Lesson 1: Prepositions Explanation Page
I. Introduction:
Ok. I wanted to start with the presuppositions (on, in, under, ...) because after you know them you can make many good sentences.
Plus, we will be using all this stuff in this lesson in many of the other lessons, so it is really good to know this well.
Here are the prepositions
In On Under Next to Behind In front of Above To the left of To the right of In the middle of On the left side of On the right side of
I.A: The Importance of Good Self-Study
Before we start, I want you to realize the importance of self-study. I am not going to be at your house. I am not going to give you homework.
I AM GOING TO TELL YOU how to study though. It is your responsibility to do the speaking exercises.
You will do the exercises not until you have a book knowledge. A book knowledge will do you no good, because this kind of knowledge means that you only know a few rules, but don’t know yet how to speak. NO. NO. NO.
You should do the exercises until you have a speaking habit….until speaking is easy. Understand?
I.B Why We Always Use Easy Words In The Charts
Now, let’s look at the chart. I use easy words like book(s), pen(s), pencil(s) in every lesson. This is only because I want you to learn the grammar first. Once the grammar is a habit you can speak thousands of sentences easily.
1 2 3 4 The book(s) is in the table pen(s) isn’t on desk pencil(s) under shelf hat(s) are next to (shelves) ball(s) aren’t behind backpack(s) in front of ruler(s) above pencil case(s) to the left of to the right of in the middle of on the left side of on the right side of
What? Where?
I.C How To Use The Charts
I.C.1 Final Results
Here is what we are going to do: You are going to practice with all the nouns from column one and all the prepositions from column 3.
Let me give you an example: “The book”
The book is on the table. The book is under the table. The book is next to the table. The book is behind the table. The book is in front of the table. The book is above the table. The book is to the left of the table. The book is to the right of the table. The book is in the middle of the table. The book is on the right side of the table. The book is on the left side of the table.
This is the final result for the first chart, we are doing now. But we don’t have to start with a sentence. We can start with a piece and practice the pieces until they become automatic speech habits. Understand?
I.C.2 Make Distinctions Between Grammar Points To Learn Faster
Here I will contrast the singular and the plural, so that I don’t make mistakes when I speak. The reason why people make speaking errors is because they are trying to remember a rule…A RULE THEY HAVE NEVER PRACTICED BY SPEAKING.
Remember: There is not just one way to practice with the charts there are many. For example, I could practice singular and plural with the same sentence, like this:
Ex. 1 The book is on the table. The books are on the table.
The hat is under the chair. The hats are under the chair.
The pencil is behind the table. The pencils are behind the table.
I would practice this way to make sure I didn’t forget to put an “s” on “book” and say “are.”
The great thing about using the charts is that you can start at your own level. If the chart is hard, then I start with a small piece and do it in steps until I can speak easily on the sentence level.
I.C.3 If The Grammar Is Hard…Break The Chart Into Smaller Pieces And Learn The Small Parts Perfectly
For example: I could start with columns 3 and 4 and NOT PRACTICE columns 1 and 2. That would look like this. (LOOK AT THE CHART AGAIN TO SEE WHAT I MEAN) 1 2 3 In the table in the desk in the shelf On the table on the desk under the shelf Under the table under the desk next to the shelf Next to the table next to the desk behind the shelf Behind the table behind the desk in front of the shelf In front of the table in front of the desk above the shelf Above the table above the desk …………. To the left of the table… to the left of the desk ………….. To the right of the table to the right of the desk …………. In the middle of the table in the middle of the desk ………….
So now I can practice, the new column number 1 by itself: in the table, on the table, under the table… Ok? I master that (without reading). After you master that column number 2 is a lot easier. You already know column 1. Now you just substitute “table” and say “desk” instead. Understand? After that do the new column 3.
Now when I do this, I am really thinking hard about the different meanings of the prepositions. This is not some mindless exercise. You have to really think about what you are saying.
By practicing all the prepositions with the same word, like “shelf” for example, we are making distinctions in our mind. We are distinguishing the different meanings of only the preposition.
That is the problem with learning vocabulary only from a book. You cannot make the distinctions you do when using words in regular speech. I hope you understand that. It is very important.
I.C.4 You Can Practice The Charts According To Your Weaknesses And Then Eliminate Them
Ok. Now I have a choice. I can practice the column alone. In other words in column number 1, I can practice with “table” and go down the column: in the table, on the table, under the table…
1 2 3 In the table in the desk in the shelf On the table on the desk on the shelf Under the table under the desk next to the shelf Next to the table next to the desk behind the shelf Behind the table behind the desk in front of the shelf In front of the table in front of the desk above the shelf Above the table above the desk …………. To the left of the table… to the left of the desk ………….. To the right of the table to the right of the desk …………. In the middle of the table in the middle of the desk ………….
