Advanced Prepositions: Idiomatic Prepositional Phrases

A preposition is a word that shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and other words in a sentence, typically indicating direction, location, or time. “Idiomatic prepositional phrases” refer to prepositional phrases that have a meaning which cannot be inferred simply by the meanings of the individual words.

For example:

• “I’m running out of time.” (The idiomatic prepositional phrase “out of” does not have a literal meaning; it means “nearing the end of” )
• “She’s up for the challenge.” (The idiomatic prepositional phrase “up for” does not have a literal meaning; it means “willing to take on” or “enthusiastic about”)
• “He’s in over his head” (The idiomatic prepositional phrase “in over” does not have a literal meaning; it means “in a situation that is too difficult to handle”)

Idiomatic prepositional phrases can be a bit tricky to learn and use correctly because their meanings are not always clear from the words themselves.

To learn idiomatic prepositional phrases, you can try to read extensively and pay attention to them in context, you can also try to practice memorizing a list of common idiomatic prepositional phrases and their meanings, along with examples of how to use them.

In conclusion, “Advanced Prepositions: Idiomatic Prepositional Phrases” is a grammar lesson that focuses on understanding and using idiomatic prepositional phrases. Idiomatic prepositional phrases are prepositional phrases that have a meaning which cannot be inferred simply by the meanings of the individual words. Examples are “running out of time”, “up for the challenge”, and “in over his head”. To learn idiomatic prepositional phrases, you can try to read extensively and pay attention to them in context, you can also try to practice memorizing a list of common idiomatic prepositional phrases and their meanings, along with examples of how to use them.