5. Preposition and Prepositional Phrase

[echo1454]

thnx allot

[robertpetrie1960]

I feel like I am being taught by a more modern Julius Kelp.

[dpain0]

Ahhh there is not one video explaining which preposition you would use for a phrase!

[MrDevin666]

Do you know what thought groups are?

[MrDevin666]

Bundy is with my friend. The prepositional phrase "with my friend," is acting as an adverb, correct? Where function.

[mrthoth]

@MrDevin666 Correct.

[ejaracil]

you really know how to teach, very quick and easy to understand, THANKS!

[faithm]

wow there's so much i want to ask, hah. guess i'll watch some more videos. :)

[rohitsetia]

This is probably the best description of the prepositions. i read several times about the prep but always forgot it after some time. i think now after watching this video i will remember it forever. Thanks Mr. Thoth.

[mayanma]

Many people teach grammar. But there is only one 'you'. 

[eatmycookieface]

best teacher!

[snumanali]

Great.

[snumanali]

Great. terrific presentation.

[danboy2000]

What about of, I'm have lots of trouble where\when to use it

[wanengblueza]

hi teacher, your cute!

[paulfahnestock]

thank you for the videos its been a few years since school and im going to college in the fall 2010. Very nice refresher.

[brian5551000]

I am trying to diagram your top sentence. I am having trouble with "nearly a hero." What part of speech is this, and what would it be attached to in the diagram?

[mrthoth]

@brian5551000 "Nearly" is an adverb that should be written on a slanted line descending from "is". "Hero" is a nound acting as the subjective complement, and belongs on the baseline, to the right of a line rising from the baseline and slanting towards "is". "A" is an adjective that belongs on a slanted line descending from "hero."

[brian5551000]

@mrthoth I am having trouble determining what an adverb is. In your adverb video you note that adverbs answer the following questions: why, how, when, and where. In this example I do not know how to phrase the question to test to see if a word is an adverb. For example: how is? (nearly? no, that doesn't make sense to me.) when is? (nearly? still lost trying this question.) I am pretty confused here. Also, thanks for posting the videos. Your videos and help are greatly appreciated.

[mrthoth]

@brian5551000 Consider this sentence: He bakes cakes well. How does he bake cakes? Well, that's how. So "well" is an adverb. Now let's try this: He is not a hero. ("Not" is, of course, the most common adverb.) How is he a hero? Not, that's how. Now let's try our sentence. He is nearly a hero. How is he a hero? Nearly, that's how.

[brian5551000]

@mrthoth Thanks for both of the replies. I realized that I was not framing the questions correctly. Instead of asking, "How is he a hero?" I was asking, "How is?" Obviously, that does not lend itself to anything useful. I appreciate the additional examples. It appears I need to spend a bit of time on Google locating some additional examples on finding adverbs.

[mrthoth]

@brian5551000 These test questions are not perfect, but they can help you get to a point where you do not need to ask questions at all; you will just know the parts of speech.

[brian5551000]

@mrthoth I think it will be awhile before I get to the point where I intrinsically know what parts of speech words are. On a positive note, I know what level of grammar mastery to go after. 

[marshmallow1507]

you are cool...

[snuroni]

Yes, Helpful...

[beltdb75]

I feel that we learn english grammar for about 30 seconds in 2nd grade and forget about it right after. I have been studying Italian for 2 years now and a major stumbeling block has been the Italian grammar. When I don't understand the grammar in my own language it is much more difficult to learn it in another, hence me looking over these videos. Thanks for the help!

[cristle27]

sooo true!

[casadejoey]

Thank U

[TheLarssan]

Thanks. :)

[YourWeedSucks]

This teacher is good and as good as my English teacher.

[dosclarineros]

Thank you. I am learning.

[islamic22flower22ksa]

great lesson thx 4 sharin

[yupyupnopenope]

Awesome

[taitorell]

just great! I love your lessons!

[Stefan5444]

Thank you sooo much you are the best.... really

yep a prepositional phrase finally got it :)

[RededicatedDaily]

Thank you so much...I just started school again after 6 years and I feel lost. I forgot everything! This really helps, I subscribed to your posts so please continue! Can you do one about when to use a semi-colon instead of a period? I need help with that! Thanks again!

