A Short Discussion of Prepositions

Prepositions are perhaps the most complex and most interesting group of words in
English. They are difficult to describe, difficult to teach, and for students learning
English, difficult to learn.

They are always followed by a noun - which is called the object of the preposition. PRE
- POSITION - Get it ? - they are always in the position before the noun) For example,
in "to the store" - the store is the object of the preposition "to". In English there are a
few post-positions - for example He lived there three years ago.

Prepositions seem to hover between being content words (the words in the sentence that
give the new meaning and are almost unlimited in number - the verb and nouns
primarily:) and beingfunction words - that is, they seem very general and limited in
number in the way function words like the, or, and my are. On the other hand they
contribute quite a bit of new meaning and interact meaningfully with other words,
showing quite specific relationships for example between a verb and a noun. There is a
very big difference between these four sentences:
o
o
o
o

He looked at her all night.

He looked for her all night.
He looked with her all night.
He looked to her all night.

Prepositions give new information about

o Space: He lives in Chicago.
o Time: He arrived after 9 a.m.
o Direction: He flew toward the city
o Manner: He went to New York by bus.
(and a few other uses) and can be used productively through metaphor (Like the
double meanings for verbs we have looked at in class, prepositions often have many
multiple meanings that extend from the physical to the mental world)

Prepositions can be one word, two words, or in rare cases, three words.
o He looks like his father.
o He ran out of the house.
o He still liked his boss, in spite of all that had been done to him.

There are around 90 prepositions in English, including multi-word prepositions. A

pretty good list of prepositions can be found here: English preposition list

Prepositions can follow verbs, adjectives and nouns. When they follow verbs they can
make many, many different kinds of meanings and relate to the verb in many ways. By

contrast, prepositions are more limited in the meaning they construct when they follow
adjectives, and only a limited number of prepositions can follow a noun.
o
o

Verb + Preposition: Anne booked into a hotel. A brief and incomplete list of
verb+prepositions can be found here: vb+prep list
Adjective + Preposition: Larry was responsible for* bringing the food. *Notice
that adjectives which have a preposition after them usually have some type of linking verb before
like " is" or "seems"

Noun + Preposition: He brought a load of laundry up from the basement.

Prepositions following verbs vary a lot in the way they function, and in the way they
create meaning in interacting with the verb. There are many ways of looking at how
prepositions combine with verbs, and linguists have heated discussions about this.
Here's one way to look at it:

There are four types of verb + preposition combinations

1. Prepositional Verbs: He walked to the store
2. Phrasal Verbs without an object: He broke down and cried.
3. Phrasal Verb with an object: He turned on the TV. (He turned it on.)
4. Phrasal Prepositional Verbs: We are running out of butter.

For phrasal verbs, many people don't call the word that looks like a preposition a
preposition - they call it an adverb particle. Why ? Because the word down in broke
down modifies broke, and doesn't even have an object that can combine to make a
prepositional phrase. Similarly for 3. - the phrasal verb with an object - the preposition
seems more "attracted" to the verb than to the noun -on provides more meaning
to turned. He turned on the TV. And we can even imagine what the meaning of this
sentence would be if on was used as a preposition. "He turned on the TV probably
means that he is sitting on top of the TV, somehow turning - physically on top of the
television set. Phrasal verbs can really create a meaning that is difficult to interpret
using only the meaning of the verb and the preposition alone. This is why they are often
included in dictionaries of idioms and expressions.

Phrasal verbs that do not take an object are usually what are called "inseparable". This
means that you can't put anything between the verb and the preposition. Broke
down, used above, means to start crying suddenly. You can say:
o He broke down when he got the news about the death of his friend.
But you can't say anything like:
o He broke himself down - or He broke quickly down etc.

Most phrasal verbs that do take an object are separable. This means that you can put
the object of the verb before the preposition or after it:
o OK: William handed in his homework
o OK: William handed his homework in.

However, when you use a pronoun as an object for a separable phrasal verb, you
MUST put it between the verb and the preposition:
o OK: He handed it in.
o NOT OK: He handed in it.

