To connect to or connect with? On television or in television? To admit someone to hospital or to admit someone in hospital? What is the difference between ‘old for his years’ and ‘old in years’? Which is correct: to try something free or to try something for free? Learners of English raise similar queries during their journey towards mastering prepositions. Mastering prepositions can be the hardest part for learners of English. “One of the most difficult aspects of the English language to master is the idiomatic use of prepositions. Native speakers are not always sure of it, and it is even more troublesome to the foreign student,” writes FT Wood in the preface to the book English Prepositional Idioms (Macmillan, 1967). Yes, not only learners of English but also those who have learnt English as a second or foreign language and used it for many decades struggle to be accurate with their prepositions.
When a phrase cannot be understood from the individual meanings of its elements, it is called ‘idiomatic’. It is not possible to translate an idiomatic expression word for word into another language. “To do away with” and “to think something over” are examples of the idiomatic use of prepositions. Different prepositions are used with a word. For example, the verb “agree” can be followed by ‘about’, ‘on’, ‘to’ or ‘with’. The verb “differ” may be followed by ‘in’, ‘from’, ‘between’, ‘with’ or ‘on’. The choice depends on the context. Here are some examples:
• I haven’t heard from him since February. (to receive a letter / an email / a phone call from someone)
• He is friends with everyone in the class. (to have friendly relations with someone)
• It is quite strange; the twins have always been at odds with each other. (at loggerheads; quarrelling)
• She never feels bored as she is always occupied with some work.
• After retirement she is occupied in taking care of her grandson.
• When I travel I occupy myself with books and news magazines. (to spend one’s time by reading or using a smartphone)
• We need to fortify ourselves against the cold.
• You need to fortify yourself with nutritious food.
Is “to get something for free” ungrammatical? Strict grammarians state “for free” is grammatically unacceptable. In their view, the sentence “I got the pen for free” is incorrect and the sentences “I got the pen free” and “I got the pen for nothing” are correct. The term “for free” is widely used and is therefore acceptable. For example:
• Private medical practitioners can now run dengue tests for free
• Click here to download Flash 8 for free.
• The Samsung Galaxy S3 phone has been out for a while, have you got yours yet? Get it for Free!
— rayanal@yahoo.co.uk