Search results for 'tag:Universities tag:Prepositions' matching tags 'Universities' and 'Prepositions'

Which is the correct prepoposition to use: as or of?

daddyjohn — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 02:47:54 GMT

Which is correct:

He held the position AS president of Stanford University. OR

He held the position OF president of Stanford University.

Thank you.

Re: more than one preposition in a given context?

Anonymous — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 02:26:44 GMT

Thank you, Cool Breeze.

You wrote:

I remember two native lecturers at Helsinki University, one British, the other American, who disagreed on the preposition different requires: His hat was tilted in a different direction from/to his head.

Which preposition should I use?

1. I remember a professor from (at?? or of?? ) *** University who liked to eat sushi.
2. Let me introduce to you a professor from (at??) *** University. He held the tenured position from *** to ***.

Thanks to Avangi too.

Re: more than one preposition in a given context?

Cool Breeze — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 09:18:31 GMT

Avangi makes sense (as usual!). However, it is true that in many cases one can choose from two prepositions without any real difference in meaning. In some cases one preposition may be more common in Britain and another in the USA. Of course there may also be endless disagreement on the correct preposition. I remember two native lecturers at Helsinki University, one British, the other American, who disagreed on the preposition different requires: His hat was tilted in a different direction from/to his head. Personally, I couldn't care less which preposition to use, but to those people only one was correct!

Another example: I don't like his attitude to/toward/towards our problem.

A third one: He was standing on/at the corner. But: The wastepaper basket is in the corner.

Re: What is the deference....?

YoungCalifornian — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:30:28 GMT

She went to Cambridge.

Went is the past tense of go. If you "go to" a school, it usually means you attend there as a student.

She has been to Cambridge.

Been is the past participle of be. The sentence literally means that at some point in the past she was at Cambridge, but not necessarilly that she was enrolled as a student. The usage of the past participle as opposed to the preterite also implies that there is a meaning or reason she was there that is relevant to the present.

She was in Cambridge.

Was is the past tense of be. It simply means that she was there is the past. Also, the use of the preposition "in" means that she was in the town of Cambridge. If you mean the univerisity, use the preposition "at" instead. Generally you don't say that you are "in" universities.

To sum up, the verb "to be" in reference to a university means that the subject is simply present at the university. To indicate that the subject is a present there as a student, one should use "to go to" or "to attend." The usage of the past participle (be=been, go=gone) in this context (i.e. perfect aspect) indicates a past action with direct relevance to the present.

Looking for some tips and/or curriculum suggestions

mikesusangray — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 21:50:11 GMT

Hi all!

I've been giving English conversation lessons to a theology professor for about a year now. He's getting on in the years - a couple years from retirement - and his primary goal has been just to get his spoken English going a little stronger. His mother tongue is French but he's been teaching at a German language university for many years.

I'd like to add some more specific inputs to our lessons but I can't seem to find the right material. His passive skills are excellent - he reads widely and with perfect comprehension in his field - and he can communicate quite understandably. He is a linguistics specialist and can grasp any concept about the language immediately. I brought along Cambridge Advanced Grammar in Use and he could plow through a chapter in five minutes with perfect conceptual comprehension.

However, he also continues to make very simple errors - for example, he has trouble choosing between present simple and continuous or often uses the present tense for past events. Sentence order tends to get wander hither and yon while definite and indefinite articles come and go with the tide. (Prepositions are a problem too, but I won't beat him to hard there - prepositions are difficult in any new language.) In many cases his mistakes are typical of French or German speech patterns.

One other limitation is that he enjoys the weekly lessons (a good hour), but doesn't have much time to study in between.

Right now we spend about 15 minutes reading a chapter from Advanced Grammar in Use and about 45 minutes talking about just about anything under the sun, while I take notes and show him problems under the categories Pronunciation/Articles & Prespositions/Word Order/Other Grammar/Vocabulary/Idioms. However, I don't think the work book is a good choice - particularly since he doesn't do the homework - and it seems like he isn't making very good progress with his typical problem patterns - though he greets them like old friends when I point them out.

Any tips here?

Re: in / on / at

Mister Micawber — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 09:44:59 GMT

.
Didn't we do these prepositions long ago, Vincent? Owls are generally hole-dwellers.

Once there was an owl who lived in an old tree. The tree was on the grounds of a university.

