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prepositions

The document explains the use of prepositions with the nouns 'increase' and 'decrease' and their corresponding verbs. It specifies that 'in' is used when no number is given, while 'of' is used when a specific number is mentioned. Additionally, it covers the appropriate prepositions for time periods and trends, highlighting the differences in meaning when using 'by' and 'to' with numerical values.

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13 views

prepositions

The document explains the use of prepositions with the nouns 'increase' and 'decrease' and their corresponding verbs. It specifies that 'in' is used when no number is given, while 'of' is used when a specific number is mentioned. Additionally, it covers the appropriate prepositions for time periods and trends, highlighting the differences in meaning when using 'by' and 'to' with numerical values.

Uploaded by

Labib
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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In cr ease an d Decr ease as Nou n s

As nouns, in cr ease, decr ease, r ise and f all normally


have the preposition IN after them

w h en w e do NOT specif y a n u m ber .

● There was an 30% increase in the number of

emergency kits sold in 2012.

● There was a rise in sales after appearing on

television.

● There has been a decrease in the consumption of

sugar this decade.

Here I don’t specify any amount, or quantity, or


numbers associated with the increase or decrease.
The moment we include a number or specif y a
number, we use the preposition OF after the noun
in cr ease or decr ease.
● There was an increase of 70% in sales of

emergency kits sold in 2012.

We use OF because there is a specific number after it…


70%
In this example you could also change the order a little.

● There was a 70% increase in sales of emergency

kits sold in 2012.

Notice how the percentage number goes before the


noun “ in cr ease” and we now use the preposition IN
because there is no specific number after it.
In su m m ar y:
INCREASE (noun) + IN … when we do NOT specify a
number
INCREASE (noun) + OF… when we specify a number

Two example sentences:


● There has been an increase in the num ber of

students here this semester.

● There has been an increase of 500 students here

this semester.

We use IN in the first sentence because we do NOT


specify a number.
We use OF in the second sentence because we specify
a number, in this case 500.

In cr ease an d Decr ease as Ver bs


So, we have seen which prepositions to use after
increase and decrease when they are nouns, but what
do we use when they are verbs?
When increase and decrease are verbs, they normally
have the following prepositions after them:

Increase FROM X (the first amount) TO Y (the final


amount).
● Sales increased f r om 100 t o 130 units.

FROM is with the start point of a trend.


TO is with the end point of a trend

What is the difference between 100 and 130? It is 30.


To show this difference we can use the preposition BY.
Increase (or decrease etc.) + BY + the amount of
change.

● Sales increased by 30 units.

BY = the amount of change between two different


periods of time or values.

When we use a percentage instead of another number,


the preposition BY is opt ion al.

● Sales increased by 30%. … OR

● Sales increased 30%. (both are correct)

(Both example sentences above are correct)


BY vs. TO
Let’s look at the following sentences:

● It declined by 5%

100 - 95, 90 - 85

● It declined t o 5%

100 - 5 , 90 - 5

We have a different preposition in each sentence and


they both change the meaning of it significantly.

What is the difference between these two prepositions


if the starting point is 100%?

It declined BY 5% means it only drops a small amount


from 100% to 95%

BY is used to show the difference between the two


numbers.

The difference between 100 and 95 which is 5.


It declined TO 5% means it fell from 100% all the way
down to 5% which is a huge drop.

We use TO because we are talking about the end point,


in this case the end point is 5%.

It declined t o 5% is a short way of saying: It declined


f r om 100% t o 5%.

Sometimes we don’t use the FROM part as that number


has already been m entioned in a previous part and we
just use the Preposition TO to mention the end point.

Pr eposit ion s w it h Tim e Per iods

When we talk about specific months or years, we use


the preposition IN.
IN + Month
IN + Year
IN + the (first, second, etc.) QUARTER
(A quarter is a period of 3 months of the year)

Exa m p le se n te n ce s:

● 500 units were sold in December.

● The number of accidents doubled in 2017.

● Profits increased in the second quarter.

We use BETWEEN X AND Y when we want to show a


range of time, which means it has a st ar t t im e and an
en d t im e.

● Crude Oil prices rose sharply bet w een 1973 an d

1980.

We can use SINCE when we have a starting point and


the trend continues until now. SINCE is mostly used
with a perfect tense.

● Property prices in Auckland have increased

significantly sin ce 2011.


We use SINCE b e ca u se th e p rice s co n tin u e to in cre a se
u n til to d a y.

St ar t in g an d En din g – Pr eposit ion s

Afte r ve rb s th a t sta rt a n d e n d , we m o stly u se th e


p re p o sitio n AT b e fo re a n u m b e r:
To sta rt AT
To b e gin AT
To e n d AT
To fin ish AT

So m e e xa m p le se n te n ce s:

● In itia l p rice s sta rte d at $300 p e r u n it.

● Pro d u ctio n b e ga n at 70 u n its p e r d a y in Ma rch .

● Pro d u ctio n e n d e d at 90 u n its p e r d a y in Au gu st.

We can also use the preposition AT with the verb To


Peak

● Crime peaked at 200 incidents per night in April.


When the trend remains constant or steady, we can also
use the preposition AT:

● Over the last decade, the population of the town

has remained steady at around 10,000 inhabitants

Notice how in the first part we said: over t h e last


decade.
We use OVER and DURING with a time period

● Sales increased over the next three months. … is

the same as …

● Sales increased du r in g the next three months.

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