8.1 Prepositions, adverb particles and conjunctions
8.4 Particular prepositions, particles: contrasts (2)
8.4A Prepositions, particles, etc. often confused and misused
[> LEG App 25.12-19, 25.25]beside and besides
Beside + noun/pronoun means 'next to': Sit beside me. Besides with or without an object
means 'in addition to' or 'as well as': There were many people there besides (us).between and among
We commonly use between to show a division between two people, things, or times:
Divide this between you both. We use among + plural noun to refer to a mass of people, etc.:
Were you among the people present? We sometimes use between to refer to more than two, if
these can be viewed separately: Don't smoke between courses.but (for) and except (for)
But (for)/except (for) mean 'with the exception of: Everyone has helped but (for)/except (for)
you. We can use except and bu/without for, but not to begin a sentence:
Except for/But for you, everyone has helped. (Not *Except you/But you everyone ....*)
Except for/but fore an mean 'if not': We'd've been on time except for/but for the snow.by, near and on
Bye an mean 'right next to': Sit by me. We often use the words right or close in front of by. The
hotel is right by/close by the station. Near (or not far from) usually suggests 'a short way from':
We live near/not far from London. On means 'right next to' or 'beside' when we refer to 'a line':
Our house is right on the road. I can't see what is on my left.by and past
We use either word after verbs of motion (go, run, walk, etc.) to mean 'beyond in space or time':
He went right by/past me without speaking. A few days went by/past.by, with and without [compare > 8.5An.7]
We often use by in fixed phrases: by bus, by car, by post. We also use it to refer to 'method':
You can open it by moving the catch. By can refer to time and rate: I'm paid by the hour. With/
without refer to things (especially tools or instruments) which we need to use: You can't open it
with/without a bottle-opener.down, up, under and over
Down is the opposite of up and shows direction towards a lower level, especially with
'movement verbs': Let's climb up/down. We can also use up and down to show position: He
lives up/down the street. Under suggests 'being covered': Let's sit under a tree. Over с an
have the meaning 'covering': Keep this blanket over you.due to and owing to
We often use either one or the other. However, due to is related to a noun + be: Our delay
(noun) was (+ be) due to/caused by the heavy traffic. Owing to (= because of) is related to the
verb: The broadcast was cancelled (verb) owing to/because of the strike.like and as
Like (= to compare with) is followed by a noun or pronoun: There's no one like John/you. We
can also use it to mean 'such as': Invite people like the Frys. Like can also mean 'similar to/
in the same way as': It was like a dream. He acts like a king.
We use as (Not 'like") + object to mean 'in the capacity of: I work as a receptionist.
We also use as to give a reason [> 1.9]: As the last bus had left, we walked home.
We use like informally to introduce a clause, especially in American English: Like I told you,
it's an offer I can't refuse. A lot of native speakers of English think this is wrong.