8.1 Prepositions, adverb particles and conjunctions
8.5 Particular prepositions, particles: contrasts (3)
8.5A Prepositions, particles, etc. often confused and misused
[> LEG App 25.26-37]of, out of, from and with after made
We use made of and made out of when we can actually recognize the material(s): made of
wood, iron, etc. We use made from when the ingredients are not immediately obvious: a cake
made from eggs, milk and flour. We use made with (= contains) to identify one or more of the
ingredients: These chocolates are made with fresh cream.of and off
We never use of and off in place of each other. We always use a noun or pronoun object after
of-, north of the river, a woman of 50. We can use an object after off, or we can use it on its own
to suggest separation: just off the motorway, take the top off.on and in
We often use both of these to refer to the body. On refers to surface: on your nose.
In suggests 'deep': a speck in my eye, or refers to pain: a pain in my stomach.out of and outside
Out of \is the opposite of into when we are describing movement: We ran out of the building.
In this sense, we can't replace out of by outside. Compare uses without movement:
He is out of his office. (= not here) He is outside the office. (= waiting)over, above and on top of
Over(= covering, sometimes touching): Keep the blankets over you. Above (= at a higher
level and not touching): a light above my head. On top of{= touching): on top of the TV.
We can use over and above in place of each other to mean 'vertically at a higher level':
a helicopter over/above a lifeboat. We cannot use over and above in place of each other when
all we are concerned with is 'a higher level' (not vertical). If, for example, we were referring to
two cats on a tree we would say that A was above B, not over it.
We also use both words to refer to rank, etc.: over/above the rank of colonel.under, underneath and below
Under (= covered by, sometimes touching); underneath (= completely covered by):
a mat under/underneath a hot dish. Below is the opposite of above and we can use it in place of
under/underneath,, ße/oiv (Not 'under*) refers to position (below the knee).with and without
We use with and without to mean 'accompanied by' or 'not accompanied by':
with/without my sister. With can suggest 'having': with your hands in your pockets, and 'taking
into consideration': with the high cost of living. With follows common adjectives (e.g. angry) and
we use it in expressions like blue with cold. Without + -ing can suggest 'and not do something':
Go into the room without waking the children.with, without, in and of
We can use with and withoutXo mean 'carrying'/'not carrying': with a handbag, without any
money. We can also refer to physical characteristics: with a big nose; and such things as
hairstyles and make-up: with pink lipstick. We can use in to mean 'wearing': the man in the blue
suit. We can also refer to voice quality: in a loud voice. Of can describe personal qualities: a
man of courage: age: a man of 65; or wealth: a woman of substance.