Using prepositions (1)

Prepositions complete phrases or form a relationship between words in a sentence. Common prepositions include: at, of, in, on, for, off, out of, from, by, with, without. Other prepositions include: as, beyond, against, throughout, between, concerning, towards. Here are some features of prepositions: They have a meaning of their own and can be used to indicate time, movement, place, etc. in both concrete and abstract ways: over the wall; over a ten-year period/towards the goal; towards success/beyond our galaxy; beyond anyone’s dreams They can go with many verbs, adjectives and nouns: believe in/different from/characteristics of They can form part of a common phrase: to what extent/in contrast to/in line with/on account of They can form part of a phrasal verb: carry out/draw on/weigh up/account for Here are some examples of when you might need to use prepositions in academic work: 1 To report information (verbs) White (2008) points out, admits to, agrees to/agrees with X on/about something, reflects on, accuses X of, refers to, expresses doubts/concerns about/over, draws attention to, focuses on, gives/lends support to