We can use the preposition “without” in a few different ways. In this lesson, we will cover all of the different ways that we use the preposition “without”.
1. “Without” means not having, experiencing, or showing something.
- She went two days without sleeping.
- People cannot survive long without water.
- He spoke without emotion.
2. “Without” can also mean not in the company of or not with
- Don’t leave without me.
- I can’t believe that they ate dinner without me.
- We would never start playing without you.
3. “Without” means not using or taking something.
- Don’t go out without your coat.
- I never go anywhere without my phone.
- He never leaves his house without his watch.
4. We can use “without” to mean not doing the action mentioned.
- He went home without saying goodbye.
- She gave her whole presentation without looking up.
- They ate dinner without saying a word.
Prepositions are one of the hardest things for people who are learning English to master. But you should not worry about prepositions too much. Most times, if you make a mistake with a presentation, the other person can still understand what you are saying. However, if you want to be an excellent or fluent English speaker, then you must know when you use the correct English preposition. It will take time to master English prepositions, but if you study these lessons and come back to review them often, then you will gain a better understanding of how and when to use each English preposition.
It is also important to remember that sometimes multiple prepositions can be used in the same place and the sentence or question has the same meaning. But sometimes, changing just the preposition can completely change the meaning of the sentence or question.
