Verbs and prepositions from "Water Wars: Who Controls the Flow?"

  • Due No due date
  • Points 29
  • Questions 9
  • Time Limit None

Instructions

Overview

This activity will prepare you or the next listening/reading activity by learning some of the verb/preposition combinations used in the "Water Wars" reading.

You will read the meaning of the verb and then match it with the correct preposition.

Read

Prepositions are words which show relationships in space and time, or between people or groups. Common prepositions include short words like in, on, at, to, up, with also through, about, against and others. Sometimes it can be difficult to choose the correct preposition in English. There are a few reasons this can be confusing:

  • If English is not your first language, you will find different prepositions are often used; for example, in English we think about things, but in Spanish you think "in/on" something.
  • Prepositions do not always mean exactly what they say. For example, when you are "on" the phone, you are not really on it, are you?

    • shows boys foot placed on a cell phone that is flat on the floor

       This little boy is literally ON the phone

  • English, especially when spoken, is full of phrasal verbs. These are combinations of verbs and prepositions which have a special meaning which is not clearly related to the verb or preposition. For example, "put up with" means "tolerate".

Consider this example:

The word "deplete" can mean "to run out of" where the verb is "run" and the preposition is "out of"

You may find it helpful to check a phrasal verb dictionary Links to an external site. for some of the questions in this activity.

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