English

A preposition expresses the relationship between two nearby words. In the examples below, each preposition (in bold & italics) shows the relationship between the word book and the word man.

• The book about the man.
• The book by the man.
• The book near the man.
• The book behind the man.

An abstract noun is a noun that indicates an intangible concept such as an emotion, a feeling, a quality, or an idea. In other words, an abstract noun does not denote a physical object.

 

Here are some more examples of abstract nouns categorized under conceptual headings:Here are some more examples of abstract nouns categorized under conceptual headings:

Heading                  Examples

Feelings                   anxiety, fear, pleasure, stress, sympathy

States                      being, freedom, misery, chaos, luxury

Emotions                 anger, hate, joy, grief, sorrow

Qualities                  courage, patience, determination, generosity, honesty

Concepts                 charity, deceit, opportunity, comfort, democracy

Moments                 birthday, childhood, marriage, career, death

Below is a list of common prepositions:

among, around, at, above, about, across, against, along, before, behind, below, beneath, beside, between, beyond, by, down, during, except, for, from, in, inside, into, like, near, of, off, on, since, to, toward, through, under, until, up, upon, with and within.

The Present Tenses

The simple present tense : This is mostly used to describe facts and habits.

• I walk daily.

The present progressive tense : This is used for an on-going action in the present.

• I am walking to your house at the moment.

The present perfect tense : This is used for actions began in the past.

• I have run for 15 miles so far.

The present perfect progressive tense : This is used for a continuous activity that began in the past and continues into the present, or a continuous activity that began in past but has now finished.

• I have been walking for hours.

The Past Tenses:

The simple past tense : This is used to describe an activity that happened in the past.

• I ran to the bus stop.

The past progressive tense : This is used to describe an on-going activity in the past. Often, it is used to set the scene for another action.

• I was running to the shops when I saw Tom.

The past perfect tense : This is used to emphasise that an action was completed before another took place.

• I had run to the shops, but they were closed.

The past perfect progressive tense : This is used to show that an on-going action in the past has completed.

• I had been running to the bus stop, but I have now started walking.