Bahasa Inggeris notes, unit 6
Prepositions, conjunctions, time expressions and spotting errors
Textbook Pulse 2 Student's Book (Form 1 and 2), Units 6-9 for Tingkatan 2 — skills-based units for the UASA, pages Pulse 2 Student's Book, printed pp. 85-89 (Unit 8: reading, grammar, vocabulary, cultural awareness, second-hand shopping guide), 109-110 (pronunciation lab); UASA Paper 1 Part 2 format
What this chapter covers
- I can use for and since with the present perfect and choose the right time expression for each (6.1)
- I can ask and answer How long ...? questions with the present perfect (6.1)
- I can use prepositions of time, place and movement such as at, on, in, under, over, across, through and into (6.2)
- I can use verbs of movement with the right preposition, like walk under, throw over, put on and pick up (6.3)
- I can join ideas with because, so, but, although, however, while, when and in case (6.4)
- I can use the sound endings of verbs (-s, -es, -ed) and the weak form of was and were to check spelling and grammar (6.5)
- I can find and correct errors in a UASA Paper 1 Part 2 text, step by step (6.6)
In Form 1 you met the small words that give a sentence its meaning. In Form 2 the same words appear in longer texts and the errors are harder to spot. This unit builds on for and since with the present perfect, prepositions of time, place and movement, conjunctions and linking words, and then trains you to spot and correct errors in UASA Paper 1 Part 2. The examples come from the Pulse 2 pages on superstition and second-hand shopping.
6.1Time expressions: for and since
We use the present perfect (have/has + past participle) with for and since to talk about a period of time that goes up to now. for = the length of the time. since = the starting point.
| Use | Time expressions | Example |
|---|---|---|
| for (how long) | two hours, five minutes, a few days, many years, a long time, three weeks | I have been in the team for three years. |
| since (when it began) | yesterday, last week, 10th June, 1995, my birthday, I was 13, she was a student | I have been in the team since 2023. |
One fact, two ways
Anna and Jack became friends when they were four. They are still friends now.Anna and Jack have been friends since they were four.
Anna and Jack have been friends for many years.
Ask yourself: is it a length (a number plus hours, days, years) or a point (a date, a year, an event, a clause)? Length gives for. A point gives since. After since you can also use a clause in the past simple: since we last met.
How long ...?
To ask about the length of a situation that is still true, use How long + have/has + subject + been ...?
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| How long has Jo been a swimming teacher? | She has been a swimming teacher for ten years. / ... since she was 18. |
| How long have you lived in your town? | I have lived here for six years. / ... since 2020. |
| How long have computers existed? | Computers have existed for many decades. / ... since the 1940s. |
Common mistakes: "I am in this school since 2024" → I have been in this school since 2024 (present perfect, not the present). "She has lived here since five years" → for five years. "He has played football for he was seven" → since he was seven. "I have went there" → I have been / gone there (past participle).
Write for or since.
(a) The modern Olympic Games have existed ____ 1896.
(b) Our town has had a sports stadium ____ last year.
(c) Juan has been a supporter ____ seven years.
(d) England has not won the World Cup ____ a long time.
(a) The modern Olympic Games have existed ____ 1896.
(b) Our town has had a sports stadium ____ last year.
(c) Juan has been a supporter ____ seven years.
(d) England has not won the World Cup ____ a long time.
Show answerHide answer
(a) since (a year, a point) (b) since (last year is a point) (c) for (a length) (d) for (a long time is a length)
Other time expressions
| Tense | Time expressions | Example |
|---|---|---|
| past simple (finished) | yesterday, last week, in 2019, two days ago, when I was ten | Michael Jordan always wore his old college shorts. |
| present perfect (up to now) | for, since, so far, just, already, yet, ever, never | Superstitions have been part of sport since it began. |
| present simple (habit) | always, every day, usually, on Saturdays | Rafa Nadal always takes two identical bottles of water. |
| future | tomorrow, next week, in two days, soon | We will have the swap shop next Saturday. |
Do not use ago with the present perfect. "I have met her two years ago" is wrong. Say "I met her two years ago" or "I have known her for two years".
6.2Prepositions of time, place and movement
| Kind | Rule | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| time: at | clock times, meal times, night | at 7.00, at lunchtime, at night |
| time: on | days and dates | on Saturday, on 10th June, on my birthday |
| time: in | months, years, seasons, parts of the day | in June, in 1995, in the morning |
| place: at / on / in | a point / a surface / inside a space | at the door, on the table, in the box |
| movement | to, into, out of, across, along, through, up, down, over, under, past | walk across the road, go through a tunnel |
From the shopping guide
Every Saturday and Sunday, people take things to a car boot sale. They fill the boot of their car with things they do not want. You can find used clothes in a charity shop, and exchange clothes at a swap shop.Some prepositions have two meanings. Over can show position (a lamp over the table) or movement (throw salt over your shoulder). Under is the opposite of over. Through goes in one side and out the other; across goes from one side to the other of a flat area.
Common mistakes: "He walks to home" → walks home. "We arrived to the shop" → arrived at the shop. "I live at Seremban" → live in Seremban. "Sit in the table" → at the table (for a meal) or on a chair.
Choose the correct word.
(a) A black cat walked (across / through) the road.
(b) Never walk (under / between) a ladder.