Or I can practice across: “on the table” “on the desk” “on the shelf.” The great thing about my chart system is that you can practice your weak points with the chart until they become your strong points. Without the chart system there really isn’t any way to do this.
1 2 3 In the table in the desk in the shelf On the table on the desk on the shelf Under the table under the desk under the shelf Next to the table next to the desk next to the shelf Behind the table behind the desk behind the shelf In front of the table in front of the desk in front of the shelf Above the table above the desk …………. To the left of the table… to the left of the desk ………….. To the right of the table to the right of the desk …………. In the middle of the table in the middle of the desk ………….
Do you see what I am doing? I am practicing: “on the table” “on the desk” “on the shelf”
That is why if you study exactly like I tell you to, your ENGLISH LEVEL IS GOING TO GO UP VERY FAST.
So don’t be easy on yourself. Work hard until you can do everything without thinking. Ok. It will be hard at first, but later you will be able to speak without thinking. I PROMISE!
I can also just practice columns 1 and 2 of the chart below. That would look like this:
1 2 3 4 The book(s) is in the table pen(s) isn’t on desk pencil(s) under shelf hat(s) are next to (shelves) ball(s) aren’t behind backpack(s) in front of ruler(s) above pencil case(s) to the left of to the right of in the middle of on the left side of on the right side of
The book is The books are The pen is The pens are The hat is The hats are
This is rather easy, but surprisingly many people make a lot of mistakes here. They say: “The book are” or “The books is…” By practicing like the above chart we can develop good speaking habits.
After you download the charts, use the charts as you want ( 마음대로) to strengthen your weak areas in English. But remember, I really don’t care about you knowing grammar rules! If you finish a lesson with me, but your speaking is still not correct, that means that you did not practice enough to make the speech habits automatic. You need to go back and practice more.
Why is it important to practice small pieces of a sentence? First, a small piece is never confusing. It is easy to learn. Second, by learning small pieces well you are actually becoming more and more fluent with speaking sentences. Sentences are nothing more than 2 or more pieces put together. Third, many students who try to learn full sentences, get confused and frustrated and want to quit.
How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time! That’s why at www.englishmasteracademy you are going to learn somewhat hard sentences and master them. But that is no problem, because you are going to start with small pieces first. I hope you understand that. It is so important.
Ok, so now I have practiced all the pieces of the chart. It’s time to put it together. It’s time to explain video 1.
I.C.5 What You See On My Videos Is The Final Result
Before I do that, remember this: When I make a video I am showing what the final result is supposed to look like.
I can’t explain all the little steps you can do before you get to the final step. If I did that my videos would be too long. …. 1 2 3 4 The book(s) is in the table pen(s) isn’t on desk pencil(s) under shelf hat(s) are next to (shelves) ball(s) aren’t behind backpack(s) in front of ruler(s) above pencil case(s) to the left of to the right of in the middle of on the left side of on the right side of
What? Where?
II. What You Need To Learn From Video Number 1
Ok. In this lesson, we are focusing on learning the questions “What” and “Where” with the prepositional phrases.
Remember, it is not enough to just speak statements, you have to be able to make questions too..
That’s why I want you to do practice with both questions, but in this video we will practice with “where.” It looks like this on the website. Remember ask the question each time.
Practice asking and answering questions, like this: Ask the question each time!
Where is the book? The book is on the table. The book is under the table. The book is next to the table. The book is behind the table. The book is in front of the table. The book is above the table. The book is to the left of the table. The book is to the right of the table. The book is in the middle of the table. The book is on the left side of the table. The book is on the right side of the table.
Remember to think about what you are saying. Next we practice the plural forms. (Later we will practice them together). The important thing to remember is “The book is...” “The books are...”
Where are the books? The books are on the table. The books are under the table. The books are next to the table. The books are behind the table. The books are in front of the table. The books are above the table. The books are to the left of the table. The books are to the right of the table. The books are in the middle of the table. The books are on the left side of the table. The books are on the right side of the table.
Now do the same for “pen(s)”; “pencil(s)”; “hat(s)”; “ball(s)”; “backpack(s)”; “ruler(s)” and “pencil case(s).”
Make sure that you practice all the nouns in column one like it says above. That means that you do “pen(s)”; “pencil(s)”; “hat(s)”… Do all of them. “Pen(s)”= “pen” and “pens” ok?
