Gestione su propio aprendizaje del idioma Inglés

Classification:

Level: Intermediate

Time: 30 min.

Material: Pen and paper

Equipment: None

Aim: To practice prepositions

Activity Type: Vocabulary enlargement

 Preparation:

Study this review of prepositions before dealing with task 1:

A preposition is used to connect nouns and noun structures to other structures in a sentence.  A noun structure following the preposition is called the object of preposition.

The object of preposition can be

a noun: We gave a present to our friend.

a pronoun: We gave a present to them.

a gerund: We thought about giving a present to them.

a noun clause: We though about giving a present to whoever loved us.

Placement of prepositions:

The preposition is usually placed before the object.  But it may be placed at the end of a sentence in

a question: Which country did you go to?

an adjective clause: This map shows the countries which we went to.

a noun clause: We forget which countries we went to.

An adjectival prepositional phrase is placed after the noun it modifies.

The book on the desk is mine.

The dog next door bothers me.

An adverbial prepositional phrase, like an adverb, may be placed anywhere in the sentence. Or it may be placed at the

end: I came at nine o´clock

middle: He leaves in two hours to visit his friends.

beginning: On Monday, I have my English class.

Type of Prepositions

 There are one- and two-word prepositions:

one-word: in, at, over, among

two-word: next to, instead of

There are times when prepositions can be used with objects.  At such times, they no longer function as prepositions but become either (1) two-word verbs; (2) adverbs; or (3) conjunctions.

Two-word verbs (verb + particle)

Examples: bring up (raise)         find out (discover)

                  call off (cancel)         catch on ( understand)

These combinations have idiomatic meanings.

Task 1: 

DOCTOR-PATIENT VOCABULARY

Let´s practice the use of one-word prepositions in medical contexts. Fill in the blanks:

1. The patient was admitted ____ hospital.
2. He complained  ____ headache and vomiting.
3. ____ examination, the liver was enlarged.
4. It is difficult to account _____ her deterioration.
5. Plasma proteins were low _____ 60 g/l.
6. She did not suffer _____ indigestion.
7. Her haemoglobin was normal _____ 15 g/dl.
8. She had swelling _____ both ankles.
9. He was treated ______ steroids.
10.  Treatment will depend ______ the extent of invasion.
11.  This young man presented two years ago _____ an isolates swollen  peripheral joint.
12.  He complained _____ increasing breathlessness.
13.  His haemoglobin is low  _____ 7 g/dl.
14.  She has always suffered _______ indigestion.
15.  The half-life of the drug is partially dependent _____ kidney and liver function.
16.  _____ admission, we was found to be severely malnourished.
17.  Nothing was found ______ endoscopy.
18.  The erythrocyte sedimentation rate was elevated _____ 104 mm/hour.

Answers key:

1. to      2. of     3. on    4. for    5. at    6. from    7. at     8. in/of    9. with  

10.  on/upon       11. with    12.  of      13. at     14. from    15. on/upon   

16. on,    17. at/on     18. at      

Evaluation:

How did it go?

13-18 Correct answers: Excellent work!

8-13 Correct answers: Good work!

3-8 Correct answers: A good effort but keep on practicing. Read through the preparation again and try the task in a week or so. I’m sure you can do it!

3-0 Correct answers: Don’t get discouraged. Just keep trying.

Follow-up:

Practice using these one-word  prepositions in medical situations. Find  the meaning of  them if a dictionary if necessary.

• aboard ,about ,above, across, after, against, along, among ,around, as, at, before, behind ,below, beneath, beside ,besides ,between, beyond, but, by, despite ,down, during, following, for, from, in, inside, into, like, near ,next, of, off , on,  opposite, out, outside,  over,  since ,through , throughout,  to , toward , towards,  under,  underneath,  unlike,  until,  up , upon , with,  within ´without

Bibliography:

Lougheed, L. The Great  Preposition Mystery.  English Language Program Division. Washington, D.C. 1995