(c) She has lived (in / at) Kuching since 2022.
(a) A black cat walked (across / through) the road.
(b) Never walk (under / between) a ladder.
(c) She has lived (in / at) Kuching since 2022.
Show answerHide answer
(a) across (a flat area, side to side) (b) under (the ladder is above you) (c) in (a city)
6.3Verbs of movement and their prepositions
The vocabulary lesson on British superstitions uses twelve common verbs: touch, carry, break, drop, spill, walk, cross, open, pick, scratch, meet, put. Many of them take a preposition or a particle.
| Phrase | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| cross your fingers | hope for good luck | Cross your fingers before the exam. |
| touch wood | touch something made of wood so that your words do not bring bad luck | I will pass, touch wood. |
| walk under a ladder | pass beneath it | Never walk under a ladder. |
| put on / take off | wear / remove | Put on your cap. Take off your shoes at the door. |
| put ... on the table | place something on a surface (on is a preposition here) | Do not put your shoes on the table. |
| pick up | lift from a surface | Pick up the pen you dropped. |
| throw over your shoulder | throw behind you | Throw some spilt salt over your shoulder. |
| carry with you | keep with you | Carry a lucky charm with you. |
A phrasal verb is a verb plus a small word (a particle), like pick up, put on and carry on. The particle changes the meaning, so learn the two words together.
With a pronoun the particle goes after the object: pick it up, not pick up it. With a noun both orders are fine: pick up the pen or pick the pen up.
Complete with a verb from the list: cross, scratch, spill, put.
(a) ____ your fingers for good luck. (b) If you ____ some salt, throw some over your shoulder. (c) Do not ____ your nose, or you will have an argument. (d) Do not ____ your shoes on the table.
(a) ____ your fingers for good luck. (b) If you ____ some salt, throw some over your shoulder. (c) Do not ____ your nose, or you will have an argument. (d) Do not ____ your shoes on the table.
Show answerHide answer
(a) cross (b) spill (c) scratch (d) put
6.4Conjunctions and linking words
| Word | Job | Example |
|---|---|---|
| and | adds an idea | Swap shops are popular and they are good for the environment. |
| but | contrast | It might take a while to find what you want, but it is fun looking. |
| because | reason | People like charity shops because the prices are low. |
| so | result | Athletes believe in luck, so they follow the same routine. |
| although / even though | contrast inside one sentence (do not add but) | Although the superstitions make no sense, many champions believe in them. |
| however | contrast between sentences | Routines help people relax. Some go too far, however. |
| while / when | time: long action / short action | While I was reading, my phone rang. |
| in case | to be ready for a problem | We do not change the routine in case things go wrong. |
Do not use two conjunctions for one idea. "Although it was late, but she studied" → Although it was late, she studied (or: It was late, but she studied). Use a comma after however at the start of a sentence, and put a full stop before it.
Choose because, so, although or however.
(a) He wears red on the last day ____ he thinks it brings luck.
(b) ____ she was nervous, she won the match.
(c) Tara was ill, ____ she stayed at home.
(a) He wears red on the last day ____ he thinks it brings luck.
(b) ____ she was nervous, she won the match.
(c) Tara was ill, ____ she stayed at home.
Show answerHide answer
(a) because (reason) (b) Although (contrast) (c) so (result)
6.5Sounds that signal grammar
The pronunciation lab links sounds to grammar. Hearing the ending helps you check the form.
| Ending | Sound | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| third person singular -s / -es | /s/ after k, p, t | paints, cooks, works |
| /z/ after other sounds | tells, sings, wears | |
| /iz/ after s, sh, ch | practises, wishes, matches | |
| past simple -ed | /t/, /d/ or /id/ (/id/ after t and d) | watched /t/, played /d/, painted /id/ |
| was / were | weak forms /wəz/ and /wə/ in sentences | They were talking to him. |
| -er (a person) | /ə/ | teach - teacher, explore - explorer |
The -s ending belongs to a singular subject in the present simple: She watches, they watch. If you hear /s/, /z/ or /iz/ at the end of a present simple verb, the subject must be he, she, it or one person.
6.6Spotting errors in a text
In UASA Paper 1 Part 2 you see a text with underlined words. Some are wrong. You write the correct word. Follow these steps.
- Read the whole text first for the idea and the time (past, present or future).
- Look at the word before and after the underline.
- Decide the type of error: tense, agreement, preposition, conjunction, pronoun, spelling or plural.
- Write one word. Read the sentence again to check it.
| Clue | Likely error | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| yesterday, last year, ago | tense | past simple |
| for / since + now | tense | present perfect |
| subject he, she, it or one person | agreement | verb + s |
| a clock time, a day, a month | preposition | at / on / in |
| two ideas that are opposite | conjunction | but / although |
| before a noun (her book) | pronoun | possessive |
Worked example
"My brother have lived in Penang for 2019." Two errors: have → has (one person), and for → since (2019 is a point).Write the correct word for each underlined word.
(a) Tom have lived in Melaka since he was born.
(b) The festival begins at Saturday.
(c) We stayed at home but it was raining.
(a) Tom have lived in Melaka since he was born.
(b) The festival begins at Saturday.
(c) We stayed at home but it was raining.
Show answerHide answer
(a) has (one person, so has lived) (b) on (a day) (c) because (the rain is the reason, not a contrast)