Some phrasal verbs that take an object are inseparable. For example,
o OK: He got over the flu.
o OK: He got over it.
o Not OK He got the flu over
o Not OK: He got it over
Generally speaking, the inseparable phrasal verbs with objects act more like standard
verb + preposition combinations like He walks to the store. That is, Get over (meaning
recuperate from a sickness), does have a meaning that is idiom-like, but the preposition
seems to be attracted to the noun before it AND the noun after it. By contrast, when we
say, He handed in the paper - there is nothing that is actually IN the paper - in fact it is
the paper that is in the hands of the teacher. IN, in this case, is really attracted to the verb
HAND, and therefore is a separable phrasal verb. But, in some sense, when you "get over
the flu" - you are really "over the flu" - that is, you control it - you are on top of it.

Here are some sentence examples of non-separable phrasal verbs that take an object:
o I haven't heard from Joe recently. I haven't heard from him.
o He's looking through the book while she shops. He's looking through it.
o I haven't run into my old friend Joe recently. I haven't run into him.
o The big brother is picking on his little sister. He's picking on her.

A good dictionary (especially one written for second language learners) will tell you if
a phrasal verb is separable or non separable.

Conjunctions
A conjunction is a word which connects two words or clauses or sentences and shows the
relation between them. They are used to avoid making the text seem like bullet points and
to make the text flow. E.g. Jai saw a dog on the road. He decided to adopt the dog. Jai brought the dog home.
Jai saw a dog on the road and decided to adopt the dog, so he brought the dog home.
Here and and so are conjunctions which are used to join the sentences and show the
relation between them.
There are three main categories of conjunctions that are explained below. Apart from
these, there are also Adverbs of Conjunctions,. To learn more about the Adverbs of
Conjunctions visit the Adverbs page.
Coordinating Conjunctions
These conjunctions are used to link or join two words or phrases that are equally important
and complete in terms of grammar when compared with each other. That is to say, the
sentences or words do not depend on anything to give themselves meaning.
There are seven main coordinating conjunctions

For
And
Nor
But
Or
Yet
Soon

As you can see, these conjunctions are arranged in this way to provide the mnemonic
acronym of FANBOYS so that it is easier to remember them. These conjunctions are
always placed between the two clauses or words that they are joining. The following are
some examples of the coordinating conjunctions Chris does not want tea. Chris does not want coffee. - Chris does not want tea orcoffee.

Here, we see how or was used to combine the two words and make a cohesive
sentence using them. Also, notice how the or is between the two words.

I scored 60% in the exams this year. Anita scored 7% more than me this year. - I scored
60% in the exams but Anita scored 7% more than me this year.

Here we see that but was used in the middle to combine and show the relation
between the two sentences that were both equally important and cohesive by
themselves.

Subordinating Conjunctions
These conjunctions are used to join an independent and complete clause with a dependent
clause that relies on the main clause for meaning and relevance. The dependent clause
cannot exist on its own as a sentence and often does not make sense without the main
clause.
The subordinating conjunction always comes before the dependent clause but the
dependent clause itself can be placed either ahead of or following the independent clause.
Since they had misbehaved, the boys were given one week suspensions from school.
Here, we see the dependent clause is they had misbehaved which is not a valid sentence
by itself.
The independent main clause is the boys were given one week suspensions from school.
They are joined by the subordinating conjunction since.
He was fond of playing basketball because it was his fathers favourite game.
In this sentence, because is the subordinating conjunction as it introduces the dependent
clause it was his fathers favourite game
The main clause in this sentence is he was fond of playing basketball as it is the sentence
which can be said independently and still be grammatically correct.
Other subordinating conjunctions are
- Although, As, Before, Once,Though, Until, Whether, etc.
Correlative Conjunctions
Correlative Conjunctions are simply pairs of conjunctions used in a sentence to join
different words or groups of words in a sentence together. Correlative Conjunctions are
generally not used to link sentences themselves, instead they link two or more words of
equal importance within the sentence itself. Some of the more commonly used correlative
conjunctions are Both the shoes and the dress were completely overpriced.

