underneath
1) If a person or thing is underneath
something, they are directly below or beneath it. Used with verbs:
e.g.
His dog always lies underneath
his desk as he works.
Used after a noun:
He keeps his money in a box underneath
his bed.
Also used as an adverb:
e.g.
There is sandy soil in the garden with clay underneath.
2) Something that is underneath
a layer of something, especially clothing, is covered by that
layer. Used with verbs:
e.g.
It was cold so he wore a woollen
singlet underneath his track-suit.
Also used an adverb:
e.g.
The car's paintwork was scratched, showing the primer underneath.
3) You use underneath when you
are talking about feelings and emotions that people try to keep
hidden. Used with verbs:
e.g.
He is a very gentle person underneath the tough exterior.
Also used as an adverb:
e.g.
He seemed calm but was really very angry underneath.
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2) If one person or thing is unlike
another, the two things or people are different. Used after 'be':
e.g
I used to think schoolteachers were
somehow unlike other people.
Used after nouns:
e.g.
It was a book quite unlike any other
book I'd read before.
3) If you describe someone's behaviour as being unlike
them, you mean it is surprising because it is different from their
usual behaviour.
e.g
It's so unlike him to be late for
an appointment.
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2) If something doesn't happen until
a particular time, it does not happen before that time but happens
or starts at that time. Used with verbs in the negative:
e.g.
He didn't start shaving until
he was twenty.
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2) If you go up a road, you go
along it towards one end of it. Used with verbs:
e.g.
He turned left up
a narrow back street.
3) Something that is situated up
the road is further along it. Used with verbs:
e.g.
The hotel is just a couple of blocks up
the road.
Also used as an adverb:
e.g.
There's a post office further up.
4) If you go up a river, you go
along it towards its source. Used with verbs:
e.g.
The barge was towed up
the river to the edge of town.
Used after a noun:
This book is about a voyage up the Amazon.
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2) You use upon between two identical
nouns or numbers to emphasize that there are large numbers of
the thing referred to; a literary use. Used after a noun:
e.g.
He sat there for hour upon
hour trying to solve the problem.
Used with verbs:
e.g.
Crisis followed upon
crisis.
3) If an event or time is upon
you, it has just started affecting you; a literary use.
e.g.
The winter was upon them and the
days grew shorter.
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2) If something is up to a particular
standard or amount, it has reached that standard or amount. Used
after 'be':
e.g.
This piece of work is not up
to the usual standard.
His temperature was up
to 105 before the fever broke.
3) You say that something happens up
to a particular date or event to emphasize that it happens
until that date or event. Used with verbs:
e.g.
He continued working on the project
up to the last minute.
4) If you say that it is up to
someone to do something, you mean that it is their responsibility
to do it. Used after 'be':
e.g.
It is up to
the individual to decide what suits him best.
5) If you are up to doing something,
you are well enough or capable enough to do it. Used with verbs:
e.g.
If you don't feel up
to writing it alone, we can do it together.
It was a difficult game but the team were
up to the challenge.
6) If you say that someone is up to
something, you mean they are secretly doing something, probably
something bad; an informal use. Used after 'be':
e.g.
I had no idea what he was up
to, but I feared the worst.
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2) If you do something via a particular means or a person,
you do it by making use of that means or person. Used with verbs:
e.g.
I was able to make contact with him
via the Internet.
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2) If you do something with someone
else, you both do it together or are both involved in it. Used
with verbs:
e.g.
He discussed the matter with
his colleagues.
This company has collaborated with the University on various projects
over a number of years.
Used after a noun:
e.g.
I wanted to maintain my friendship
with her.
3) If you fight, argue, or compete with
someone, you oppose them. Used with verbs:
e.g.
He disagreed violently with
her over politics.
Used after a noun:
e.g.
He told me about a quarrel with his colleagues at work.
4) If you do something with a
tool, object, or substance, you do it using that tool, object
or substance. Used with verbs:
e.g.
He secured the door with
a heavy padlock.
I write all my letters with
a word-processor these days.
5) If someone stands or goes somewhere with something, they
are carrying it. Used with verbs:
e.g.
He stood at the bar with
a drink in his hand.
They came back from their vacation
with a bag full of new clothes.
Used after a noun:
e.g.
The news showed hundreds of men with weapons running through the streets.
6) Someone or something with a
particular feature or possession has that feature or possession.
Used after a noun:
e.g.
The new tax only affects people with incomes over $50,000 a year.
He saw an old man with
a white beard sitting on the bench.
7) Someone with an illness has
that illness. Used after a noun:
e.g.
a child with
a high temperature.
