Choosing Prepositions: Learn These Collocations

Hi, everyone. I'm Jennifer from English  with Jennifer. I'd be curious to know if  

you're more familiar with British  English or American English. Which  

of these words use British spelling  and which ones use American spelling?

Do you know?

Well, these ones are American, and these ones  are British. Did you know that? In addition to  

differences in pronunciation British spelling is  different from American spelling -- or should I  

say "different to"? Hmm. Well, I'm American, so  I prefer to say that one thing is different from  

another. In fact, I might also say one thing  is different than another. Not all sources  

recognize "than" as an option, but plenty of  Americans use this collocation. "Different  

to" sounds a bit weird to my American ears,  but because I'm an English language teacher,  

I have familiarity with British English, so  I can accept it when I read it or hear it.

Different from what?

I'm different from you.

You just didn't mention how  different he was. Different than who?

You're different than most.

How is the internet today  different than what it was  

like 15 or 20 years ago? Tell me in the comments.

Do you know what it means to gloat? Gloating  isn't nice. It's acting in a proud way that's not  

appropriate, and it's annoying to other people.  Well, I love my country, but I can admit there  

are times when Americans don't act in the most  appropriate way. For example, at the Olympics,  

when Americans win medals, they're excited like  anyone else, but I've seen some gold medalists  

who are rather annoying. In fact, you could  say they gloat about their victories. It's  

natural to be proud of your achievements,  but you shouldn't gloat over them. Do you  

agree? Dictionaries usually list the collocation  "gloat over something." Some dictionaries also  

recognize "gloat about something." I only found  one dictionary that listed "gloat at," and I did  

find some examples of this collocation in use,  but there are far fewer examples. So, I'm going  

to recommend "gloat over" and "gloat about." You  could hear the collocation "gloat about something  

to someone," but again the most commonly  recognized collocations are "gloat over" and  

"gloat about. Also, you'll hear the verb "gloat"  used without any following prepositional phrase.

Don't gloat.

Look at you. What? You're totally  gloating. I'm not gloating.

Please stop gloating about the  fact that he's so good with Baby. h

Is that why Hades sent you here? To gloat  over a job you almost did right once?

Do you think gloating is more about culture,  character, or upbringing? Tell me in the comments.

"Struggle" is both a verb  and a noun. See if you can  

figure out which prepositions follow this word.

Many English language Learners  struggle with prepositions. We  

use "struggle with" when a person is  trying to gain control or mastery.

Do you think some people struggle for success  more than others? We use "struggle for" when a  

person or animal is trying to gain something:  struggle for fame, struggle for survival.

Some inventors struggled against  the odds and won. They managed to  

share amazing inventions with the world. We use "struggle against" when a person  

has to defeat something, like when you  need to beat the odds. "The odds" refer  

to those difficult circumstances.  First, you struggle against them.

You know I like movies, right? I have a  free collection of movie reviews that you  

can download for self-study. The link is in the  video description. Well, the Hunger Games is one  

movie I've seen too many times to count. You  all know the story, don't you? It's a struggle

between the elite Capital and all the underdogs in  

the outlying districts. We use "struggle  between" to name two opposing forces.

It's like a spider in the  toilet struggling for survival.

That's just one of the things  that we are struggling against.

He struggles with communication.

Can you name another movie that's based on on the  

struggle between good and evil? Which  side won? Tell me in the comments.

Frustration is a mix of bad  feelings. If you're frustrated,  

you're upset and annoyed. You want things  to change, but they're beyond your control.  

Listen for the prepositions that  people use after this adjective.

I was frustrated. It was my  racket. I was frustrated with you.

No use getting frustrated with him.

It's an understandable frustration at our ongoing  cooperation with an increasingly corrupt regime.

Whether you're frustrated  by them or rooting for them.

Which prepositions did you hear? Dictionaries  usually list "frustrated with" and "frustrated  

at," but in conversation, you'll also  hear speakers use "frustrated by."

What are common reasons for people to feel  frustrated with their work, their job?

The verb "start" can be followed  by different prepositions. Let's  

see if you can choose the most appropriate ones.

If you don't know what to say to  someone, start by saying saying "hello." 

We use "start by" to explain  the manner in which something 

begins.

When you have to tell a long complicated  story, just start from the beginning. We  

use "start from" to name the beginning  point, and from there, you'll continue  

to the end. Start from the beginning.  Start from page one. Start from the top.

Some English courses start with A,  B, C. I like to start with hello. 

Use "start with" when different starting points  are possible, and you suggest one. You choose one.

Every big company starts as a small one,  

and then it grows. Use "start as" to  explain the original nature of something.

We started as water beings.

If I could take a giant eraser and rub  out everything, starting with myself.

Let's start from the top.

You know, I thought I'd start by saying hello.

Can you think of a movie that starts with a big  

action scene or a dramatic event?  Describe it for me in the comments.

We'll end here. Please review the  collocations that we studied and answer  

my questions from more practice.  Here are those questions again.

That's all for now. Please remember  to like and share the video if you  

found the lesson useful. As always,  thanks for watching and happy studies!

Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, X,  

and Patreon. And don't forget to subscribe  here on YouTube. Turn on those notifications.