This is an example of using the correlative conjunctions both/and in a sentence.

As you can see in this sentence, the shoes and the dress were equally important
elements that needed to be given the same importance.

They should either change their strategy or just forfeit the game.

The either/or conjunctions are used to suggest a choice between two options.
Here the choice being suggested is between - change their strategy or forfeit the
game.

Just as she loves hiking so she enjoys travelling as well.

The correlative conjunctions just as/so are used to link two phrases that have a
similar theme or are referring to a similar thing together. This conjunction is used to
show the correspondence between two phrases or words.

He neither helps around the house nor does he look for a job.

Neither/nor are conjunctions that are used to deny or negate words and phrases.
In the case of neither, it gives two options that are both negated. Nor is the
negative form of or.

Not only does he play the lead guitar but he is also the bands songwriter.

The correlative conjunctions not only/but are used to show an additional and
important element in the sentence that is used to indicate excess when combined
with the first element. For instance, in this sentence the fact that he is a guitarist
and a song writer are equally important but when shown together, they indicate an
excess of talent in the person.

It doesnt matter whether the roses are fresh or if they are drooping, just buy them.

Whether/or is used as a conjunction to show two different options in the

sentence. The conjunction can be used both in a manner of negation and
confirmation.

Definition of preposition
A preposition sits before a noun (or a pronoun) to show the noun's relationship to another word in the
sentence. (If that explanation is too complicated, it might help you to think of a preposition as a word
which describes anywhere a mouse could go.)

Air Pollution Kills 7 Million People

Every Year, World Health
Organization Report Finds
LONDON (AP) Air pollution kills about 7 million people worldwide every year, with more
than half of the fatalities due to fumes from indoor stoves, according to a new report from
the World Health Organization published Tuesday.
The agency said air pollution is the cause of about one in eight deaths and has now become
the single biggest environmental health risk.
"We all have to breathe, which makes pollution very hard to avoid," said Frank Kelly,
director of the environmental research group at King's College London, who was not part of
the WHO report.
One of the main risks of pollution is that tiny particles can get deep into the lungs, causing
irritation. Scientists also suspect air pollution may be to blame for inflammation in the
heart, leading to chronic problems or a heart attack.
WHO estimated that there were about 4.3 million deaths in 2012 caused by indoor air
pollution, mostly people cooking inside using wood and coal stoves in Asia. WHO said there
were about 3.7 million deaths from outdoor air pollution in 2012, of which nearly 90 percent
were in developing countries.
But WHO noted that many people are exposed to both indoor and outdoor air pollution.
Due to this overlap, mortality attributed to the two sources cannot simply added together,
hence WHO said it lowered the total estimate from around 8 million to 7 million deaths in
2012.
The new estimates are more than double previous figures and based mostly on modeling.
The increase is partly due to better information about the health effects of pollution and

improved detection methods. Last year, WHO's cancer agency classified air pollution as a
carcinogen, linking dirty air to lung and bladder cancer.
WHO's report noted women had higher levels of exposure than men in developing
countries.
"Poor women and children pay a heavy price from indoor air pollution since they spend
more time at home breathing in smoke and soot from leaky coal and wood cook stoves,"
Flavia Bustreo, WHO Assistant Director-General for family, women and children's health,
said in a statement.
Other experts said more research was needed to identify the deadliest components of
pollution in order to target control measures more effectively.
"We don't know if dust from the Sahara is as bad as diesel fuel or burning coal," said Majid
Ezzati, chair in global environmental health at Imperial College London.
Kelly said it was mostly up to governments to curb pollution levels, through measures like
legislation, moving power stations away from big cities and providing cheap alternatives to
indoor wood and coal stoves.
He said people could also reduce their individual exposure to choking fumes by avoiding
traveling at rush hour or by taking smaller roads. Despite the increasing use of face masks in
heavily polluted cities such as Beijing and Tokyo, Kelly said there was little evidence that
they work.
"The real problem is that wearing masks sends out the message we can live with polluted
air," he said. "We need to change our way of life entirely to reduce pollution."
___

Express opinion
In my opinion, thats woman get nervous or insincerity. She did not has specific
examples from hardworking that she just said. She did not unprepared to face her
interview. This is make she laughing suddenly. She admit that she did not prepared
shows a lack of seriousness. Besides that, she always say sorry that can amplifies
her nervousness. She always saying um.