[wolf4lifepsl]

Thanks!, my , grammar skills are; getting better!.

[commanderjime]

very clear cutie =)

[pangemeto]

where to use shall, could would can

[moonshine100]

thank you i have a dignostic test today on all my grammer since 8gth grade Guess who didn't study and is now up at 5:00 am craming

[koya25555]

"gullible children" LOLOOL

[sunnyxlove1990]

thanks a lot! Easy to understand and ur examples help a lot! Keep making these videos because english teachers nowadays skip grammer because it's to difficult for them

[MAYDAYES]

I know what can help you. Draw a picture of a house. Look at the pictures and say around the house, below the house, in the house, out the house, etc.. I hope that will help you

[iblondehead]

i have a midterm tomorrow and i didnt understand preponitions and now i do thank you so much!

[sk8footydudes]

Dude, i wish you were my teacher, mime didnt teach it like that.

[enilrhh]

dude you explained this way better than my teacher ever teacher did. Thanks alot

[binbinder6]

Yossarian thanks a lot i have a english exam tommorow on parts of speech and direct object indirect objects and subject complements thanks man

you like saved my butt

[rapture333]

Thank you, appreciate it a lot.

[OmglolPawn]

The cat jumped _______ the box.

over above underneath near etc.

[nsoroma000]

this video sucks

[nsoroma000]

this sucs

[JrANBU]

thank you very much. short and easy to understand. keep on posting plz!

[JrANBU]

how about:

the chair by the window is broken.

"by the window" is the prepositional phrase.

is "chair" being modified or "broken"???

[mrthoth]

"By the window" answers the question "Which chair?"--the one by the window, that's which chair--and is therefore functioning as an adjective modifying "chair."

[JrANBU]

we found the book under the table.

"under the table" is the prepositional phrase

"book" is being modified

or is

"found" the word being modified?

can you answer back please?

[mrthoth]

The sentence "We found the book under the table" could mean two things. I suspect that what you intend to say is that the book was found under the table. In that case, "under the table" answers the question "Found where? and modifies "found." The sentence could, however, mean that you found (at some unspecified location)the book that is now under the table. In that case, "under the table" answers the question "Which book?" and modifies "book".

[jball001]

TY this helped a lot

[Isaac86hatch]

God bless you! It's ironic that I pay tons in tuition for college but am learning more from youtube.

[prashanthpillutla]

Great explanation mrthoth. You have a very clear and concise way of getting the point across. Looking forward to more videos from you.

[VinVenLs]

Babyci84, I'm Brazilian too.

I'd advice you to read George Lakoff's "Metaphor We Live By". This book plays a big part in everything I've learned lately in English.

I guess the different between "as" and "like" may be described through another example:

You are a teacher, but you're not like yours.

"As" seems to be more often used to show facts or more similarity while "like", to show common feelings or less similarity.

I hope I've helped you.

[babyci84]

Hello mrthoth

I'm Brazilian and I teach English here in Brazil. I'd like to know how to explain the difference between "like" and "as", since we have the same word for them in Portuguese.

For example:

- I work as a teacher.

- I don't work like my teacher.

Please, help me!!!

=)

[dirtrail]

as a teacher = referring to the general class of "teacher".

like my teacher = my particular "teacher". A person.

[mygodimissyou]

Thanks mrthoth, these are really good.

I am, though, still having difficulty distinguishing prepositional phrases from adverbial phrases in practice. I'm a native speaker and this makes me acutely ashamed. Could you help me?

Who has a problem with prepositions? I have a problem with prepositions, thats who!

[sw1e6hq]

I've just taken some time-out from your superb English course to watch Stargate SG1 on TV. During the programme I was delighted when a bad guy said: "You've never experienced the likes of which Anubis is capable of" to which Colonel Jack O'Neill answered, extremely disgustardly: "You ended that sentence with a preposition!"

I knew from your whiteboard that you had the word "of" listed as a preposition, but is it true that one shouldn't end a sentence in this manner?

[mrthoth]

One thing is certain. The bad guy's sentence is no good; it has an extra "of". Now, O'Neill echoes a familiar rule, which would be better stated thus: prepositions should precede objects. If you say, "That's a cause I'd fight for," "for" is not followed by an object. So in formal contexts, many would prefer to say, "That's a cause for which I would fight." If you're writing for picky people, go ahead and use the more formal "for which", "to which", "with which", and so on.

