123. Prepositional Verbs Containing a Noun

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Some combinations of a verb + preposition need a noun or pronoun in between

ALTERNATIVE FORMS OF PREPOSITIONAL VERBS

Some English prepositions are able to combine closely with various verbs, which are then often called “prepositional”. Elsewhere in this blog simple verb-preposition combinations like DEPEND ON, COPE WITH and ATTEND TO are given extensive consideration (see, for example, 42. Unnecessary Prepositions,  44. Troublesome Prepositional Verbs and 108. Formal & Informal Words). Here I wish to examine prepositional verbs that have a noun expression between the verb and the preposition, as in PROVIDE (noun) WITH, SUSPECT (noun) OF and BLAME (noun) FOR.

Perhaps the main problem with verbs of this kind is difficulty remembering what the preposition is. The reason may be that the noun in the middle somehow prevents it from being linked as easily with the verb as it is in two-word combinations. To help overcome this problem, the approach will be to list common verbs like BLAME, along with their prepositions, to indicate some subclasses, and to warn of possible confusions.

An initial point to appreciate is that verbs like BLAME are always associated with two noun expressions after them rather than one, the second necessitated by the preposition in accordance with the general noun-requiring nature of prepositions (see 84. Seven Things to Know about Prepositions). This second noun, however, can often be left unsaid, along with its preposition, if its meaning can be understood from the context:

(a) Some theorists BLAME population growth (FOR the world’s poverty).

Some grammarians suggest that the two nouns after verbs like BLAME are two different grammatical objects (for details of objects, see 8. Object-Dropping Errors). They consider the noun after the preposition to be an object because the corresponding noun after simple prepositional verbs like DEPEND ON is one. However, the frequent possibility of dropping this noun and its preposition after verbs like BLAME without changing their meaning suggests it is not an object, as the same possibility does not usually exist with simple prepositional verbs.

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VERBS WITH A VARIABLE OBJECT

Some verbs with a following object and preposition nearly always have the same noun for their object, while others allow more variation. Where variation exists, the object may be a person or a thing, but is more commonly a person. Here are some important verbs of this latter kind. The abbreviation SB means “somebody” while STH means “something”. What should each preposition be? (Answers below).

Answers

1. OF;  2. FOR;  3. WITH;  4 = OF;  5 = FOR;  6. WITH/FOR;  7. WITH;  8. WITH/TO;  9. TO;  10. WITH;  11. FOR/ON;  12. ABOUT/OVER;  13. OF;  14. OF;  15. INTO/BETWEEN;  16. IN;  17. TO;  18. WITH;  19. WITH;  20. OF;  21. TO;  22. IN;  23. FOR;  24. FROM;  25. WITH;  26. FOR;  27. TO;  28. OF;  29. FROM;  30. FOR;  31. WITH/FOR;  32. OF;  33. FROM;  34. TO;  35. FROM;  36. WITH;  37. OF;  38. FOR;  39. FOR;  40. WITH;  41. FOR/WITH;  42. OF/ABOUT

For more about ASSURE in this list, see 296. Tricky Word Contrasts 12, #1. For more about INFORM and WARN, see 279. Grammatical Differences between Citation Verbs.

The variability of some of these prepositions is notable. The choice between about and over after CONSULT seems a free one – the meaning does not change. However, with REWARD, the meaning does change: with indicates the reward, for the action that won it, like this:

(b) Parents can reward their children with small presents.

(c) Parents should reward their children for good behaviour.

It is even possible for both of these preposition phrase types to appear together in the same sentence. Similarly, after TREAT, with shows the treatment, for the problem necessitating it.

Among other verbs that allow a choice, WARN + of shows a potential or future problem, and + about an already-existing problem. CHARGE + for means “request payment”, but + with means “accuse”. DIVIDE + into is followed by the divisions, whereas + between (or among) shows their recipients. Into is also usable in the same way with the numerous synonyms of DIVIDE: BREAK, CATEGORISE, CLASSIFY, GROUP, ORGANISE, SEPARATE, SORT and SPLIT (see 162. Writing about Classifications).

