A nonexhaustive list of senses which are much more specialized and idiosyncratic than the coarse-grained supersenses. They are also generally rare. (Perhaps we should call these "microsenses".)
See senses at The Preposition Project (TPP)
- such NP as VP cxn
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- such words as may comfort you
- Operating/manning
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- behind the wheel; behind the counter
- Individual instantiating a role
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- You've got a friend in me
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- especially, someone serving an important role, such as a political candidate: "In Mehmet Oz, Herschel Walker and JD Vance, the Republican party has three celebrities running for Senate in November." (The Guardian)
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- person as a conduit for an action (used by no less an authority than the pope)
- Musical key
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In V-ing adjunct cxn
seems to favor nonvolitional results. But evaluations may be different ("He was justified in X-ing", "He was helpful in X-ing").
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query
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Collins
You use in with a present participle to indicate that when you do something, something else happens as a result.
- In working with others, you find out more about yourself.
- Longman
26 while doing something or while something is happening, and as a result of this
in doing something
- In trying to protect the queen, Howard had put his own life in danger.
interest(ed) in V-ing
"interested in seeing a movie" versus "interested to see a movie": a theory and some corpus evidence
- Causal discourse connective: old-fashioned
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- They stared, for they had never before seen such a creature.
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- ?? TODO
- (are these idiom-specific?)
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- can’t see the forest for the trees
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- Evaluee of degree-modified adjective
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- Is it really that good OF a restaurant?
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- They are too big OF a threat.
- Gossip Construction
- (Goldberg and Herbst 2021)
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- It's nice/good OF you to be here.
- Property/part evaluee of non-degree-modified adjective
- archaic-sounding
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- Cinderella’s stepsisters were beautiful OF face, but vile and black OF heart.
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- I am slow OF speech and slow OF tongue.
- Assigned Duty/Role, Musical Instrument in a Performance
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- Bearer of Responsibility
- esp. financial responsibility
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- It's on you to make the case for the project.
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- traveling on the taxpayer's dime
- Drugs
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- Nagging
- (see course paper by Jessica Cusi)
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- My parents are on me about getting a summer job.
- Progress
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- I'm on the third episode of the series.
- Sports
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- on a hat trick (see course paper by Caroline Gish)
- Sustenance
- sustaining fuel/resource
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- making a decision on very little information
- Target of opposition
- arraying of literal or metaphorical force against some opponent. cf. TPP sense 11(5) OEC examples
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- [contest, e.g. fight or sport] man-on-man fight; cf. team1 takes on team2
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- [military/law enforcement] attack/assault on Pearl Harbor; war on drugs; firing on targets; "FBI moves on alleged members of extremist groups"; raid on bin Laden's compound
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- [advocacy] march on Washington
- Pseudopossessor
- something that can be accessed with an associated instrument or part; or something with an associated quality (discussion)
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- key to the door; entry to the room
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- There is a nice texture to the painting
- Result infinitive
- unexpected discovery prompted by a manner of gaining information (going somewhere, change of awareness)
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- I awoke/arrived (only) to find...
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perhaps related to "suprised/disappointed to find..."
- Toast
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- To health and prosperity!
- Adjective's cause
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- His hands were black with soot.
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- They listened to the inspirational speech, their eyes wet with tears.
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possessive: 's, `$, ...
- Superlative Object Construction
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