The “where” question is really easy to make. You start at column 3 and go to the left to column 1. Where is the book? Where are the books? Where is the backpack? Where are the backpacks?
Remember, it is very important that you learn the questions perfectly too. If you can make good questions by yourself, chances are that when a native speaker asks you a question you will be able to understand it and then answer it too.
I want to say one more thing before we talk about the second video. There are many ways to practice this chart.
I can practice only column 4 if I want to. Like this:
The book is on the table. The book is on the desk. The book is on the shelf. The book is on the shelves.
The books are on the table. The books are on the desk. The books are on the shelf. The books are on the shelves.
Or I can change column 3.
The book is on the table. The book is under the table. The book is next to the table The book is in the middle of the table. The book is to the left of the table.
I am not going to list all of them.
Look, this program was designed so that you could do a lot of speaking practice even if you don’t have an English speaking friend. So, you need to practice, practice, practice with the chart until you can speak all of it easily and without thinking. That means making lots of questions and a lot of answers too.
And remember, we are not reading the chart. We are using the chart to help us, when we don’t know how to say something ok?
III.A. Videos 2 & 3: Exercise Set 2
This exercise is very simple, but also very important at the same time. Let’s look at the lesson for a minute.
III.B. Explanation Exercise set 2: Question exercise Example: Where is the book ? Is it under the table? No, it isn’t under the table. It is on the table.
Where are the books ? Are they under the table? No, they aren’t under the table. They are on the table.
Remember 1 thing ( 물건 )= it; 2,3,4... = they The book, the hat, the pen = it The books, the hats, the pens = they
What we are doing here is practicing “it” and “they.” We use it for one object or thing. We use “they” for 2 or more things. Remember we are not talking about people here, just things.
Ok. In the first video we practiced making questions and answers. We will use the same questions, but in this exercise we are going to add another question. We are going to ask: “Is it on the table,” or “Are they on the table.”
Where is the book? Because there is only one book, we will use “it.” Where is the book? Is it on the table?
If we make the question, “Where are the books?” we then say: “Are they on the table?” That is because there are many books.
Just remember if there is one thing, we say “it.” If there are many things, we say “they” in this exercise.
III.C. Exercise
The exercise is below. What we are doing is practicing on word from column number 1: “pen” and then all of the words from column 3: “in,on, under, next to, behind, in front of…”
You are going to practice telling where one thing isn’t. The long form is “is not.” You can say it that way if you want. Normally we say isn’t.
If there are several things like “hats,” “pencils,” “pens…” we say “aren’t.” Right? Look at the examples below.
Do all the prepositions in column 3. Like this:
1 2 3 4 The book(s) is in the table pen(s) isn’t on desk pencil(s) under shelf hat(s) are next to (shelves) ball(s) aren’t behind backpack(s) in front of ruler(s) above pencil case(s) to the left of to the right of in the middle of on the left side of on the right side of
What? Where?
Right now we are only practicing with one word from column one: “pen.” Look again at the chart above in column number 1. But you need to do all the words from column 1 after you are finished with “pen.” Do it exactly as you see below.
Where is the pen? Is it in the table? on No, it isn’t in the table. It is on the table. -Where is the pen? Is it on the table? under No, it isn’t on the table. It is under the table. -Where is the pen? Is it under the table? Next to No, it isn’t under the table. It is next to the table. -Where is the pen? Is it next to the table? behind No, it isn’t next to the table. It is behind the table. -Where is the pen? Is it behind the table? In front of No, it isn’t behind the table. It is in front of the table. -Where is the pen? Is it in front of the table? above No, it isn’t in front of the table. It is above the table. -Where is the pen? Is it above the table? To the left of No, it isn’t above the table. It is to the left of the table. -Where is the pen? Is it to the left of the table? To the right of No, it isn’t to the left of the table. It is to the right of the table. -Where is the pen? Is it to the right of the table? In the middle of No, it isn’t to the right of the table. It is in the middle of the table. -Where is the pen? Is it in the middle of the table? On the left side of No, it isn’t in the middle of the table. It is on the left side of the table. -Where is the pen? Is it on the left side of the table? On the right side of No, it isn’t on the left side of the table. It is on the right side of the table.
Ok, now you do the same thing with pens, but remember: “Are they…” “No, they aren’t …” “They are…” Understand?
So practice with “pen” and then do “pens”. After you do that practice with all the things is column number one: hat, hats, pencil, pencils…
Do the same for “pens”: Remember: Don't read.
