Prepositions Part 30
Combinations
A preposition is a word placed before a noun or a pronoun to show in what relation the person or thing denoted by it stands in regard to something else. There are over 100 prepositions in English. This is a very small number compared with the vast number of nouns, adjectives and verbs found in English. Here are some of the prepositions used in English
Dine on
To eat a particular kind of food for dinner, especially expensive food.`
They dined on lobsters and strawberries.
Dip into
To put something into a liquid and lift it out again.
Susan dipped the strawberries into melted chocolate.
To read short parts of a book or magazine, but not the whole thing.
This is a kind of book you can dip into now and again.
Direct to
To aim something in a particular direction or at a particular person or group.
I’d like to direct your attention to chapter three of the book.
Disabuse of
To persuade someone that what they believe is not true.
Muriel tried to disabuse him of that notion.
Disadvantage of
Something that causes problems or that makes someone or something less likely to be successful or effective.
The disadvantage of the material is that it fades in strong sunlight.
Disagree with
If something such as food or weather disagrees with you, it has a bad effect on you or makes you ill.
Seafood always disagreed with him.
Disagreement between
Emma dropped out of university after a disagreement with her professor.
Disappointed with
Unhappy because what you hoped for did not happen or because someone or something was not as good as you expected.
Some candidates are disappointed with the election results.
Disapprove of
To think that someone’s behaviour or ideas are bad or wrong.
Her family strongly disapproved of her marriage.
Discharge from
To officially allow someone to leave somewhere, especially a hospital or the army.
Several new recruits were discharged from the Army due to medical reasons.
Disciple of
Someone who believes in the ideas of a great teacher or leader, especially a religious one.
Diane was an avid reader and a disciple of Jiddu Krishnamurti.
Disconnect from
To remove the supply of power, gas or water from a machine or a piece of equipment.
Always disconnect the machine from the mains before doing any repairs.
Discontented with
Unhappy or not satisfied with the situation you are in.
I became discontented with the work assigned to me.
Discourage from
To persuade someone not to do something, especially by making it seem difficult or bad.
My father discouraged me from joining the Army.
Discourse on
A serious speech or piece of writing on a particular subject.
We listened to a discourse on human relations.
Discrepancy in
A difference between two accounts, details or reports that should be the same.
Police found discrepancies in the two suspects’ statements.
Discriminate between
To recognise a difference between things.
New born babies can differentiate between a man’s and a woman’s voice.
Discuss with
To talk about something with another person or a group in order to exchange ideas or decide something.
Students should be given time to discuss the subject with their classmates.
Disdainful of
Showing that you do not respect someone or something because you think they are not important or good enough.
Some professors are disdainful of popular novels.
Disentangle from
To separate different ideas which have become confused.
It is very difficult to disentangle fact from fiction in what she said.
