TO, IN or AT? Verbs of motion and their prepositions. Phrasal verb get in English

A phrasal verb is a special type of verb that is formed by adding to a simple verb excuse (in,on etc.) or adverbs (down, up etc.). As a result, the original meaning of the simple verb is lost.

Today we will consider the most “many-sided” and popular in English - the verb to get.

In English, phrasal verbs allow one verb to take on literally dozens of meanings, depending on what you add to it. They can take the same aspectual and tense forms as ordinary verbs. phrasal verbs Despite the fact that phrasal verbs in English, as a rule, are used more in colloquial speech than in business communication, the need for his knowledge has not become less. In spoken English, these verb constructions have gained immense popularity. Being a kind of originality of the English language, they will help you add "naturalness" to speech. By using these forms, you can avoid some of the dryness that is characteristic of those who learn the language from textbooks. Also, we often learn individual words, which we then translate "word for word", thereby making the language unnatural. Today, by learning some of the "root" constructions of the language, you will be one step closer to ordinary English speech.

I accidentally called the verb to get“many-faced”: the fact is that a huge number of prepositions and adverbs come into contact with this verb, radically changing their semantic characteristics. However, it can also show its diversity, taking the form of not only a phrasal, but also a simple verb. In English, one word can have many meanings, especially if it is a verb. And even more so if this GET verb

simple verb to get

Consider all the meanings that the simple form of the verb can take to get on examples of proposals.

12 meanings of the simple verb to get:

1. Receive
   I got this work, because I have the experience. — I got this job because I have experience
2. Buy
   He gets the black clothes, because he likes black color. He buys black clothes because black is his favorite color.
3. Become (sentences like: "Dawn" / "Dark" require this verb)
   It is getting dark. - It's getting dark. (Getting darker)
4. bring something to someone
   I will got you the cup of tea. - I'll bring you a cup of tea.
5. Complete
   I can get this work by evening. — I can finish this work by evening.
6. force someone to persuade someone
   I will get him to go with us. — I will persuade him to come with us.
7. transfer
   I want to get a table in the other room. — I want to move the table to another room
8. get, arrive
   It takes me 10 minutes to get to the railway station. — I need 10 minutes to get to the train station
9. Earn
   I got USD 12,000 this year. — I earned 12,000 this year
10. place, place
    Mary cannot get all the books in her bag. Mary cannot fit all the books in her bag.
11. Understand
    I didn't get the main idea of ​​the story. I didn't understand the main idea of ​​the story
12. To get with the help of any transport, find transport (catch)
    Nick got a taxi. Nick hailed a taxi.
    I get there by boat. — I get there by boat.

Forms of the phrasal verb get

Even more “spectacular” versatility is manifested by this verb when it takes on various forms of a phrasal verb. The phrasal verb get has become one of the most popular verbs in the English language. When studying its meanings, do not forget to pay attention to the sentences, as the whole forms are best remembered than the words taken separately!
Forms of the phrasal verb get Get up —

1. get up
2. wake someone up
3. intensify (about natural disasters, about feelings, about emotions)
4. dress up, dress up

• Kate gets up at 9 o'clock. Kate gets up at 9 am.
• Get him up, we are late. Wake him up, we're late.
• Fire got up and they had to carry water faster. The fire was getting stronger and they had to carry water faster.
• "Nick, get yourself up this blue shirt," said his wife. “Nick, put on that blue shirt,” the wife said.

Get along (with somebody)- Get along with)

• Amanda gets along with her boss. Amanda gets along with her boss

Get along-

1. hold out, do without (something)
2. succeed
3. get along

• Ann got along without water two days. Ann went without water for two days.
• Tom got along with his new article. – Tom did his job well
• Nick gets along with his father-in-law. — Nick gets along with his stepdad

Get around- visit, visit

• Get around your girl-friend. - Bring your friend over

get away- escape, avoid

• They get away from FBR. - They're on the run from the FBI

get down- go down

• I should get down, he is waiting for me. — I have to go down, he is waiting for me.

Get back- return, return

• We got your money back. — We returned your money

Get in —

1. win the election
2. plant (in soil)
3. Collect (tax, harvest)
4. Insert (words)
5. Enter (college, university, etc.)

