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Prepositions: Prepositions: "From", "Away" (Places)

Dennis Oliver

The common preposition from can be used with verbs
that show movement and with verbs that do not. When
it is used with "movement verbs," it shows the place
that someone / something left--or, to say this in another
way, it shows the starting point of the movement
(while to shows the destination or result):

B
(destination)

 
<==========

A
(starting point)

Joe walked / ran / drove / flew / walked (etc.)
from A to B.

B
(starting point)


==========>

A
(destination)

 Joe walked / ran / drove / flew / walked (etc.)
from B to A.

The two-word preposition away from is basically 
the same as from, but puts a stronger emphasis on
leaving the starting point.

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From is also used with certain "non-movement verbs"
in two very common phrases--be from and come
from. These two phrases are generally used to show 
someone's origin. If be from or come from are
followed by a country, it is understood to be someone's
native country / country of citizenship. If be from or
come from are followed by a city, it is understood to
be someone's home town.

Nadia is from / comes from Tunisia.
(Nadia is a native of / a citizen of Tunisia.)

Ricardo is from / comes from
Recife, Brazil. (Ricardo is a native of /
a citizen of Brazil; his home town is Recife.)

Where is Przemyslaw from?
(What is Przemyslaw's native country /
country of citizenship?)

Where does Przemyslaw come from?
(What is Przemyslaw's native country /
country of citizenship?)

When native speakers of English use be from or
come from to refer to someone who was born in their
own country, the place after be from or come from
is normally someone's home city, state, province, etc.:

Mr. Ferguson is from / comes from
Chicago. (Mr. Ferguson's home town
is Chicago.)

I'm from / I come from Illinois, but
I live in Arizona now. (Illinois is my
home state, but I live in Arizona now.)

Jean-Luc is from / comes from
Quebec. (Jean-Luc's home province
is Quebec.)

______________________________


Special Note:

Both be from and come from are in simple present
tense when they show someone's originIf come from
is used in a past tense to refer to someone who is alive,
it shows the starting point for a trip, not someone's
country (etc.) of origin or home city, state, etc.:

Mr. Ferguson comes from Chicago.
(Chicago is Mr. Ferguson's home city.)

Mr. Ferguson came from Chicago.
(Chicago was Mr. Ferguson's starting point
for a trip.)

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