[SanctuaryRig]

Is it really necessary to "go ahead and" use it...? Can't you just "use" it without the need to "go ahead and" use it?

[rojeryeswithaj]

is that jerry lewis at his best? lol awesome! !

[apuanka]

very good

[bevscorner]

Very good, and simple, easy to understand.

[BBallbuster]

You've changed my grammatical life.

[bleepmaster23]

Shouldn't it be the: "the man, with the hat, is nearly a hero"?

[knetworkz]

No, you would not use commas here, just as you wouldn't write "The squirrel ran, around the tree." Commas would never be used to attach a preposition to its noun.

Think of "Drink a cup of tea" vs. "Drink a cup, of tea". The latter is just wrong.

You would use the commas in a case such as "The man, having put on his hat, went off to become a hero."

[EnforcedWarwick]

I really like grammar and would like to improve my grammar. I do a lot of writing in my studies. You teach a lot about prepsitions, which is good but what about teaching things such as supluratives and other complicated grammar. It is unfortunate though at school we were never taught much about grammar and so when we grow up as adults we have to virtually learn the whole rule again because of what we missed. I have taught myself English and writing I found that it was a lot easier for me.

[ekuhnos]

You are talking about grammar. The preceding sentence contains a preposition, but the phrase is neither an adjective nor an adverb (doesn't answer questions such as 'when, where, how, who'). There are plenty of prepositional objects in English and you should talk about these, too.

[teacherkat319]

Thanks-this is great information to help me teach this in my class!  Awesome!

[hickok45]

Glad to see you understand and love good grammar. Remember, grammarlessness is kin to brainlessness and that a preposition IS actually something that it's okay to end a sentence with! -) Just ask the Grammar Girl on her podcast!

[rainbowrain89]

BTW you check rosskenneger real deal teaching. brad pitt of teaching

[rainbowrain89]

good fucking job and funny. but need to explain of and like

[death2usAllandkira]

ok this is sooooooooo cool! thanx i totaly needed help for english 12 thanx i undersatnd prepostions more! really thanz!!!~emmy

[lykeomgz1987]

Could you please do one on affect and effect? I have such much trouble with this. *sigh*

[mrthoth]

In case I don't get to a video, here's the answer. "Affect" is a verb, and "effect" is a noun. If you're wondering if you should use and "a" or an "e", try to figure out if the word is going to be a verb or a noun. (It's true that in very, very fancy writing "affect" can be a noun (psychiatrists might use it that way) and "effect" can be a verb, but you are very unlikely ever to need to take that into account--just remember that "affect" is the verb and "effect" is the noun).

[lykeomgz1987]

Thanks. I get that Affect is a verb and Effect is a noun but sometimes I just get tricked up on them and they confuse me. Are there any other tricks to help me to learn this? Gah.

[iybce3]

thank you for the lesson. but there is background sound. Thank you anyway very much

[zombydanger]

Thank you very much, you are really good, i love your videos.

[unideanet]

I thought he was gay, then I realized he is french (frenchmen always seem gay even if they're not).

Anyway, good lesson!

[razzigirl]

what does being gay have to do with ESL teaching? NOTHING! So keep your stupid comments to yourself. This was an awesome lesson mrthoth.

[unideanet]

nothing against the lesson, just the guy seems gay.

[AnnaMaria63]

C'est bon!Vidéo excellente. Tu es un Dieu de Langue, ou un Dieu d'explication de préposition.

Bisous

[mrthoth]

Hélas, je ne suis qu'un homme--faillible, imparfait--bien que passionné par la préposition!

[iamjhou]

very nice!!

keep posting dude!!

high five!!

[sonata1992]

I was unfortunately completely unable to follow this one.

[lovepupbandit]

yeah me too.

[Me00721]

No, Sir. You made a mistake at 3:23. Things that answer the question "which" are not adjectives.

[blueneckneck]

Which comment? The incorrect comment, that's which comment. "Incorrect" answers the question "Which one?" and "incorrect" is an adjective. Yossarian is vindicated again!