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Date: Thu, 9 Dec 1999 12:28:54 -0500 (EST)
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From: Tracy VonMaluski <tvonmalu@nmsu.edu>
To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov>
Subject: [NIFL-ESL:3830] Re: Teaching prepositions
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At 09:03 AM 12/09/1999 -0500, you wrote:
>
>
>Hello all: Does anyone have a suggestions about teaching preposition to
>Spanish-speaking students with a good command of the English language. In
>particularly, I am interested in the preposition in and on and when to use
>them.
>
>Thanks any suggestions.
>
'Bostonluna',
I have not yet introduced myself to the listserv. I am Tracy
vonMaluski, ESL/Citizenship Specialist for Adult Basic Education at Dona
Ana Branch Community College in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
We have a lot of Spanish-speaking ESL students in our program. We are
30 miles from the US-Mexico border. Every semester my ESL students have
trouble with prepositions. 'In', 'on,' and 'at' really throw students off.
First of all, students must know that prepositions cannot be translated
directly from one language to another. It just doesn't work that way.
However, here is a general guide that I teach my students:
'On' is generally 'on top of''; 'in' is generally 'inside'; 'at' is
used with specific places and dates. The best way is probably by providing
lots of examples and just USING them:
'She is AT the store.' (She is at the store - generic - we don't know if
she's in the parking lot or inside the store or even just arriving.)
However, if we say 'She is IN the store', that means that she is INSIDE the
store. 'ON' is usually 'on top of'' - 'She is ON the table'.
Even as I try to explain all this, I can poke holes all over and all
through this 'explanation'. The best way is through example: 'I live AT
607 De Leon Drive; I live ON De Leon Drive; I live IN El Paso, Texas.'
'Christmas is IN December; Christmas is ON December 25.' He is AT school
(he is just simply at the school - we don't know if he's inside the school
or on the playground or what). He is IN school (he is a student there).
((Then there's 'He is IN THE school;' he went inside the school - we don't
know if he's a student; we don't know 'He' from Adam - we just know that he
is inside the school right now.))
'The book is ON the desk' means that the book is on top of the desk.
'The book is IN the desk' means that the book is inside the desk - probably
in a drawer. However, 'The student sits AT the desk.' 'The student sits
ON the desk means that the student's rear end is on the top of the desk.
Then, there's 'The student sits IN the chair.' There's no rhyme or reason
here -- the students is certainly not 'inside' the chair.
I wouldn't spend much time trying to teach preposition 'rules' to
students; I focus on examples and usage through real communication. A
'rule' really isn't a 'rule' if it is broken every time we turn around.
Prepositions really don't match up between languages. I understand that
some Asian languages don't even have prepositions - they're
'post-positions'. (Maybe someone else could provide information on that).
There are many confusing ones - 'get married TO' in Spanish is 'casarse
CON', and 'con' usually means 'with'; 'get OUT of the car' in Spanish is
'bajarse del carro (auto/coche' - here along the border we use 'carro') -
'bajarse de' usually means 'get down from.' 'Esperar el camion' in English
is 'wait FOR the bus'. Sometimes there will be a preposition in one
language but no preposition in the other language. At times, when students
ask 'WHY?' we have to say 'Trust me', or explain that languages do not
develop with the intention of matching up with each other grammatically -
they just develop.
Well, I hope I've helped. Although 'at', 'in', and 'on' can be
distinguished in a very generic way, there is no clear-cut rule.
Demonstration, T.P.R., and using them through real-life, authentic
communication are best in my opinion.
Sincerely, Tracy vonMaluski
tvonmalu@nmsu.edu
(505) 527-7542
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