The way of putting verbs like the above into the passive voice is fairly consistent: the subject becomes the first noun/pronoun after the verb – the one with no preposition in front: children in (b) and (c). One verb to be careful with is EXPLAIN. Consider this:

(d) Teachers must sometimes explain grammar to students.

The passive equivalent is:

(e) Grammar must sometimes be explained (by teachers) to students.

It is incorrect to say *Students must sometimes be explained grammar. The probable reason for this common error is the fact that some near-synonyms of EXPLAIN (SHOW, TEACH, TELL, INFORM, ADVISE) do allow or even require the person receiving the information to be the subject of their passive form (see 140. Words with Unexpected Grammar 2, #b).

SHOW, TEACH and TELL allow this because they are the type of verb with which to introduces an “indirect object” – a noun that is not their object but can be their subject when they are passive (see 126. Verbs with an Indirect Object). ADVISE and INFORM are not verbs of this type, despite their resemblance to them. Like other prepositional verbs containing a noun, they allow only their object (the noun before the preposition) to be the subject of their passive form (see 292. Synonym Pairs with Contrasting Grammar 2, #4).

One way to start (d) with students whilst still keeping EXPLAIN is by using HAVE: …must sometimes have grammar explained to them (see 116. Rarer Uses of HAVE).

One verb not listed above is INVEST…IN…. I have omitted it because it can also be used as an ordinary prepositional verb without an added noun (INVEST IN). The preposition is worth noting. Today in Britain one hears into occasionally instead of in. I am not sure how common this is; I wonder even whether it might be imported from American English.

Four verbs, BLAME, PRESENT, PROVIDE and SUPPLY, can reverse the positions of the two nouns after them, changing the preposition in the process. Compare:

BLAME SB FOR STH = BLAME STH ON SB

PRESENT SB WITH STH = PRESENT STH TO SB 

PROVIDE SB WITH STH = PROVIDE STH FOR SB

SUPPLY SB WITH STH = SUPPLY STH FOR/TO SB

Note that REWARD is not among these verbs: its object is always the receiver of a reward (SB), not the reward itself (STH).

PRESENT, PROVIDE and SUPPLY need to be handled carefully because, like EXPLAIN, they have a meaning close to that of many verbs, such as GIVE, which can have two following nouns without any preposition at all (see 126. Verbs with an Indirect Object). Again, the closeness in meaning does not guarantee that the preposition can be similarly dropped!

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VERBS WITH A FIXED OBJECT

Combinations of a particular verb with a particular object and a particular preposition, e.g. MAKE USE OF, fall into the category of collocations – non-grammatical word partnerships (see 16. Ways of Distinguishing Similar Words, #5). Other examples are:

APPLY -SELF TO
ATTACH IMPORTANCE TO
AVAIL -SELF OF
CATCH SIGHT (or A GLIMPSE) OF
CONTENT -SELF WITH
DECLARE WAR ON
DO WORK (or A JOB) ON
EXERT PRESSURE ON
GIVE AN ACCOUNT OF
GIVE (or PAY) ATTENTION TO
GIVE WAY TO
HAVE AN EFFECT ON
HAVE TROUBLE WITH
HELP -SELF TO
KEEP PACE WITH
KEEP TRACK OF
LOSE TOUCH WITH
LOSE TRACK OF
MAKE ALLOWANCE(S) FOR
MAKE AMENDS FOR
MAKE AN EXAMPLE OF
MAKE FUN OF
MAKE MUCH OF
PUT AN END (or A STOP) TO
PUT/ PLACE EMPHASIS ON
PUT THE BLAME ON
SET FIRE TO
SET ONE’S HEART ON
TAKE ACCOUNT OF
TAKE CARE OF
TAKE NOTE OF
TAKE STOCK OF

An interesting feature of these expressions is that many are longer equivalents of a single verb. For example, catch a glimpse of corresponds to glimpse, keep track of to track, and take note of to note. For suggestions about their use, see 39. “Decide” or “Make a Decision”?. For more on the the verbs that they include, see 173. “Do Research” or “Make Research”?. For more examples with HAVE, MAKE and TAKE, see 116. Rarer Uses of HAVE,  141. Ways of Using MAKE and 264. Variations in the Use of TAKE, #19.

