| 词组 | preposition |
| 释义 | preposition 1. See preposition at end. 2. The idiomatic preference for one preposition or another after certain verbs, adjectives, and nouns has been a subject for worry by grammarians since the 18th century. Lowth 1762 and Murray 1795, for instance, think it important to correct the prepositions selected by earlier 18th-century writers. Many modern handbooks, too, devote space to the problem—Bernstein 1965, for instance, includes many idiomatic combinations, and most commentators mention at least a few. In this book such combinations are each treated separately, with copious examples of actual usage, the entry word being the verb, adjective, or noun. Our coverage of combinations with prepositions is quite extensive; however, some combinations were undoubtedly missed. For more nearly complete coverage, it may help to consult a specialized dictionary aimed specifically at learners of English. 3. There are a few problems with prepositions that receive the attention of various commentators. These usually involve compound prepositions which are idiomatic but are deemed redundant or wordy by some commentators. A related problem is what Copperud 1970, 1980 calls "piled-up prepositions." These seem to be the result of the juncture of two idiomatic expressions, and while no ordinary hearer or reader is puzzled by them, the commentators claim to be. One class of these involves the prepositions between and from used after of to emphasize the idea of a range or spread. For instance, your television weatherman might predict "temperatures of between 65 and 72 degrees." Those who wish for a purely rational language want to get rid of the of, but when it is gone the expression does not have the same idiomatic sound. A somewhat similar apparent redundancy can be found in this sentence: • I sat it up on my desk —James Thurber, letter, 6 Sept. 1947 Here the up appears to be an unnecessary preposition, but it is in fact an adverb that goes with sit; again we have two idiomatic expressions occurring side by side to create a redundancy that is only apparent, not real. Many of the compound prepositions that come in for censure—alongside of, off of, offfrom, prior to, and so forth—consist of exactly the same components we find here in up on: an adverb and a preposition. (See alongside of, alongside; off from; off of; prior to.) Idiom and sound, not logical analysis, govern the use of these combinations—some of which are recognized as compound prepositions in dictionaries. There are more complex combinations of prepositions that intrigue linguists but that commentators do not try to grapple with. These include long strings of prepositions, as in "What did you bring that book I didn't want to be read to out of up for?" (A scenario has been devised to explain that sentence.) Otto Jespersen (Essentials of English Grammar, 1933) apparently made sense when he used this string of prepositions and adverbs: "up till within about twenty years" (quoted in J. Miller, Semantics and Syntax, 1985). Miller, in the book just cited, has several interesting examples of phrases introduced by prepositions that function in their entirety as noun phrases and are the objects of another preposition: • ... children from on the estate and from off the estate —a BBC program, 20 Apr. 1976 • We do not wish to impose plans from on top —The Scotsman, 7 Aug. 1976 • ... the Adjective Shift transformation ... moves the adjective from after the noun to in front of the noun —from an examination paper |
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