• Be sure, you will get in at the election. - Be sure you will win the election.
• I got in the potatoes. — I planted potatoes.
• I will get in the apples and pears. I will pick apples and pears.
• I want to get some words in. — I want to put in a few words.

get off —

1. Depart, leave
2. Start off
3. Clean
4. Save yourself, avoid punishment
5. Get out of transport

• We ought to be getting off. - We must go
• She got off her work successfully. — She started her work successfully
• I can get this stain off my dress. — I can get this stain out of my dress.

(Note, for example, above. There are cases where an object can be placed between a verb and an adverb/preposition. Such sentences have a so-called "separable" verb.)

• Tom got off thanks to you. Tom escaped punishment thanks to you
• Lise will get off at the 3rd station. Liz will get off at the third stop

Get on —

1. Get on (in transport)
2. Get to…

• You'll get on the bus tomorrow. - Tomorrow you will take the bus.
• Drear children, get on to your test. — Dear children, proceed to the test

get out —

1. to leave, to leave, to leave
2. pull out, take out

• "Get out, Mike!", the girl-friend shouted. "Get out, Mike!" shouted his girlfriend
• "Get her out, please", asked Kate. "Pull her out, please." asked Kate

Get over —

1. cope, overcome difficulties
2. Move, move
3. finish

• She'll get over it. - She can handle it.
• I think you should get over there. — I think you should move there.
• Mary will get over with her project very soon. Mary will finish her project very soon.

get through —

1. pass the exam
2. Deal with something/someone

• Many students didn't get through - Many students did not pass the exam
• He'll get through with this impolite boy! "He'll deal with this impolite guy!"

Reinforcing exercise on the use of the verb to get

I suggest downloading and performing the following exercise for consolidation: in sentences, instead of spaces, insert the word you need in meaning. Below you will find answers to all the suggestions that will help you find out if you did everything right.

I also suggest watching a video lesson on red Murphy, developed by English teacher Albert Kahnovsky, which will allow you to get to know the simple and phrasal verb get even better.
Video:

Globalists and maximalists may be indignant: "Isn't it a lot of honor for some microscopic words, let's better repeat the passive voice!" But perfectionists can and should stand up for the prepositions of a place in the English language: “You need to hone your mastery of the language carefully, paying special attention to the little things.”

We do not know which position is closer to you, but remember, the misuse of prepositions, even with perfect pronunciation and knowledge of all irregular verbs, will send all your efforts to show off your knowledge of English down the drain. You will never say in Russian "I was in a great party" or "I'm learning from St. Petersburg." Let's remember / learnuse of prepositions of place to the place together!

In order to make it easier to imagine what will be discussed, we suggest enlisting the help of imagination. Who is man's best friend? That's right, dog. And in the study of prepositions too! We involve a charismatic dog in our prepositional story and quickly remember what, where and why. R Consider the prepositions in, on, at in English.

Preposition AT

Feel free to use the preposition At when you are talking about a specific place or point, and not an area or an unlimited abstract territory:

There were a lot of musicians at a concert. - There were many musicians at the concert.
I met him at Jil's Birthday. - I met him at Jill's birthday party.

In offers at a concert and at at Jil's Birthday Prepositions point to specific places.

You can also use the preposition At in company with city names, meaning events, activities or institutions located there.

Let's compare a couple of examples:
There were a lot of charismatic people at London Theater Festival. - There were a lot of charismatic people at the festival in London.
There are a lot of charismatic people in London. - There are a lot of charismatic people in London.

The difference is noticeable even for someone who does not have a deep knowledge of English or theatrical life in London. In the first variant London denotes the name of the event (London Theater Festival), in the second option we mean the city itself. Do you still think that prepositions should not be paid attention to?

Then another example:
I study at university Moscow. - I study at the University of Moscow.
I study in Moscow. - I study in Moscow.

In the first sentence, the preposition At abbreviates and hides the name of the educational institution, fully referred to as The University of Moscow . Pretext in clearly and specifically indicates the city.

You can also use the preposition At talking about all sorts of organizations:
She works at Chanel. - She works at Chanel.

When talking about buildings and structures, use the preposition at when you mean them as specific points or landmarks: at the dentist's, at the supermarket, at school, at the shop, etc.

I was at the planetarium yesterday. - Yesterday I was in the planetarium.
I eat at McD on Mondays. - I eat at McDonald's on Mondays.

Pretext At preceded by: Their house is at 36 Park Avenue.

