Ads 468x60px

Pages

At, near,close to,place,time,direction,source/cause,idiomatic phrases - Parts Of Speech-ESL/Learn English Grammar

Read More | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |



At


319. The general meaning of at is _near_, _close to_, after a verb
or expression implying position; and _towards_ after a verb or
expression indicating motion. It defines position approximately, while
_in_ is exact, meaning _within_.

Its principal uses are as follows:--

(1) _Place where._

They who heard it listened with a curling horror _at_ the
heart.--J.F. COOPER.

There had been a strike _at_ the neighboring manufacturing
village, and there was to be a public meeting, _at_ which he was
besought to be present.--T.W. HIGGINSON.

(2) _Time_, more exact, meaning the point of time at which.

He wished to attack _at_ daybreak.--PARKMAN.

They buried him darkly, _at_ dead of night.--WOLFE

(3) _Direction._

The mother stood looking wildly down _at_ the unseemly
object.--COOPER.

You are next invited...to grasp _at_ the opportunity, and take
for your subject, "Health."--HIGGINSON.

Here belong such expressions as
_laugh at_,
_look at_,
_wink at_,
_gaze at_,
_stare at_,
_peep at_,
_scowl at_,
_sneer at_,
_frown at_,etc.

We _laugh at_ the elixir that promises to prolong life to a
thousand years.--JOHNSON.

"You never mean to say," pursued Dot, sitting on the floor and
_shaking_ her head _at_ him.--DICKENS.

(4) _Source_ or _cause_, meaning _because of_, _by reason of_.

I felt my heart chill _at_ the dismal sound.--T.W. KNOX.

Delighted _at_ this outburst against the Spaniards.--PARKMAN.

(5) Then the idiomatic phrases
_at last_,
_at length_,
_at any rate_,
_at the best_,
_at the worst_,
_at least_,
_at most_,
_at first_,
_at once_,
_at all_, _at one_,
_at naught_,
_at random_, etc.;
and phrases signifying state or condition of being, as,
_at work_,
_at play_,
_at peace_,
_at war_,
_at rest_, etc.


Exercise.--

Find sentences with three different uses of _at_.



Read More | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |

0 comments:


Hello Friends ! Please send your requests,comments,suggestions to improve this blog.
Learn English Grammar & Usage; Are U Anxious To Know The Science & Tech News; Where Are You ? Know The Changes; Health:News N Tips
Word of the Day

nonviolence discuss

Definition:(noun) Peaceful resistance to a government by fasting or refusing to cooperate.
Synonyms:passive resistance
Usage:Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr., were two of the most articulate advocates of nonviolence.
Article of the Day

Drifting

Drifting is a motorsport in which drivers deliberately oversteer their cars, sending them sideways through a series of turns. A car is said to be "drifting" when its front wheels are pointing in the direction opposite a given turn, creating an angle between the direction of travel and the direction the wheels are facing. Modern drifting began over 30 years ago as a racing technique popular in Japan. It has since evolved into a competitive sport in which drivers are judged based on what criteria? More... Discuss

This Day in History

Federal Emergency Declared at Love Canal in New York (1978)

In the 1940s and 50s, an abandoned canal in Niagara Falls, New York, became a dumping ground for chemical waste. It was later filled in, and after the land was given to the city of Niagara Falls by the chemical company, houses and an elementary school were built there. By the late 1970s, toxic chemicals had risen to the surface, and residents were found to have a high incidence of chromosome damage. A federal emergency was declared in 1978, and residents were evacuated. What happened to them? More... Discuss
Today's Birthday

Emil Nolde (1867)

Nolde was a German painter and printmaker. Fervently religious, he often painted supernatural imagery, such as demonic heads and mystic appearances. Impressed by the art he saw on a 1913 expedition to the East Indies, he began to paint brooding landscapes and colorful flowers. As a printmaker, he was noted for his crudely cut, stark black-and-white woodcuts. Though he was an early advocate of the Nazi party, the party condemned his art and forbade him to paint. What did he do instead? More... Discuss

In the News

Quote of the Day
When you have really exhausted an experience you always reverence and love it.
Gilbert Chesterton
(1874-1936)
Discuss

Spelling Bee
difficulty level:
score: -
v. To move with or as if with great speed and a rushing noise
 
spell the word:
Match Up
Select word:










Match each word in the left column with its synonym on the right. When finished, click Answer to see the results. Good luck!