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介词是线性思维的产物，具体表现在：①介词是连接细节的桥梁；②介词是重心后移的重要手段。
介词搭配的重要性仅次于动词搭配，不过掌握介词搭配的难度远远大于掌握动词搭配的难度。在平时的阅读中，要注意观察和记忆介词前后的词，勤查词典进行确认。
有人说，英语是介词的语言。这个说法有点夸张，但从本节、第四章第三节和第五章第三节的例句可以看出这个说法很有道理。没有介词，英语将无法做到逻辑清晰和语言简洁。
介词是表示方向、对象、处所、时间、方式等的词。简单地说，介词是把这些细节连接起来的桥梁。介词大量出现在1-14A（主干在前，细节在后）和1-14B（主干居中或分散在细节之间）两种模式中，如果没有介词作为桥梁，这两种模式中的很多细节将无法连接，句子的框架将崩溃。下面提供两组例句，第一组为1-14A模式，第二组为1-14B模式，划线部分是句子的主干。
──── 主干在前细节在后 ────
1. He arrived in Shanghai by train at three p.m. with two professors from Peking University.他乘火车下午三点到达上海，一同到达的还有北京大学的两位教授。
2. I am grateful to you for your reply of March 3 th to my request for postponement of the date of the meeting.感谢你3月3日对我要求推迟会议日期的答复。
3. They are trying to cut down on the use of private automobiles by introducing the competition in the form of a huge network of city buses with very low fares.他们正在想方设法建立票价低廉的城市公共汽车巨型网络来进行竞争，以减少私人小汽车的使用。4. Christmas is the celebration of the birth of the founder of the Christian faith.圣诞节是庆祝基督教创始人诞辰的节日。
5. He arrived at the island around 1501 after stowing away on a ship bound for Spain.他偷偷地溜上一艘开往西班牙的船只，约于1501年到达该岛。
6. The vast expanse of the United States of America stretches from the heavily industrialized metropolitan Atlantic seaboard across the rich flat farms of the central plains， over the Rocky Mountains to the fertile west coast，then half way across the Pacific to the balmy island state of Hawaii. 美利坚合众国地域辽阔：从高度工业化、遍布大都市的大西洋沿岸，延伸至中部平原肥沃平坦的农场，越过落基山脉，到达富饶的西海岸，然后跨越半个太平洋到达气候温和、由群岛组成的夏威夷州。
7. We are purchasing goods of the same quality from other suppliers at a price much lower than yours.我们正在从其他供应商那里以比你们低得多的价格购买同样质量的商品。
8. She raised a claim against the lorry driver for the damage to her fence.因篱笆受损，她向那个卡车司机提出索赔。（claim against sb，claim for sth/damage to sth）
9. I have covered insurance on my car for 120% of invoice value against all risks with PICC.我已经到中国人民保险公司按发票金额的120%给我的车投了一切险。（insurance on+货物，insurance for+发票金额，insurance against+险种，insurance with+保险公司。）
──── 主干居中或分散在细节之间 ────
10. By trade a dealer in antique furniture， with a shop in the King’s Road， Boggis has achieved a considerable reputation by producing unusual items with astonishing regularity. 博吉斯是个古董家具商，在国王路上开了一个铺子。由于他令人惊讶地定期摆出一些不寻常的家具，在当地赢得了相当大的名气。
11. The saga of liner Titanic ，which struck an iceberg and sank on its maiden voyage in 1912，carrying more than 1 500 passengers to their deaths， has been celebrated in print and on film， in poetry and song.泰坦尼克号班轮在1912年的处女航中因撞上冰山而沉没，船上一千五百多名乘客全部罹难。此后关于它的传说就一直在各种刊物、电影以及诗歌和歌曲中广泛流传。
12. The other atomic bomb —the one that ended the war in Asia and the last so far used in anger— exploded over the city of Nagasaki at 11:02 a.m. on the morning of 9 th August，1945.第二枚原子弹于1945年8月9日上午11时02分在长崎市上空爆炸。这枚原子弹结束了亚洲的战争，它同时也是迄今为止在愤怒之下使用的最后一枚原子弹。
13. In pursuance of a Letter of Intent dated 23 rd January，1999 and made between Party A and Party B （hereinafter called “Parties”） regarding their proposed cooperation in promoting and developing the foodstuffs industry in Guangdong Province and other areas in China，t he Parties enter into this contract on the basis of equality and mutual benefit and through amiable negotiations to incorporate a joint venture （to be known as Hongda Corporation Limited） under the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Chinese-Foreign Equity Joint Ventures and other laws and regulations promulgated by the People’s Republic of China in order to promote the development of the foodstuffs industry in China and to introduce advanced technical equipment and scientific management in furtherance of such objectives.（译文见1-14B例3。）
介词是把句子的重心由前转到后的移动器。重心后移有两个手段，其中之一是使用带有介词的结构，特别是从句的重心后移多依靠带有介词的结构，详见5-3B。
“名词化+介词”是名词化过程中常见的现象。在一个句子中，“名词化+介词”的数量越多，句子就越难。如下面每组的B句比A句难。名词化详见第四章第三节。
1. 一个陌生人突然出现，我们很害怕。
A. We were frightened when a stranger suddenly appeared.（没有介词）
B. We were frightened by the sudden appearance of a stranger.（两个介词）
2. 我们注意到，她的家人对婚礼延期不高兴。
A. We noticed that her family were dissatisfi ed that the wedding was delayed.（没有介词）
B. We noticed the dissatisfaction of her family with the delay in wedding.（三个介词）
3. 那人因怕被警察认出而吓得发抖。
A. The man trembled because he feared that he would be recognized by the police.（一个介词）
B. The man trembled with fear of being recognized by the police.（三个介词）
4. 买方要求他们订购的东西在一周内交货，我们接受了他们的要求。
A. The buyer requested that their order should be delivered within a week，and we accepted. （一个介词）
B. We accepted the buyer’s request for delivery of their order within a week.（三个介词）
C. We accepted the request of the buyer for delivery of their order within a week.（四个介词）
5. 那个科学家参观了我们学校，这对学生是巨大的鼓舞。
A. The scientist visited our school. This greatly encouraged the students.（没有介词）
B. The visit to our school by the scientist was a great encouragement to the students.（三个介词）
6. 我不明白她为什么拒绝了他的求婚。
A. I don’t understand why she rejected his offer of marriage.（一个介词）
B. I don’t understand the reason for her rejection of his offer of marriage.（三个介词）
词典会对“名词化+介词”进行提示并配备例句，如《朗文当代英语词典》和《牛津高阶英汉双解词典》。