Pretext at harmoniously fits in front of the name of the street when it comes to any institution located on it:

The presidents are meeting tomorrow at Downing Street. - Tomorrow there will be a meeting of the presidents in Downing Street. It does not mean the street itself, but the official residence of the Prime Minister of Great Britain at this address.

However, speak on Wall Street, referring to the financial institution located on this street

The English language never ceases to amaze: preposition at as a general rule should be used with the verb "arrive" (We arrived at the terminal in time). However, upon arrival in a large city, metropolis, use the preposition in(The bus arrives in Chicago at 11.20).

As you can see, the suggestion At more capricious than In, and requires more attention, if only because more rules are associated with it.

Preposition IN

In would definitely be a favorite pretext of the creators of the cult trilogy "The Matrix", since it must be used to indicate the position of an object inside another larger object or in three-dimensional space (i.e. when the object is surrounded by something from all sides): We will go for a walk in the garden. My coins are in my pocket.

If you want to indicate the place where someone works, you need to use the preposition in. Confused? Let's look at examples then:

She works at Tate. - She works at the Tate.
She works in a gallery - She works in a gallery.

In both sentences, we are talking about one place, but in the first case there is an emphasis on the company itself, and in the second case - specifically on the place of work.

Remember: work on a farm - work in a factory.

Pretext in should be used when you want to indicate the location of an object inside a building:

I stopped at the theater on my way home. - I stopped at the theater on the way home. (The theater is just a stopover on the way home, not a performance)
It was snowing, so I decided to shelter in the shop. - It was snowing, so I decided to hide in the store. (Shelter from the snow in the building, not shopping)

Use a preposition before the name of the road on or in:
The Gas Station is on / in Wood Road.

Preposition ON

Seems like you've got it all figured out? However, do not forget about the suggestion On- it will also come in handy when you specify the location of something.

Pretext On must be used when you want to indicate the position of an object in space. It would seem that everything is extremely simple and clear. However, the catch is that On appears only when the mentioned object is in contact with a flat surface (on the celling; on the wall; on the floor, etc.) or when we perceive this very space as a straight line. (For example, in the case of a river or road: They built the cottage on the river).

Are you going to travel by bus, train, plane? Take a trip with you On! In a taxi or a car, take an excuse as a passenger In. Precisely the pretext In perfectly emphasizes the fact of being inside the vehicle, and any. Compare examples:

French people read magazines almost everywhere, even on the metro. - The French read magazines almost everywhere, even in the subway.
He was in the train when I "ve come to meet him. - He was on the train when I came to meet him.

We hope you have a pleasant feeling of lightness after reading the article. Prepositions either don’t scare you anymore, or, on the contrary, deserve more attention for detailed study. After you have caught your breath and wiped the sweat off your forehead, get ready to hear some not so good news: there are NOT only prepositions of place in English. So do not deprive your attention of the prepositions of time and reason and take a look at the light in the section of English grammar dedicated to them. And then feel free to take the test, which will add the necessary healthy dose of practice to the theory of English prepositions.

Still have doubts? We will scatter them like clouds before the parade on Red Square! We take on board the specific verb "arrive" and ask ourselves vital questions: where and when you can arrive, or rather, what prepositions to use to indicate this in English. A little more of your attention and no more misunderstandings.

A

Verb + to

talk / speak TO somebody ( with also possible, but less commonly used)

• Who was that man you were talking to?
  WITH who are you talking? (lit.: who was that person/man With whom you talking?)

listen TO ...

• We spent the evening listening to music. ( not listening music)
  We spent the evening listening music.

write(a letter) TO ...

• I wrote to the hotel complaining about the poor service we had received.
  I wrote in hotel complaining about the bad service we received.

Apologize TO somebody (for ...)

• they Apologised to me for what happened. ( not They apologised to me
  They apologized to me for what happened.

explain something TO somebody

• Can you explain this word to me? (not explain me this word)
  Can explain to me this word?

explain / describe (to somebody) what/how/why ...

• I explained to them why I was worried. ( not I explained them)
  I explained to them why I was worried.
• Let me describe to you what I saw. ( not Let me describe you
  Let me I will describe to you what I saw.

