Language Matters: Meaning and problems for learners - along, down, through, over, behind

These examples come from a novel by PD James. Look at the highlighted words...

• How would you explain their meaning to a student? 
• What difficulties might learners have understanding the words even if they had met them before?  
• How would you define their form and use? 
• What problems might their pronunciation create for learners?

Think about your answer to these questions, then scroll down to see the suggested answers.

a) The lift was fitted with a low padded seat along one side ...
b) They followed her down the corridor ...
c) "If you can be through in an hour, I can fit you in before the hair appointment."
d) There was a fitted carpet in silver grey, and over it an assortment of rugs.
e) ...to a door which she opened with easy confidence and announced "Commander Dalgleish and his colleague, Lady Holstead," then closed the door behind her.

Now scroll down to compare your own analysis with the suggested answer below.

Suggested Answer

1. Form

a,b,d,e = prepositions; c = adjective

 

2. Meaning and its problems for learners

a: along = extending horizontally from one part of the object to another – to explain this to a learner, a board diagram with more examples would probably be clearer than the verbal explanation. Can be used for a static object (as here) or when movement is involved – They walked along the road.

b: down = along (as above) but mostly used when movement is involved. Confusingly up can also be used with the same meaning, eg They walked down/up/along the road.

c. through = finished. This would be liable to confuse learners who already understood the meaning as “from one side to the other” or “from the beginning to the end” – eg They walked through the park / It rained all through the holidays.

d. over = on top of, covering partially or completely. Notice that over can be used for something which touches the object below (as here) or is higher than it – eg A light hung over the table – and can also involve movement: She jumped over the stream. It may also have other meanings - eg finished as in When the meeting was over… This could lead to problems understanding the distinction between over and through as in (c) – over is used for an event, while through is used for a person.

e. behind = at the back of. Learners meeting this would probably understand the meaning for static objects (eg There’s a tree behind the house) but might query whether here in front of was not also possible, given the possible position of the woman as she closed the door.

 

3. Use

a,b,d,e :  head of prepositional phrase,  which acts as an adverbial in the clause expressing position (a,d,e) or movement (b)

c : here used as complement of the verb be ; slightly informal in style; possibly more common in US than UK English?

 

4. Pronunciation problems

a. along - /əlɒŋ/. 1) Learners might have problems decoding/producing the initial schwa, expecting a strong vowel /eɪ/, 2) Learners might insert a final /g/, as would be liable to happen if /ŋ/ was followed by eg /ɪ/ as in /əlɒŋgɪt/, but is not likely here.

b. down - /daʊn/. Indonesian speakers would have problems with the diphthong /aʊ/, producing /dɔ:n/.

c. through - /θru:/ 1) Many learners have problems pronouncing /θ/, tending to substitute /t/ or /s/, as the sound does not occur in their L1. Here the problem is worsened by the fact that it is the first part of a consonant cluster, which again is a cause of problems for many L1 groups; 2) Learners might try to pronounce "ough" as it is written, or be confused as to which of its various pronunciations should be used.

d. over - /əʊvə/. In this context an "intrusive" /r/ would be used to link the syllable final and syllable initial vowels -  /əʊvərɪt/ (liaison). This could lead to problems decoding the phrase.

e. behind - /bi:haɪnd/ or /bɪhaɪnd/. Italian speakers would have difficulty pronouncing the /h/ as the phoneme does not occur in their L1.