Note that GIVE ATTENTION and PAY ATTENTION mean different things. Consider this:

(f) Einstein gave/ paid attention to the problem of gravity.

Gave here suggests that Einstein merely turned his attention away from something else (see 244. Special Uses of GIVE, #5). Paid, however, suggests that he increased his attention to the maximum: perhaps he had been only a little interested before in the problem of gravity, or even daydreaming! There is an option of adding his (or other possessive adjective) after GIVE. An alternative to GIVE is TURN, though then his or equivalent must be present.

Also noteworthy about GIVE/ PAY ATTENTION TO is the need for any following verb to have -ing: one must say, for example, to solving, not to solve, the reason being that to here is a preposition, not the to of infinitive verbs. This is the same kind of problem that can occur with two-word prepositional verbs like TAKE TO (see 35. Words Followed by “to -ing”). Other object-containing verbs that might give it include APPLY ONESELF TO (see 261. Words with Complicated Grammar 3, #1), ATTACH IMPORTANCE TO, PUT A STOP TO and INTRODUCE (sb) TO.

Finally, caution is needed with TAKE CARE OF. Its common meaning is not “supervise” (English uses LOOK AFTER for that), but rather “cater for the needs of”, “resolve” or “deal with”, as in take care of complaints (see 276. Tricky Word Contrasts 11, #7).

122. Signpost Words in Multi-Sentence Lists

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List parts given in different sentences need an introductory sentence and special linking words

THE VARIETY AND CHALLENGES OF LISTING

Lists are common in academic and professional writing, where there is a regular need to give such listable information as aims, reasons, results, similarities, differences, examples, subclasses, problems, advantages, conclusions and recommendations. Some lists can be given in just one sentence, but many need more because they are long and/or detailed.

Multi-sentence listing, like the single-sentence kind, has a surprisingly wide variety of typical grammar and vocabulary, some of it troublesome for less experienced users of English. Much of this language falls into the category of “signpost” language, a means of clarifying relations between different parts of a text. This post aims to describe the main grammar and vocabulary demands that multi-sentence listing can make.

For information about the language of single-sentence listing, see 54. Sentence Lists 1: Incidental,  55. Sentence Lists 2: Main-Message,  74. Sentence Lists 3: Bullet Points and 93. Good and Bad Lists.

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FIRST STEPS IN MULTI-SENTENCE LISTING

Multi-sentence lists usually need an introductory sentence. A fairly rare kind, typical before a list of supporting points in an argument, states the opinion that is based on them (see 167. Ways of Arguing 1).

In most cases, however, an introductory sentence will include a plural noun or noun phrase naming the kind of thing that is going to be listed – what I call the list name. For example, walking, cycling, driving, taking a taxi, going by bus and travelling by train could have the list name transport modes. In professional writing, many list names are extreme abstractions like advantages, arguments, causes, consequences or similarities.

There are three common ways of mentioning a list name before a multi-sentence list:

(a) There are six major transport modes.

(b) Essays and reports have a number of similarities.

(c) (The) advantages of rail travel are as follows.

Example (a) has the list name at the end, after a starting There are…, a very common way of signalling a subsequent list and certainly not informal (see 161. Special Uses of “There” Sentences, #1). Example (b) also ends with the list name, but without a starting There are… . Its verb HAVE is a very typical one. Example (c) has the list name at the start.

With all of these formats, a full stop, not a colon, is necessary before the beginning of a multi-sentence list. It is only lists not suitable for multi-sentence presentation, typically comprising a small number of verbless phrases, that can be linked to their introduction with a colon – usually an introduction like (a) or (b), since (c) would need to drop as follows and link to the list with zero punctuation (see 55. Sentence Lists 2).

All of the formats above are also a common way of introducing a sequence of headings, with or without a full stop (see 178. How to Write a Heading).

Formats (a) and (b) above typically have a number word before the list name, either exact like six or vague like a number of. Alternatives to the latter include various, several and numerous. If you wish to use an exact number word when you know or suspect the listed items are not all of the possibilities covered by the list name, you can add a word like main, major or important (see 96. Making Statements More Uncertain 2 and 198. Indicating Importance).