-Where are the pens? Are they in the table? on No, they aren’t in the table. They are on the table. -Where are the pens? Are they on the table? under No, they aren’t on the table. They are under the table. -Where are the pens? Are they under the table? Next to No, they aren’t under the table. They are next to the table. -Where are the pens? Are they next to the table. behind No, they aren’t next to the table. They are behind the table. -Where are the pens? Are they behind the table? In front of No, they aren’t behind the table. They are in front of the table? -Where are the pens? Are they in front of the table? above No, they aren’t in front of the table. They are above the table. -Where are the pens? Are they above the table? To the left of No, they aren’t above the table. They are to the left of the table. -Where are the pens? Are they to the left of the table? To the right of No, they aren’t to the left of the table. They are to the right of the table. -Where are the pens? Are they to the right of the table? In the middle of No, they aren’t to the right of the table. They are in the middle of the table. -Where are the pens? Are they in the middle of the table? On the left side of No, they aren’t in the middle of the table. They are on the left side of the table. -Where are the pens? Are they on the left side of the table? On the right side of No, they aren’t on the left side of the table. They are on the right side of the table.
III. D. Make It Easy
III.D.1 Make Easy Questions First
If you want to make it easy at first, do it this way. Pick a word from column 1. Let’s do the word: “backpack.
Here we are going to make 2 questions: Where is the backpack? Is it on the table?
Now do it again and change the column three preposition.
Where is the backpack? Is it under the table?
Now do it again and change the column three preposition again.
Where is the backpack? Is it in the middle of the table?
Do the same thing for backpacks:
Where are the backpacks? Are they on the table?
Again:
Where are the backpacks? Are they under the table?
III.D.2 Make Easy Answers
Where is the backpack? Is it on the table?
No, it isn’t on the table. It’s under the table.
Where are the backpacks? Are they under the table?
No, they aren’t under the table. They are next to the table.
Remember to practice all of the prepositions in column 3. You need to master this as a speaking habit. We are going to use all this in later lessons. You need to know it well.
IF I MAKE YOU PRACTICE SOMETHING THERE IS ALWAYS A GOOD REASON.
We are mastering the small pieces of English right now, so that later the harder pieces will be easier to learn. Ok?
IV. Chart Number Two
Ok. Chart number two is a little bit easier than the first chart. In chart two you are doing two prepositional phrases.
Chart #2 1 2 3 4 5 The pencil(s) is on the desk next to the ruler book(s) are on the table behind the pencil case hat(s) in front of the book ball(s) to the left of the hat backpack(s) to the right of
You can practice this chart however you want.
You can ask the question: “Where is the pencil?”
A. You can practice column 4 if you want:
The pencil is on the desk next to the ruler. The pencil is on the desk behind the ruler. The pencil is on the desk in front of the ruler The pencil is on the desk to the left of the ruler. The pencil is on the desk to the right of the ruler.
Let’s do the same for: “Where are the pencils?”
The pencils are on the desk next to the ruler. The pencils are on the desk behind the ruler The pencils are on the desk in front of the ruler. The pencils are on the desk to the left of the ruler. The pencils are on the desk to the right of the ruler.
Now pick a different word from column 1 and do this exercise again: book(s), hat(s), ball(s)…
B. Or you can practice with column number 5. Let’s do “pencil” again.
1 2 3 4 5 The pencil(s) is on the desk next to the ruler book(s) are on the table behind the pencil case hat(s) in front of the book ball(s) to the left of the hat backpack(s) to the right of
Where is the pencil? (ask every time)
The pencil is on the desk next to the ruler. The pencil is on the desk next to the pencil case. The pencil is on the desk next to the book. The pencil is on the desk next to the hat.
Where are the pencils? (ask every time)
The pencils are on the desk next to the ruler. The pencils are on the desk next to the pencil case. The pencils are on the desk next to the book. The pencils are on the desk next to the hat.
Understand? Now you can practice with the other words: book(s), hat(s)…
C. You Can Practice With Column 2 if you want. Columns 3,4, and 5 do as you like. This time we have to change the question.
1 2 3 4 5 The pencil(s) is on the desk next to the ruler book(s) are on the table behind the pencil case hat(s) in front of the book ball(s) to the left of the hat backpack(s) to the right of
What is….? What are…?
What is on the table behind the pencil case?
The pencil is on the table behind the pencil case. The book is on the table behind the pencil case. The hat is on the table behind the pencil case. The ball is on the table behind the pencil case. The backpack is on the table behind the pencil case.
What are on the table behind the pencil case?
The pencils are on the table behind the pencil case. The books are on the table behind the pencil case. The hats are on the table behind the pencil case. The balls are on the table behind the pencil case. The backpacks are on the table behind the pencil case.
Understand? Practice this a lot.
