CCSP English Minute 8

CCSP English Minute

Aulas curtas de inglês, duas vezes por semana (2ªs e 5ªs), exclusivamente no Clubeonline

Aula desta quinta-feira, 03 de abril

PREPOSITIONS OF PLACE

NAS PRÓXIMAS TRÊS AULAS CURTAS DO CLUBEONELINE, VAMOS FALAR DE PALAVRAS PEQUENAS QUE TÊM UM PAPEL IMPORTANTE NA COMUNICAÇÃO: AS PREPOSIÇÕES. HOJE, COMEÇAMOS COM “PREPOSITIONS OF PLACE”. NA SEGUNDA-FEIRA FALAREMOS DE “PREPOSITIONS OF MOVEMENT”. E NA PRÓXIMA QUINTA-FEIRA, SERÁ A VEZ DAS “PREPOSITIONS OF TIME”.

When we speak Portuguese, we use the preposition “em” to show location in many different ways.

For example:

“A minha carteira não está NA escrivaninha” (em + a)

“Ela também não está NA gaveta” (em + a)

“Será que a deixei EM casa?”

When we speak English, however, we must use different prepositions to specify different locations and positions.

Let’s consider the following conversation:

Bernie: Where did I leave my wallet?

Sue: Is it ON the desk?

Bernie: No, and it’s not IN the drawer either.

Sue: Well, maybe you left it AT home.

The words “on”, “in” and “at” are prepositions. And they are usually followed by a noun or pronoun to form what we call a “prepositional phrase”.

Here are some examples:

…ON your desk

…IN my drawer

…AT home

Prepositional phrases answer questions like “Which one?”, “What kind?”, “When?”, “Why?” and “How?”

They also answer the question “Where?”

Today we will look at prepositions that answer the question “Where?”.

These prepositions are called “prepositions of place”.

AT

We use the preposition “at” to show general location. For example: Mrs. Parker typed a letter AT her desk. “At” is also used for specific addresses: Our office headquarters are AT 33 East Piedmont Street. And “at” is used in expressions like “AT home” and “AT the front of a group”.

IN

The preposition “in” often means “enclosed by”. For example: Susan discovered a goldfish (“peixinho vermelho”) IN the office water cooler (“bebedouro do escritório”). We also use “in” when we talk about large areas like cities, states, and countries: IN what city are you located? Finally, “In” appears in expressions like “IN the corner of a room”, “IN the front of a car”, and “IN the back of a line”

ON

We use “on” when there is contact with a surface: McNeil left a present ON Gertrude’s desk. We also use “on” for streets and avenues: There are no other buildings ON the street. Finally, we use “on” in expressions like “ON the internet”, “ON the corner of a street”, and “ON the front of a piece of paper”.

BESIDE, BY, NEAR

These prepositions can be used in the same situation. But proximity decreases in the order they are listed. For example: Bernie dropped his wallet BESIDE the water cooler. Susan is standing BY the water cooler, but she doesn’t see it. The water cooler is NEAR Mrs. Parker’s desk.

ABOVE, BELOW

These words are opposites of each other and they are used to say that something is “at a higher or lower level”. For example: The janitor installed a fluorescent light ABOVE Nancy’s desk.

OVER, UNDER

These words mean the same as “above” and “below” and they are used to express a vertical relationship or proximity. For example: With the help of a stool, Ms. Bernstein reached OVER the drawer and grabbed the file.

AGAINST

When used to show location, “against” means “in contact with”. For example: Mona leaned AGAINST the file cabinet.

BEHIND, BEYOND

The difference between “behind” and “beyond” is distance. “Behind” means “at the back of” and “beyond” means “on the farther side of”. Example: Bernie is hiding BEHIND his chair. Mr. McNeil’s house sits BEYOND city limits.

AMONG, BETWEEN

In this case, the difference between the two prepositions is the size of a group. “Among” means “in the middle of more than two things” and “between” means “in the middle of two things”. For example: Hank is standing BETWEEN Mr. McNeil and the visiting CEO.

ACROSS

The preposition “across” means “on the opposite side of”. For example: Thankfully, there’s a liquor store ACROSS the street.

AROUND

We use “around” to say “on all sides of”. For example: Every month the CEO gathers employees AROUND a table in the conference room. It can also mean “in the neighborhood of”: Office buildings AROUND here are not very modern.

BENEATH, UNDERNEATH

These two words mean the same as “under” and “below” but they are more formal. For example: Mona’s favorite song is Bette Midler’s “Wind BENEATH My Wings”. “Underneath” means “directly beneath”: The CEO was wearing a short sleeve shirt UNDERNEATH his jacket.

INSIDE, OUTSIDE

These two prepositions mean “on the inner or outer part of”. For example: INSIDE the office people behave oddly, but OUTSIDE the office they lead regular lives.

WITH

This common preposition can mean “along side of” or “near to”. For example: Where’s Hank? He’s WITH Mr. McNeil and the CEO.

WITHIN

To conclude, you can use “within” to say “enclosed by”. For example: Who would imagine what goes on WITHIN those walls?

 

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Conheça o site de Jason Bermingham: www.vozemingles.com