Re: Please edit funding request letter

26TMNTJG2PG — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 05:11:30 GMT

My name is â¦ and I am a 2008 honors graduate of â¦... I have been accepted to (university), where I plan to further my education. (University) is a prestigious, highly selective, college that prepares students to change the world. Its liberal arts education empowers students to excel intellectually, think creatively, serve wholeheartedly, act globally, and lead boldly.
I am currently seeking financial sponsors to help me with tuition, and hope I can count on your support. In case you havenât heard of (University), please allow me to share some history with you. Missionaries taught the first class in the basement of a church in (date) (If the date includes day, then the preposition should be 'on'). Since ~~itâs~~ its founding, (University) has grown to become one of the nationâs prominent institutions for higher learning in the liberal arts tradition. (University) has educated more than six generations of students who have reached the highest levels of academic, community, and professional achievement. (University) has a legacy of empowering students to succeed and to lead.
Personally, I am looking forward to broadening my perspectives of the world and gaining a better understanding of the person who I am and ~~who~~ whom I want to become. By continuing my higher education at (University), I plan to study biology with a concentration in pre-medicine. After completing my foundation studies, I plan to attend medical school to become a physician. I want to become a doctor because I want to help those who are less fortunate, and specifically ~~I want~~ to provide my service to alleviate the AIDS epidemic in Africa. That is the essence of being a doctor and why I will be one.
The total funds needed is ($amount) which includes tuition, room and board, living expense, books, supplies,, and transportation. I am asking [number] contributors to each donate [$amount] to help me reach my goal. Is it possible for you to assist me by making a contribution? Any amount of contribution would be greatly appreciated. You can make a check, money order or cashierâs check out to (name). Attached is additional information that outlines my budget and how donations can be made. I can provide proof of attendance and once I graduate (I think you mean 'finish') my first year I will send to the contributors a copy of my certificate.
My program tuition is due (date). I have enclosed a contribution form for your payment reference. Please return it and whatever sum you can contribute to me at the following address.
***
Please feel free to contact me at (number) if you need more information. Your generous contribution would enable me to share in this wonderful opportunity. Thank you in advance for your consideration, support, and generous response. I look forward to ~~thanking you for~~ your support, and will of course be writing to let you know how my college experience goes.
Respectfully yours,
(Name)

Re: preposition dilemmas

Clive — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 03:36:55 GMT

Hi,

Any one correct?

Joe is submitting a report from/of the meeting
Joe is presenting/speaking at a seminar/workshop
John Doe is a professor from/of *** University
Then, please consider this (as??) a reminder.

I assume you want a natural, common way to say these things.

Joe is submitting a report of the meeting.
Joe is presenting/speaking at a seminar/workshop.
John Doe is a professor at *** University.
Then please consider this (as) a reminder.

If you have any more questions about these sentences, please ask.
Clive

Re: He insisted on my/me singing a song.

Cool Breeze — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 16:31:40 GMT

Grammar Geek wrote:
Singing is a gerund, a noun, so it takes the possessive my.

This is rather peculiar, I think. I have encountered the same thing on these forums many times. Native speakers say: "A gerund is a noun." Do they teach it that way in American schools and universities? Grammatical terminology varies greatly from country to country but I have yet to meet a grammarian who says a noun can have an object:

I insisted on his speaking English.

Furthermore, all nouns can have an adjectival attribute; in other words, we can put an adjective before them:

He likes old books.
Merry old England fascinates me.
Little Mary wanted to go out.
Useful information was given to everybody.

So, if gerunds are full-fledged nouns, the following is correct:

Correct speaking English is easy.

Few consider it correct. A gerund is neither a noun nor a verb; it's a cross between them. It has some qualities characteristic of nouns and some that are characteristic of verbs. It resembles a verb in that it can take an object, for instance.

Therefore, "I insist on him speaking English" and "I insist on his speaking English" are equally grammatical. In the first sentence, him is used due to the influence of the preposition on, which is normal English grammar. In the second sentence his is used because speaking is a noun to an extent, even though it's not a complete noun. It has long been customary to consider possessive forms (my, his, our) of personal pronouns better than the object forms (me, him, us) as subjects of a gerund. It also used to be common to consider the basic or common form of other words better in this position:

I insist on John Smith speaking English. (Also: John Smith's)
I insist on everybody speaking English. (Rarely: everybody's)

In the past 30 or so years I have noticed a tendency in American magazines and newspapers to prefer the genitive even in cases where it sounds and looks ludicrous. I assume this can be ascribed to rising standards in education. Nevertheless, there has never been a grammatical justification to consider one of the alternatives better. The tendency to consider the possessive form the better seems to me to stem from grammatical ignorance rather than a good knowledge of it. There is no grammatical or historical justification for preferring either form.

Cheers
CB

Re: Even though he was accepted/admitted/approved to several top universities,

Yoong Liat — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 17:36:46 GMT

Angliholic wrote:
Nona The Brit wrote:

No.

Approved doesn't fit here at all.

accepted by or admitted to (different prepositions).

Thanks, Nona.

I think your suggestions make perfect sense, but the original does use "accepted to." So, I wonder if it sounds right by any chance.

It should be 'accepted by ...'