In sentences like (c), the before the list name indicates that all of the possibilities covered by it are going to be listed, while a zero article leaves this vague. A number word or major can be added, with or without the. However, main usually requires the.

Once the introductory sentence has been composed, there is a need in the next sentence for a list-starting signpost expression. This may be adverb-like or adjective-like.

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1. Adverb-Like Expressions for Starting a List

Various adverb expressions are able to indicate the first item in a multi-sentence list. The main ones are firstly, in the first place, first of all, to begin with and, when the first list part is somehow more special than the others, above all or a superlative adverb like most importantly, most obviously or most typically.

All of these adverbs are of the “sentence” variety, with a consequent need for surrounding punctuation (see 121. Sentence-Spanning Adverbs). Note that they do not include first (which signals the beginning of a time sequence – see 210. Process Descriptions, #2) or in first place (see 157. Tricky Word Contrasts 5, #4).

A common error with adverbs before any part of a list is to follow them directly with the list part without any accompanying verb, like this:

(d) *There are five main advantages of walking. Firstly, health.

The underlined words here are an error because they are a sentence without a verb, something not normally allowed in written English. The easiest verb to use after expressions like firstly is there is. However, if the previous sentence already has there are, as above, a problem of “bad” repetition is created (see 24. Good & Bad Repetition). To overcome this, one could either rewrite the preceding sentence without there are (Walking has five…) or use an adjective-like list starter in the second sentence instead of firstly.

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2. Adjective-Like Expressions for Starting a list

Adjective-like list starters vary according to the kind of number word introducing the list. After exact numbers, the first is typical:

(e) There are six major modes of transport. The first (major mode of transport) is walking.

The use here is adjective-like because the first gives information about a noun (mode). The reason for the brackets is that this noun can be left unmentioned because of the rule that superlative adjectives (of which first is one) can be used without their noun (or a pronoun like one) when it is obvious from the context (see 102. Adjectives with no Noun 2).

Various other superlative adjectives are also possible after an exact number word, but only to suggest that the first list part is somehow special. They include the best known, the commonest, the most important, the most obvious, the most typical and the most usual. The same suggestion can also be made with the main or the obvious – both followed by one because they are not superlatives.

If, on the other hand, the number word before the list is a vague one, such as several, a very useful adjective-like list-starter is one (One mode is…). It can be used without a following noun as well as with one (One is…), the reason being that it has pronoun properties as well as adjective-like ones (see 263. Uses of “One” and “Ones”, #3). Alongside one, other possibilities after a vague number word are the above-listed superlative adjectives and their equivalents.

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SIGNPOST EXPRESSIONS WITH LATER LIST MEMBERS

Each list member named after the first one in a multi-sentence list needs its own signpost expression. Once again there are adverb-like and adjective-like possibilities. When there has been an exact introductory number like six, typical adverb-like expressions are number words (secondly, thirdly, fourthly etc.) and, for the last part of the list, finally or lastly. The expressions last of all or last but not least are found sometimes too, but they ought only to be used in special circumstances. One expression that is not possible is at last, which means “after a long wait” (see 20. Problem Connectors).

After an earlier vague number, like various, an adverb signalling a new list member is more likely to be moreover, furthermore, next, additionally or in addition. Before the last part of the list, one could again use finally or lastly, but combined with an expression implying the existence of more possibilities, such as it is necessary to mention.

All of these signpost adverbs are again of the “sentence” variety, but they are now also “connectors” because they show how their sentence is linked to the one before (see 40. Conjunctions versus Connectors). Like adverbs at the start of a list, they need care not to be placed in verbless sentences.

Turning to adjective-like linking expressions (which can be thought of as connector synonyms – see 112. Synonyms of Connectors), those normally used after an exact number word at the start are the second, the third, etc. At the end of such lists, there is a choice between the last, the final and the other. On the other hand, when there is vagueness about the full extent of the list, useful adjectives are (an)other, (an) additional and (a) final.