears by a word that it does not describe.
Sentence pair two, the correct answer is A.
For my friend, get an apple in the refrigerator.
How do we know that's the correct answer?
Again, we need to place the prepositional phrase
by the word it describes in a sentence.
So the prepositional phrase in the refrigerator
describes which word?
It describes the word apple.
So it appears beside apple in the sentence.
That's correct and the meaning is clear.
In sentence B, which word appears
by the prepositional phrase in the refrigerator?
Friend, this makes it seem like the friend
is in the refrigerator.
That's confusing.
So in sentence B,
in the refrigerator is a misplaced prepositional phrase
and we wouldn't want to write a sentence like that
because it creates confusion.
Sentence pair three,
the correct answer is sentence B.
The teacher told us we have a test on Friday.
In sentence B,
we've placed the propositional phrase on Friday
beside one word, test.
This tells us that on Friday describes the test
and therefore that's when the test will take place.
In sentence A, notice the problem.
On Friday appears in the middle of the sentence.
So did the teacher tell us about the test on Friday
or did we have the test on Friday?
We just can't be sure due to the location
of this prepositional phrase in the sentence.
For this reason, in sentence A,
on Friday is a misplaced prepositional phrase
and creates confusion,
so this item is not the correct answer.
Rule five, do not use unneeded prepositions
at the end of a sentence.
- [Boy] Where are we going to?
- [Man] Why are we going there for?
- [Lecturer] These sentences are both incorrect
because they contain an unneeded preposition at the end.
So how do we know when a preposition is unneeded?
We know because if you remove the preposition,
the sentence meaning stays exactly the same
and the sentence makes sense.
Let's correct these sentences
by removing the unneeded preposition at the end.
- [Boy] Where are we going?
- [Man] Why are we going there?
- [Lecturer] Great, now the sentences are correct.
So how do we know if a preposition is needed
at the end of a sentence?
If a preposition is needed,
when you remove that preposition
the meaning of the sentence changes
or the sentence no longer makes sense.
Look at these three examples.
Where are you from?
I know where Maria is from.
What did he step on?
First, let's try removing these prepositions.
In that case, where are you from
becomes where are you?
The meaning is totally different
without that preposition.
That's a sign that the preposition is needed.
Similarly, I know where Maria is from
becomes I know where Maria is.
Again, the meaning has changed so much
that we know that preposition is needed.
And finally, if we remove on from what did he step on,
we get, what did he step?
That sentence doesn't make sense.
That's a sign that on is needed.
Now, what if we try to rearrange those sentences
so that the preposition is not at the end?
From where are you?
I know from where Maria is.
On what did he step?
These sentences sound so awkward
that the sentence itself sounds like an error.
Finally, many people believe that prepositions
should never be used to end a sentence.
For this reason,
I recommend avoiding ending a sentence
with a preposition whenever possible
especially on important documents, like job applications,
college applications or important exams.
Thank you for watching this video
on using prepositions in sentences.
If you have questions,
place them in the comments and I'll do my best to answer.