We do not use to with these verbs:

phone / telephone / call somebody

• Did you phone your father yesterday? ( not phone to your father)
  You called yesterday to his father?

answer somebody/something

• He refused to answer my question. (not answer to my question)
  He refused reply on my question.

ask somebody

• Can I ask you a question? ( not ask to you)
  May I ask you question?

thanks somebody (for something)

• He thanked me for helping him. ( not He thanked me)
  He thanked me for helping him.

Verb + at

look / stare / glance AT ... , have a look / take a look AT ...

• Why are you looking at I like that?
  Why do you on me so look?

laugh AT ...

• I look stupid with this haircut. Everybody will laugh at me.
  I look stupid with this hairstyle. All have to laugh me.

aim / point(something) AT ... , shoot / fire(a gun) AT ...

• Don't point that knife at me. It's dangerous.
  Not guide this knife on me. Is it dangerous.
• We saw someone with a gun shooting at birds, but he didn't hit any.
  We saw someone with a gun shooting at birds/ V birds, but he didn't hit any.

Some verbs may be followed by at or to, the value changes. For example:

shout AT somebody (when you get angry)

• He got very angry and started shouting at me.
  He got very angry and started scream at me.

shout TO somebody (so that you can be heard)

• He shouted to me from the other side of the street.
  He shouted at me from the other side of the street.

throw something AT somebody/something (to hit them)

• Somebody threw an egg at the minister.
  Somebody threw egg V minister.

throw something TO somebody (for someone to catch)

• Lisa shouted ‘Catch!’ and threw the keys to me from the window.
  Lisa shouted ‘Catch!’ and threw me the keys from the window.

Exercises

1. You ask someone to explain something you don't understand. Write questions starting with Can you explain ... ?

1. (I don't understand this word.)
   
2. (I don't understand what you mean.)
   
3. (I don't understand this question.)
   
4. (I don't understand the problem.)
   
5. (I don't understand how this machine works.)
   
6. (I don't understand what I have to do.)
   

2. Select to where appropriate, or leave the field blank if the sentence has already ended.

Surely in your practice of learning English it was such that just yesterday you saw a word in a book with one preposition, and today - in the same book, but with a completely different one. For example, it was arrive in , but it became arrive at .

English prepositions are a topic full of mysteries and surprises. We sometimes put an excuse, without understanding why, relying on intuition. Or we translate from our native language, “how we feel.”

Especially often difficulties arise with verbs of motion, since you especially want to add to, on, at or in to them. There is no single rule in English, and different verbs of movement are combined with different ones, which do not correspond at all with prepositions in Russian.

For example, in Russian we approach something, but we follow someone, and in English we can approach and follow without a preposition.

In this material, we will look at the main verbs of motion: I will explain to you how prepositions change and give examples.

APPROACH- approach, approach. In Russian, we say “approach”, which causes frequent mistakes. In English, this verb is used without a preposition:

To approach the house - approach the house
To approach the river bank - approach the river bank

ARRIVE- arrive, arrive. In Russian, with this verb there are prepositions k, v, na and others. There are only two variants in English, and the preposition will depend on the place where you are arriving.

Arrive in a city or country - preposition IN, arrive, come to a certain place, to an event - preposition AT:

To arrive in Moscow - arrive in Moscow
To arrive in the USA - arrive in the USA
To arrive at the station - arrive at the station
To arrive at the conference - arrive at the conference
To arrive at work - arrive at work

Another point is to come from somewhere. We use the preposition FROM:

To arrive from Tokyo - arrive from Tokyo
To arrive from abroad - arrive from abroad

Exception: arrive, come home - without a preposition: to arrive home.

CLIMB- to climb, climb. As for the verb climb, let's start with the pronunciation: the letter b is not readable and the verb is pronounced. We are used to this verb with the preposition na (to climb something). But in English, the verb itself is used without a preposition:

To climb a tree - climb a tree
To climb a hill - climb a hill

Since the verb climb can also mean climb, other prepositions UP , DOWN , OUT OF , INTO can be used to indicate the direction of movement. For example: climb in and out, climb in and out:

To climb up a tree - climb a tree
To climb down a tree - get off the tree
To climb out of the well - get out of the well
To climb into the tree house - climb into the tree house

COME- come, approach. The verb come is worth devoting a separate article to - the number of its different meanings (more than 50!) and combinations, phrasal verbs with it (incredible!) is so large. Today we confine ourselves to prepositions of movement.

With the verb come, the preposition TO is used - to come somewhere:

To come to work - come to work
To come to school - come to school
To come to your friend's house - come to your friend's house

Exception: come home - no preposition: come home.