Haze still our fault, says Met Dept

BY ELIZABETH ZACHARIAH
Published: 13 March 2014

The
Meteorological Department said it again today: the worsening haze
in the country is still our own doing.
Director-general Datuk Che Gayah Ismail said that there were more than 600
open burning spots recorded nationwide yesterday, which caused air quality in
several parts of the country to worsen dramatically yesterday and today.
"In the latest report on the number of hotspots today, we notice a slight decrease,
which could also see a drop in the number of open burning spots," she told The
Malaysian Insider.
The Air Pollutant Index this morning showed 11 areas registering unhealthy readings in the
country.

The 11 areas had readings exceeding 100, with Kuala Selangor registering the
highest at 155 at 8am.
The other areas were: Nilai in Negri Sembilan at 143, Port Klang (137), Banting
(134), Putrajaya (124), Bukit Rambai in Malacca (117), Seremban (112), Batu
Muda in Kuala Lumpur (112), Petaling Jaya (107), Shah Alam (103) and Sri Aman
in Sarawak (101).
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"Yes, the smoke and haze is still caused by us," Che Gayah added.
"If the wind direction changes now, we will be in trouble. The haze will be much,
much worse if that happens."
She had previously said neighbouring Indonesia could not be blamed for the
unhealthy air quality in Malaysia, despite the fact that air quality in Riau,
Sumatra, had reached hazardous levels in the past two months.
She also said then that the wind direction made it impossible to attribute the
smog in most parts of the Klang Valley to Indonesia.
Instead, she blamed the declining air quality on dry weather coupled with open
burning, forest burning, peat fires, emission from vehicles and smoke from
industries.
However, today Che Gayah said that Malaysia could get a reprieve from the haze
in the next few weeks as the country experiences the inter-monsoon season due
in mid-March.
"States in the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia will experience showers and
thunderstorms in the afternoon during this time.
"We expect to see this wet season last the whole of April and a little in May," she
added.
She warned that the haze could be back after that in June when the southwest
monsoon begins.
"That is when the wind direction will blow from Indonesia towards us."
Che Gayah said the department would be conducting a 'dry seeding' next week,
using smaller aircraft, to provide rainfall.
"We will be using what they call a hydroscopic flare to do this," she said.
It was reported that cloud-seeding efforts have been put on hold to give priority
to efforts to locate the Malaysia Airlines aircraft which vanished on Saturday
enroute from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, China. March 13, 2014.
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/haze-still-our-fault-says-metdept#sthash.ZqEHNxdn.dpuf

11

A Study on the Factors Affecting the Infant Feeding Practices

Of Mothers in Las Pias City

By [Author], University of the Philippines

2009

Abstract
[Abstract here]

Body Text

The body text starts on the next page, page 3. The text starts at the top, left flushed, double-spaced.

Introduction
The melamine controversy that erupted during the last quarter of year 2008 brought peoples attention
back to the debates between breastfeeding and the use of breast milk substitutes like commercial infant
formula. This wasnt the first time that infant formula had caused illnesses and even deaths to infants
worldwide - hence the continuous campaign of World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF along with
other breastfeeding advocates, for mothers to breastfeed their children at least until 6 months of age.
Infant feeding practices refer generally to meet the nutritional and immunological needs of the baby. A
study of infant feeding practices was carried out on a sample of 100 mother and infant pairs. The results
revealed that only 20% of mothers in the study currently exclusively breastfeed their babies. It also shows
that socio-economic factors like mothers work status, marital status and educational attainment had direct
bearing on these practices. Employed mothers tend to cease from breastfeeding their babies and
eventually stop and just resort to formula feeding as they go back to work. The study also showed that

