| 1 |
The pattern « verb-prepostion » is very common in English. It is always followed by an object, e.g. "think about, believe in". |
| 2 |
The meaning of the phrase may be literal. I looked into the room to see who was there. It may be non-literal. The police are looking into the disappearance of a boy. In the second example, "look into" means "investigate". |
| 3 |
Usually the choice of preposition is obvious, but in verb phrases like "look after" (meaning "take care of"), it may not be. Some verbs are followed by a preposition which you might not expect. For example, "depend on", where you might expect "from". |
| 4 |
Note that "to", in addition to being a marker of the infinitive, can also be a simple preposition. Compare. I like to sunbath when I'm on holiday. I look forward to seeing you. I am not used to getting up early. The way to check this is to see if you can put "it" after the "to". I am not used to getting early. I am not used to it. Compare. I like to sunbath when I'm on holiday. "I like to it" is not possible, so "to" here is not a preposition, but a marker of the infinitive. |
| 5 |
The same verb can be followed by different prepositions depending ont he meaning. For example, "to corroespond with" someone means "to write to" them. "To correspond to" means "to be equivalent to". The U.S. Congress corresponds to the British Parliament. |
| 6 |
Everyone is raving about the new play at the Globe Theatre. |
Комментарии