V. Making Many Kinds of Sentences With Just One Chart
A. In this section we are going to make many different kinds of sentences. We are going to use two words from column 1, and two words from column 2.
Note: When you practice column number 1, I want you to practice with one word in the singular: Ex. Book, pen, pencil, backpack, hat…
The other word can be plural: books, pens, pencils, backpacks, hats
Why? I want you to get really good at using the singular and plural with the verbs: “is” “isn’t” “are” and “aren’t.” That’s why I want you to say one noun in the singular and the other in the plural.
Sometimes you can do both nouns in the singular like: pen and pencil.
Or sometimes you can do both nouns in the plural: pens and pencils
We are going to change the words in column 3 each time we practice. Like this:
1 2 3 4 The book(s) is in the table too pen(s) isn’t on desk but pencil(s) under shelf hat(s) are next to (shelves) ball(s) aren’t behind backpack(s) in front of ruler(s) above pencil case(s) to the left of to the right of in the middle of on the left side of on the right side of
First ask the question: Where is the book? Where are the pens?
The book is to the left of the table, but the pens are in the middle of the table.
Next we change column 3 again:
Where is the book? Where are the pens?
The book is behind the table, but the pens are in front of the table.
Practice this many times. Later change column one to two different nouns ( 명사 )
B. Ok. This is another way to practice this chart. We pick 2 nouns from column 1 and 1 preposition from column 3 and 4 will not change. Like this:
1 2 3 4 The book(s) is in the table too pen(s) isn’t on desk but pencil(s) under shelf and hat(s) are next to (shelves) ball(s) aren’t behind backpack(s) in front of ruler(s) above pencil case(s) to the left of to the right of in the middle of on the left side of on the right side of
Where are the books? Where is the hat?
The books are to the left of the table and the hat is to the left of the table too.
Where is the backpack? Where are the rulers?
The backpack is to the left of the table and the rulers are to the left of the table too.
Practice this many times. Later, change column 3. We don’t want to say “to the left of” every time. Change it when you can do this exercise well.
C. Ok. This time we are going to practice “is” and “isn’t” “are” and aren’t”. We are going to use two words from column 1. 1 2 3 4 The book (s) is in the table too pen(s) isn’t on desk but pencil(s) under shelf hat(s) are next to (shelves) ball(s) aren’t behind backpack(s) in front of ruler(s) above pencil case(s) to the left of to the right of in the middle of on the left side of on the right side of Example:
Where are the balls? Where is the pencil case?
The balls are under the desk, but the pencil case isn’t under the desk.
Where is the book? Where are the backpacks?
The book is under the desk, but the backpacks aren’t under the desk.
Listen: You can practice this by changing column number 1 every time, or you can change the preposition in column 3 every time. Do it as you like.
Practice this many, many times.
VI. How To Do The Last Video Exercise
Ok. The last exercise should not be difficult at all. It is almost the same as we just did.
This time we aren’t going to use “is” and “are.” We are going to use “isn’t” and “aren’t” and a new word “either.”
Let’s look at the chart.
1 2 3 4 5 The book(s) in the table either. pen(s) isn’t on desk pencil(s) under shelf hat(s) next to (shelves) ball(s) aren’t behind backpack(s) in front of ruler(s) above pencil case(s) to the left of to the right of in the middle of on the left side of on the right side of
Example: Where is the ruler? Where are the pencil cases?
The ruler isn’t in front of the table and the pencil cases aren’t in front of the table either.
Remember: “either” means “too.” In English, though, we can’t say “too” when there are too negative statements. We say either instead.
Here is how to practice this:
A. Change column 3 every time and don’t change anything else. Like this:
1 2 3 4 5 The book(s) in the table either. pen(s) isn’t on desk pencil(s) under shelf hat(s) next to (shelves) ball(s) aren’t behind backpack(s) in front of ruler(s) above pencil case(s) to the left of to the right of in the middle of on the left side of on the right side of
B. Change column 1 every time. Like this.
1 2 3 4 5 The book(s) in the table either. pen(s) isn’t on desk pencil(s) under shelf hat(s) next to (shelves) ball(s) aren’t behind backpack(s) in front of ruler(s) above pencil case(s) to the left of to the right of in the middle of on the left side of on the right side of
Where aren’t the books? Where isn’t the pen? The books aren’t on the table and the pen isn’t on the table either.
Where aren’t the pencils? Where isn’t the hat? The pencils aren’t on the table and the hat isn’t on the table either.
Understand?
Practice this many times, until you can speak 100’s of sentences without having to think at all.
I am really glad we are learning English together. If you have any questions make sure and send me an email. shawn@englishmasteracademy.com
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