Some verbs need a preposition to go with the object.
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I go to the shop.
She came in the school.
He walked by this river.
They ran across that bridge.
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Some verbs do not need a preposition to go with the object.
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I ate a huge pizza.
She bought two dresses.
He made a cup of coffee.
They finished their homework.
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What's the difference?
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The verbs that definitely do need a preposition all need the subject to move place.
Verbs that need a preposition
Any verb that has the subject move place needs a preposition.
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For example: go
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go to, go in, go from, go across, go by
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I go to the supermarket.
I go in my shed.
I go from work to school at night.
I go across the field to walk the dog.
I go by the beach.
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Without these prepositions, the sentences do not make sense.
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I go the supermarket.
I go my shed.
I go work school at night.
I go the field to walk the dog.
I go the beach.
Verbs that do not need a preposition
Any verb where the subject does not move place does not need a preposition.
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For example: drank
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I drank beer.
I drank lot of water.
I drank two cups of tea.
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You can add prepositions to these verbs to make different sentences.
I drank in the bar.
I drank by the bar.
I drank with my friend.
I drank next to the bar.
Conversation examples
A: What did you do today?
B: I went to the cinema. Then, I ate dinner with my friend. How about you?
A: I saw my friend at the supermarket and went for a drink. Where did you have dinner ?
B: At Pizza Go!
A: I went there last week and liked it.
B: It was good.
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'went there' = a movement verb but no preposition - why?
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When you say 'there' the speaker is referring to Pizza Go. The full sentence is:
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"I went to Pizza Go last week and liked it."
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We can replace 'Pizza Go' with 'there' because we don't need to say it twice. That's why there is no preposition.
A: How was your week away?
B: Very relaxing thank you. I didn't do anything. What about you?
A: I tried to get fit.
B: Oh wow. How?
A: I ran, walked and cycled.
B: You do look well.
A: Thank you.
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Here we have movement verbs (ran, walked and cycled) but with no preposition. Why?
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In real life, Person A must have ran somewhere, walked somewhere and cycled somewhere. They know where but do not say. Here is the full sentence:
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A: I ran around the lake, walked up the hills and cycled along the paths.
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Here is what the person says:
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A: I ran around the lake, walked up the hills and cycled along the paths.
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A: I ran, walked and cycled.
Going forward
When studying grammar, the structures will say:
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present form
past form
continuous form
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The learner must choose if that verb needs a preposition or not.