of a off a on or upon. a over over against save a c since a through Notice the following phrases :— Above. Above a hundred men. Above forty years old. Over and above the quantity required. They shot their arrows from above (adverb). About. The towns about Capua. What are you about? About a week. About a mile. What do you think about it? I am about to die. Against. He ran against me in the street. Along. against it. Against to-morrow. Caesar spoke Against I come (conjunction). Along the roadside. Come along with me (adverb). Amidst, or Amid, means 'in the middle of.' Amidst the storm they sang. Amid the breakers. Among. ('Amid' is gene rally poetical.) Stood in the midst of them. Alone among crowds. Out from among the most degraded. Around. At. Athwart Before. Behind. Below. Beneath. Around the ruined column. Look round, or around (adverb). What are you aiming at? Round the world. What are you at? At the appointed signal, he fired. He rose at sunrise. He was at supper. At the He ran at full speed. bottom of a well. him at his word. Good at cricket. At first; At an end; He valued it at fifty pounds. At school; at home; at sea; at Rome. (We generally say 'in London.') at last; at least; at most; at the most. at hand; at present; at once. At one; at variance; at odds; at all. At my request; at my expense. At leisure; at work. At sight; at your peril. Twelve at a shot. At them! is poetical, and means 'across.' Athwart the darkness. And clenched the ear-rings endlong and athwart with claws of griffin grasp (adverb). ander. Before my face. Before my time. Before Alex- Behind the rest of the procession. Behind the hill. (adverb). Below the surface of the earth. Below the rank What is written below (adverb). Beneath my roof. This is altogether beneath you. ('Beneath' is more common in poetry, 'below' in prose.) Beside. He sat beside the river. Besides. Besides other reasons. there (adverb). And besides, he was not (In old English, 'beside' is used for 'besides' as a preposition; as, 'Oxen and sheep, beside harts and roebucks.') Between. The sea flows between England and her enemies. Queen and the prisoner at the bar. Between the A space was By. Locative: The cottage by the brook. wood. Stand by your frieħds. What is there Hard by yon 'By' is joined with the agent of a passive verb— Instrumental: To go by train. To learn by heart. By name; by profession; by nature. By no means. By all you hold Other phrases: Older by two years. night; or 2, before night). Concerning is originally a participle. Down. concerning this affair. He sat by (adverb). Tell me all you know Down the river. Down the gulf of time. 'Down' is generally an adverb; as To put down, hang down, sit down, &c. Up and down. Upside down. He is downright honest. Consols are down to ninety. During. During the reign of Elizabeth. Ere. Ere the day, three hundred horse had met. Ere 'Ere' is poetical. ('Ere' is a different word from e'er, and is not, like the latter, a contraction of ever.) All Except, Excepting, are originally the imperative and participle. No one was there, except the king and queen. escaped, excepting two of the crew. For. The use of 'except' as a conjunction is only found in books in old English, but it is still allowable colloquially-Do not speak except I speak to you. Who 'But' is apparently used in the sense of 'except;' as- It is however really an adverb; as There were but three. Out of all the number but one returned. But for me you would have been killed. That peach is not for you. Which party are you I should have died. I am sorry for you. most part. For example. for word. For three years. For years. You dare not for your life. For the For miles. Word For as much as you have promised. ('For,' preposition joined with 'much.' 'As,' relative The use of 'for' as a conjunction is very frequent- Cause: The brook will be swollen, for it rained last night. When prepositions are used as adverbs, there has been originally something omitted in the expression; as, 'He was left behind,' i. e. behind his companions. |