English A2 · Prepositions and connectors
영어 A2 주제 10 4:32 영어 내레이션 · 영어 + 중국어 자막 burned-in
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You know the prepositions of place from A1. Now meet the time versions, plus the connectors, the glue that joins two ideas into one sentence. The memory hook: a connector is a bridge. It has two ends, and both ends must land somewhere. Small words, whole sentences, and two famous traps for Chinese speakers at the end.
The time zoom is the same machine as the place zoom. In for the big containers: in July, in twenty twenty-six, in the morning, in winter. On for days and dates: on Monday, on May first, on my birthday. At for exact points: at seven o'clock, at noon, at night. One exception lives in the most useful phrase: in the morning, but at night; English made one exception and put it exactly where you will meet it daily. And today, tomorrow, yesterday and tonight bring their own time: no preposition, never on tomorrow.
Pause and choose. The test is on Monday at nine o'clock. A day is a floor, so on; an exact time is a pin, so at. Two zoom levels in one sentence, and both from the machine you already owned.
The basic four. And adds: I like tea, and she likes coffee. But contrasts: I like tea, but I don't like coffee. So points forward at the result: it was late, so I went home. Because points back at the reason: I went home because it was late. Same road, opposite directions. And the golden rule: one bridge per river. Yinwei suoyi is perfect Chinese; because plus so is two bridges over one river, and the sentence falls in.
Pause and choose. Because I was late, I went home. Because alone, or so alone, never both. The first option is the most famous Chinglish pattern in existence, the third builds a bridge to a contrast nobody ordered, and the fourth is a bridge collapsed at the design stage.
To tell events in order, lay the spine: first, then, after that, finally. First we had class, then we had lunch, after that we played football, finally I went home. And to glue a long action to a short one, use when and while: I was cooking when the phone rang; while I was cooking, the phone rang. The phone always knows when you are cooking. It has never once rung during homework.
Pause and choose. Although it rained, we played football. Although alone, no but. The suiran-danshi pair is Chinese beauty, but English picks one bridge, and although-but is the twin of the because-so trap. Because-so reverses the logic of the whole sentence, and although-so hires two bridges from two different rivers.
One more trap: the no-preposition family. Today, tomorrow, yesterday, tonight, next week and last year bring their own time, so no preposition: I will see you tomorrow, never on tomorrow. And a last design rule: connectors do not stack. One bridge joins two ideas; for three ideas, build two sentences, because English bridges take exactly two ends.
Tell your whole day as one connected story. First, I woke up at seven, because my alarm rang, and because my cat sat on my face. I was sleepy, but I went to school; it was Monday, so nobody was happy. Although the homework was long, I finished it. Then I slept. Finally, peace. Four bridges, each used once, no sentence in the river.
Pause for four checks. The test is on Monday: a day is a floor. It was late, so I went home: one bridge per river. Although it rained, we played: although never shares with but. And I will see you tomorrow: the today family brings its own time. That closes A2. B1 waits with the conditionals, the passive, and the reported speech — English putting on its grown-up clothes.