12

mothers who are married and living with their partners are more likely to breastfeed their infants than
single mothers. Those with higher educational attainment resort more to formula feeding and mixed
feeding than those with lower educational attainment. Health care professionals influence mothers the
most when it comes to infant feeding decisions.
Methodology
Type of Research
The type of research that will be used in this study is qualitative research and quantitative research.
Qualitative researchers aim to gather an in-depth understanding of human behavior and the reasons that
govern such behavior. The discipline investigates the why and how of decision making. Besides this,
the researcher will also examine the phenomenon through observations in numerical representations and
through statistical analysis. Along with questionnaires that will be given out to respondents for the
statistical representation of the findings in the study, interviews with the respondents and a few experts in
this field will also be conducted.
Sampling Method
The research sampling method that will be used in this study is random sampling to obtain a more
scientific result that could be used to represent the entirety of the population. A list of all health care
facilities (maternity and lying-in clinics, public and private hospitals, health centers) was acquired from the
Las Pias City Hall.
From 20 barangays, 3 will be picked through random sampling. The health care facilities and institutions
in these three barangays will then be the target sources of respondents of the researcher. The health care
facilities and institutions will be contacted to obtain a verbal consent to administer the questionnaire to
mothers at their places. A letter of consent will also be sent to them along with a sample copy of the
questionnaire that will be used, as well as the protocol of the researcher. A letter was also addressed to
the City Health Officer to obtain endorsement and consent to conduct a research in selected barangays
and distribute questionnaires to the mothers in the vicinity.
Data collection was conducted throughout the facilities and health centers operating hours from
Mondays through Sundays in order to include both working and non-working mothers.
Respondents
The respondents in this research will all be coming from one single location - Las Pias City, specifically
the randomly selected barangays of Pamplona I, CAA/BF International and Pamplona III. The researcher
chose Las Pias City because of the socio-economic conditions present in the area that is relevant to the
study and also as it fits the time frame and resources of the researcher. The randomly sampled
respondents will be asked by the researcher for consent and approval to answer the questionnaire until

13

the desired number of respondents which is 100 is reached. The opinion of experts will also be sought in
this research to provide explanations regarding the respondents infant feeding behaviors and practices.
Questionnaire
The questionnaire requires information about the socio-economic and demographic background of the
mother. It also has questions related to previous infant feeding practices and the birth of her youngest
infant and also regarding the babys general health and age.
Statements that are perceived to be factors that influence mothers infant feeding decisions were
presented. The description of the type of infant formula given by formula and mixed feeding mothers will
also be asked in the material.
Conclusion
Majority of the mothers formula feed their child and only a minority exclusively breastfeeds their children,
especially as per recommendation of the World Health Organization. While majority of the mothers in this
study showed a positive attitude towards breastfeeding, most of them decided only to formula feed due to
the reasons of insufficient milk supply and work.
Based on the results of the study, the educational attainment, work status, marital status, and seminars in
the barangay the respondents are part of, about breastfeeding, are the significant factors that affect the
infant feeding decision of mothers in Las Pias City.
Majority of the mothers that served as respondents in this study fall under the age range of 17-30 years
old. More than half of them were also college graduates while a significant number are undergraduates
and have only reached until high school. Most of the mothers are housewives and the others remaining
have full-time jobs, part-time jobs and self-employed. A few of them are still students. While majority of
them were married, a lot were still in a status of live-in and are single. More than half of the mothers did
not have previous children before the current one. Majority of the respondents also have an annual gross
household income that does not exceed P50,000.
Among the several information sources namely, media through televisions/radios and printed/published
materials, the social support system comprised of the mothers family, friends and other relatives and
health institutions, the mothers who give their babies infant formula are influenced the most by health care
institutions through health professionals and other health care personnel. They influence the mothers in
deciding to feed the baby with formula and in choosing, as well, which brand of formula is best for their
babies. Mothers trust their babys doctor because of their expertise in the said field hence this kind of
relation is achieved.
Mothers were overall not concerned about the possible side effects of breastfeeding as a few were only
worried as shown in the data presented.

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It can be concluded that numerous internal as well as external factors influence a mother in making
infant feeding decisions, and a greater fraction of these is socio-economic in nature.

Week 17
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