Tip 4
Prepositions in questions
In the previous tip we learned about questions, and specifically about subject questions.
We learned that in English, unlike many other languages, we usually use a helping verb when we construct a question or when we make a negative sentence. There is another important principle we want to learn about building questions in English – how to use prepositions correctly.
Prepositions in English, unlike in many other languages, typically appear at the end of the question and not at the beginning!
Examples:
Where are you from? (where from)
What did you do that for? (what for)
What was she thinking about? (what about)
Who do they live with? (who with)
We will notice that in some languages we say: from-where, for-what, about-what, with-whom while in English the prepositions will typically come at the end of the question.
In many languages, this word order would sound very unnatural, where prepositions never appear at the end of a question. If this is the case with your mother tongue – watch out, as you are more likely to make mistakes when building a question in English.
So the next time you watch an English movie, read a book or listen to a song, try to notice where the speakers put the preposition when they ask a question.
Good luck and see you in the next tip 🙂