To come, come from, from, with is the preposition FROM:

To come from school - come from school
To come from a party - come from a party
To come from Poland - come from Poland

With the preposition BACK, the verb come means "to return":

To come back home - return home
To come back to school - go back to school
To come back from a business trip - return from a business trip

Many other prepositions can be found with the verb come, but these will be phrasal verbs (phrasal verbs) or collocations (stable combinations).

DEPART- to depart, depart. With this verb, everything is simple: to go somewhere is the preposition FOR. To go from anywhere is the preposition FROM. We do not touch the TO preposition, only two prepositions starting with the letter F:

To depart for Rome - go to Rome
To depart for Turkey - go to Turkey
To depart from Rome - arrive from Rome
To depart from Turkey - arrive from Turkey

ENTER- enter. It is very difficult to overcome the temptation to say the preposition IN , but enter in the meaning of "enter, enter" is used without a preposition:

To enter a room - enter the room
To enter a cave - enter a cave

FOLLOW- follow, follow. The most common mistake is follow after (it makes sense to follow!). However, the English language simplifies the task for us, and the preposition is not needed at all:

Follow me! - Follow me!
To follow the map - follow the map
To follow the tour guide - follow the guide

If you want to indicate a direction (where to follow someone), use the preposition TO:

I followed my mother to the kitchen. I followed my mother into the kitchen.
The group followed the guide to the museum. - The group followed the guide to the museum.

LEAD- to lead. The verb lead is the antonym of the verb we have considered follow. And it is used in a similar way: without a preposition:

Lead a group - lead a group
lead a child home - lead a child home

And if you want to indicate the direction (where to lead), then you may need different prepositions:

To lead tourists through the wood - lead tourists through the forest
To lead tourists out of the wood - take tourists out of the forest
To lead guests to the kitchen - take guests to the kitchen

LEAVE- to leave, to leave, to leave, to leave. Leave some place - without a preposition:

To leave home - leave the house
To leave the country - leave the country

If you are leaving, leaving somewhere, then the preposition FOR is used (as is the case with the verb depart ):

To leave for work - go to work
To leave for London - leave for London

MOVE- move, move. If you move somewhere - the preposition TO , and if from somewhere, then FROM :

To move from a small village - move from a small village
To move to the city center - move to the city center
To move house - move (literally: move the house)

REACH- reach, reach. The verb reach is used without a preposition. Immediately name the place:

To reach the top of the mountain - reach the top of the mountain
To reach the destination - reach your destination

RETURN- come back. It's the same as come back , and when you're naming a place you should use the TO preposition:

To return to the office - return to the office
To return to Madrid - return to Madrid

Exception: to return home - without a preposition: to return home.

And if you want to say "return from somewhere", then the FROM preposition:

To return from a holiday - return from vacation

TURN- turn. The verb turn combines the words left and right, and they can be used without a preposition. But if you take the preposition TO, then it will appear:

To turn left / To turn to the left - turn left
To turn right / To turn to the right - turn right

And if you're turning a corner, you'll need the ROUND preposition:

To turn round the corner - turn around the corner

These are the most commonly used verbs of motion. I decided not to include the verb go in this material - it deserves a separate article. By the way, the site also has - synonyms for go. I recommend to study!

And finally, four rules that will help you master the topic of prepositions:

1. Do not translate from Russian - check the usage in the dictionary. While you are tormented by choosing which preposition is best for your translation, it may turn out that the verb is used without any preposition at all.

2. If you have already spent time and climbed into the dictionary, remember the phrase - an example of how the verb is used. Not just approach (approach), but approach something (approach the house).

3. Draw, speak aloud, make up your own examples. If you draw a diagram where three arrows (in, at, from) go from the word arrive, write down three sentences from your experience, then you will remember the material much better than after simply reading the rule.

4. Practice and work on your mistakes. If it is difficult for you to do it on your own, and it is not interesting to talk with a mirror, then individual conversation classes via Skype in ENGINFORM are what you need. 90% of the class is your speaking. We do not just speak English, but we analyze, discuss and work on mistakes. It's easy to get started - choose a convenient class time and improve your English.

If you have your own effective way of memorizing English prepositions - share your recipe in the comments.

Good luck and see you on the blog pages and in the classes at ENGINFORM!