Prepositional Idioms and Idiomatic Expressions

• Prepositional idioms


  The use of many prepositions in English is purely idiomatic. There is no logical reason that one preposition is wrong and another correct in a given expression. There are no rules for choosing the correct preposition; you must simply learn the idioms.
• The Wealth of Nations was written in 1776
• Rational


  (in classical economic theory) economic agents are able to consider the outcome of their choices and recognise the net benefits of each one
• Consumers act rationally by


  Maximising their utility
• Producers act rationally by


  Selling goods/services in a way that maximises their profits
• Workers act rationally by


  Balancing welfare at work with consideration of both pay and benefits
• Governments act rationally by


  Placing the interests of the people they serve first in order to maximise their welfare
• Rationality in classical economic theory is a flawed assumption as people usually don't act rationally
• A firm increases advertising

  Demand curve shifts right
• Demand curve shifting right

  Increases the equilibrium price and quantity
• Marginal utility


  The additional utility (satisfaction) gained from the consumption of an additional product
• If you add up marginal utility for each unit you get total utility
• come out


  to disclose
• come through with


  to succeed in doing
• come to


  to regain consciousness; to add up to
• come to terms with


  to understand or absorb mentally
• do without


  to get along without
• drop in/drop by


  to visit casually and sometimes unexpectedly
• fall back on


  to turn to for help
• fall behind


  to fail to keep up with
• fall for


  be taken in by; duped
• fill in


  to substitute for
• fit in


  to make time for, to conform
• give away


  a thing that makes an inadvertent revelation; to reveal or make something known, often unintentionally; to betray or expose someone
• give in


  to surrender
• give up


  to stop; to yield; to part with
• go along with


  to agree to
• go down


  when referring to food, this means it can be swallowed and digested
• go far


  to succeed
• go on


  to proceed with; to happen
• go through with


  to do
• go under


  to fail
• go up


  be erected
• hang on


  to hold on to; to wait or persevere
• hang around


  to loiter
• hang up


  to end a telephone conversation by putting the receiver down
• heat up


  to increase in pressure
• keep in touch with


  to stay in communication with
• kill off


  to put to death
• lay aside


  to give up or set aside