Used with verbs:
e.g.
Bill was in bed with
'flu last week.
8) If something is filled or covered with
a substance or with things, it has
that substance or those things in it or on it. Used after an adjective:
e.g.
The old building was infested with rats and mice.
The streets were littered with
debris after the typhoon.
Used with verbs:
e.g.
Fill the tank with
gasoline.
9) If you are, for example, pleased or angry with
someone or something, you have that feeling towards them. Used
after an adjective:
e.g.
He was satisfied with
the outcome of the election.
She became rather annoyed with
her son.
Used after a noun:
e.g.
...their dissatisfaction with
society.
10) You use with to indicate what
a state, quality, or action relates to, involves, or affects.
Used after an adjective:
e.g.
We need a teacher who is good with children.
He has always been careless with money.
Used after a noun:
e.g.
They have had trouble with
their neighbours.
He was able to use his skill with computers in his new job.
Used with verbs:
e.g.
We must combine theory with
practice.
He asked the company to provide him
with an assistant.
11) If you part with, dispense
with, or finish with
something, you no longer have it or use it. Used with verbs:
e.g.
He was very reluctant to part with his motorcycle.
12) If you side with, hold with, or agree with
someone or something, you support them.
e.g.
Most people sided with
the government on this issue.
He doesn't hold with
capital punishment.
They can never agree with
each other on anything.
13) You use with when indicating
the manner of an action or the feeling that someone has when they
do something.
e.g.
He agreed to the proposal, with some reluctance.
14) You use with when indicating
a sound or a gesture that is made at the same time as an action.
e.g.
He got up with
a sigh, and prepared to start the
day.
She dismissed it with
a wave of her hand.
15) You use with when indicating
the feeling that makes someone have a particular appearance or
type of behaviour.
e.g.
He went pale with
fear.
She was shaking with
anger.
16) You use with when mentioning
the position or appearance of someone or something at the time
when they do something, or what someone or something else is doing
at that time.
e.g.
He lay with
his head against the back of the seat.
She walked up the road with
the dog trotting behind her.
17) You use with when mentioning
a current situation that is a factor affecting another situation.
e.g.
He has been unable to sleep properly with
all the pressures on him.
18) You use with when making a
comparison between the situations of different people or things.
e.g.
It's different with each individual.
19) If something increases or
decreases with
a factor, it changes as that factor changes.
e.g.
The chance of getting a free meal from your employer increases
with status.
20) If something moves with a
wind or current, it moves in the same direction as the wind or
current.
e.g.
He shut off the engine and let the boat drift
with the tide.
21) If someone says they are with
you, they mean that they understand what you are saying; an informal
use.
e.g.
Sorry, I'm not quite with you.
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2) You use within when you are
describing something that exists or happens among members of a
group or as part of the workings of an organization. Used after
a noun:
e.g.
There has been some discontent within the local community.
Used with verbs:
e.g.
There are some advantages to working
within an existing organization.
3) You can say that someone has a feeling within
them when they have this feeling but have not expressed it; a
literary use. Used with verbs:
e.g.
A deep melancholy existed within
him.
Used after a noun:
e.g.
He could not deny the anger within him.
Also used as an adverb:
e.g.
His outward self was apparently not affected by the turmoil within.
4) If something happens within
a particular period of time, it happens before the end of that
period.
e.g.
You must use this product within
one week of purchase.
5) If you are within a particular
distance of a place, you are less than that distance from it.
e.g.
He lives within walking distance
of the nearest station.
6) If something is within sight, within earshot,
or within reach, you can see it,
hear it, or reach it.
e.g.
They were almost within reach of
their goal.
7) If something is within a particular
limit or set of rules, it does not go beyond it or is not more
than what is allowed.
e.g.
It is important to keep spending within
budget limits.
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without
1) If someone or something is without
something, they do not have it. Used with verbs:
e.g.
He couldn't read the warning label
on the bottle without his spectacles.
Used after a noun:
e.g.
He takes his coffee without
sugar or milk.
2) If one thing happens without
another thing, or if you do something without
doing something else, the second thing does not happen or occur.
e.g.
We were refused permission to see him without
an appointment.
The storm broke without warning.
3) If you do something without
a particular feeling, you do not have that feeling when you do
it.
e.g.
He described the incident without
emotion.
4) If you do something without
someone else, they are not in the same place as you or are not
involved in the same action as you.
e.g.
I much prefer to go shopping without
the children.
2) If something is worth a particular
activity or effort, it is likely to be useful or interesting.
Used after 'be':
e.g.
You may be wasting your time, but it's
worth a try
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