Dealing with the Prepositional IdiomsThe Prepositional IdiomsA
prepositional idiom consists of a verb followed by a preposition, but unlike an ordinary prepositional phrase, it forms an expression with a nonliteral or idiomatic meaning. Some grammarians consider the prepositional idiom a type of a
phrasal verb, others call it the phrasal verb itself, and still others call it a
verb phrase. Anyway we call it, however, the distinguishing characteristic of a prepositional idiom is that its meaning is largely determined by the preposition that comes after the verb; in fact, a single verb can yield as many as five or many more meanings depending on the preposition that comes after it.
IMAGE CREDIT: WOODWARD ENGLISHFor example, the verb “back,” which literally means “to support by material or moral assistance” or “to cause to go back or in reverse,” yields at least nine different meanings when followed by different prepositions, as follows:
back down – cease defending one’s position in a debate or argument.
Example: He’s not the type who’ll
back down from a fight because of veiled threats.
back away – get out from a previous commitment.
Example: The consortium partner
backed away from the deal for undisclosed reasons.
back out – renege from a promise or deal.
Example: The boxer
backed out from the title fight due to disagreements over the prize money.
back up (1) – provide support to someone or something.
Example: The reporter was asked to
back up his exposé with documentary evidence.
back up (2) – move backwards or in reverse.
Example: She
backed up the car so fast that it hit the lamppost.
back out of – not keep a promise or deal.
Example: His lawyer
backed out of the case the day before the trial.
back into – hit something while moving backwards.
Example: She
backed into a lamppost while getting out of the parking slot.
back off – escape or run away from something.
Example: The police told the demonstrators to
back off or face dispersal.
back of – unspoken self-knowledge about the outcome of something
Example: He decided to fight, but
back of his mind he knew that it was a losing battle.
The verb “shut,” on the other hand, forms the six prepositional idioms when paired off with different prepositions: “shut off” (to close), “shut down” (to close permanently), “shut in” (to confine), “shut up” (to stop talking), “shut out” (to prevent participation), and “shut off” (to cut off the flow).
IMAGE CREDIT: AMERICANENGLISH.STATE.GOVThe prepositional idioms or phrasal verbs are much more vulnerable to misuse than ordinary prepositional phrases because the specific preposition to use for each of them isn’t intuitive and doesn’t always follow a definite logic; in fact, their nonliteral meanings can be learned only after one gets adequate immersion in the language. They should therefore be used with caution—and only when the writer or speaker has sufficiently internalized their meaning and the situations or occasions for which they are appropriate.
The English language actually has thousands of prepositional idioms or phrasal verbs and there’s really no way for us to know all of them all at once. Indeed, to be able to use them with confidence in our writing or speech, we have no choice but to seriously study them and commit them to memory.
A good rule to follow when about to use a prepositional idiom is this:
When in doubt, don’t.
OTHER COMMON PREPOSITIONAL IDIOMS: IMAGE CREDIT: AMERICAN ENGLISH AT STATEact up – malfunction or misbehave
Example: The car
acted up right after he drove it out of the repair shop.
add up – make sense
Example: The investigators concluded that the suspect’s declarations didn’t
add up.
ask (someone) out – invite on a date
Example: She wondered when her crush would finally
ask her out.
ask (someone) over - invite to one’s home
Example: Let’s
ask Thelma over for lunch on Sunday..
bawl (someone) out – criticize or reprimand very strongly
Example: The police officer
bawled the cab driver out for ignoring his signals to stop.
bear down on – take strong measures against
Example: The Iranian government has been
bearing down on the post-election protesters.
bear with – be patient
Example: Please
bear with us while we fix the beddings in the room.
blow in – visit unexpectedly
Example: We were caught unprepared when my in-laws
blew in from the province yesterday.
IMAGE CREDIT: WELLINGTONHOUSEBCN.COMbreak down – to weep uncontrollably
Example: The bride
broke down when she learned that the broom won’t come to their wedding.
bring (something) about – cause to happen
Example: The mayor couldn’t understand
what brought the city’s bankruptcy about.
get (something) across – make something understood
Example: When the boss is in a bad mood, it’s difficult to
get things across to him.
get along with – have a good relationship
Example: Roger finds it difficult to
get along with his business partners.
get around – avoid someone or something
Example: She flew to Europe to
get around the political controversy.
keep at – persevere
Example: The indigent high school student
kept at her studies until she graduated valedictorian.
keep off – avoid stepping on something
Example: As they promised, the rallyists
kept off the grass during their demonstration at the park.
keep back – maintain a safe distance
Example: The police told the crowd to
keep back from the burning truck.
make out – succeed
Example: The actress
made out spectacularly in Hollywood despite her scandalous life.
make (something) up – concoct a story
Example: She had to
make things up to explain her prolonged absence.
make up for – compensate for
Example: Gina
made up for her weakness in algebra by taking remedial classes.
pan out – to turn out well
Example: The novelist tried his very best on his new book but it just didn’t
pan out.
pass (something or someone) off – present something as real
Example: In the film
My Fair Lady, Professor Higgins tried to
pass Eliza Doolittle off as royalty and succeeded magnificently.
pass out – become unconscious
Example: Just when the runner was approaching the finish line, she
passed out and fell.
pass (something) up – refuse to take advantage (of an opportunity)
Example: True to his word, the governor
passed up the opportunity to get himself reelected
run across – find something or meet someone unexpectedly
Example: It never occurred to Jimmy that he would
run across a former girlfriend of his at his wedding.
run into (someone) – meet unexpectedly
Example: Would you believe that I r
an into my English professor while she was browsing the romance novels at the bookstore last night?
run out of (something) – not to have anything left of something
Example: Anita’s parents
ran out of patience when they discovered that she had flunked her math for the second time.
IMAGE CREDIT: ENGLISHOUTSIDETHEBOX.COMtake after (someone) – resemble a parent or relative
Example: She resents people who tell her that she
had taken after her father in looks.
take (someone) for – consider someone as
Example: The company
took Gloria for a novice when she applied for the job—and she proved them wrong.
This completes and ends the Forum's 4-part, full-dress review of preposition usage.
Click this link to start from the first of the 4-part series:
FULL-DRESS REVIEW OF THE ENGLISH PREPOSITIONS - 1