English Profile

from · preposition

/frɑm/Full view

from (STARTING PLACE)

A1 used to show the place where someone or something starts

Dictionary examples:

What time does the flight from Amsterdam arrive?

The wind is coming from the north.

She sent me a postcard from Majorca.

She took her hairbrush from her handbag and began to brush her hair.

So did you really walk all the way from Bond Street?

Learner example:

I like fresh food from my garden. (Skills for Life (Entry 1); A1; Polish)

from (ORIGIN)

A1 used to show the origin of someone or something

Dictionary examples:

"Where are you from?" "I'm from Italy."

I come from Spain.

I wonder who this card is from.

Learner example:

She comes from Poland. (Skills for Life (Entry 1); A1; Panjabi)

from (TIME)

A1 used to show the time when something starts or the time when it was made or first existed

Dictionary examples:

Drinks will be served from seven o'clock.

Most of the paintings in this room date from the seventeenth century.

The museum is open from 9:30 to 6:00 Tuesday to Sunday.

Learner example:

It's from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. (Key English Test; A2; Spanish)

from (DISTANCE)

A1 used to show the distance between two places

Dictionary examples:

It's about two kilometers from the airport to your hotel.

We're about a mile from home.

Learner example:

I[t']s about 3 kilomet[er]s from the city cent[er]. (Key English Test; A2; Greek)

from (MATERIAL)

A2 used to show the material of which something is made

Dictionary example:

juice made from oranges and mangoes

Learner example:

The present I love[d] the most was a cute little cat that [is] made from glass. (Key English Test; A2; Chinese)

from (COMPARING)

B1 used when you are saying how similar or different two things, people or places are

Dictionary examples:

College is very different from high school.

His opinion could hardly be more different from mine.

The two sisters are so similar that it's almost impossible to tell one from the other.

Learner example:

His clothes are very different from everyone else['s]. (Preliminary English Test; B1; German)

from (CAUSE)

B2 used to show the cause of something or the reason why something happens

Dictionary examples:

He was rushed to the hospital but died from his injuries.

You could tell she wasn't lying from the fear in her voice.

Learner example:

Many people have died from car accidents. (First Certificate in English; B2; Greek)

from (CHANGE)

B2 used to show a change in the state of someone or something

Dictionary examples:

Things went from bad to worse.

She has been promoted from manager to director.

Learner example:

On the other hand the number of animals living in freedom, for example the number of tigers, elephants and lions in Africa or Asia, is decreasing more and more, because their living conditions have gone from bad to worse. (First Certificate in English; B2; German)

from (POSITION)

B2 used to show the position of something in comparison with other things, or the point of view of someone when considering a matter or problem

Dictionary examples:

From the restaurant there is a beautiful view of Siena.

She was talking from her own experience of the problem.

From our point of view, we do not see how these changes will benefit the company.

Learner example:

The job was hard, but from my point of view, it was worth [it]. (First Certificate in English; B2; Spanish)

from (PREVENTING)

B2 used to show what someone is not allowed to do or know, or what has been stopped happening

Dictionary example:

For many years, the truth was kept from the public.

Learner example:

Wouldn't it be better if cars were banned from the Central Business District in order to avoid traffic jams and stress[?] (First Certificate in English; B2; Portuguese)

from side to side

B2 If something moves from side to side, it moves from left to right and back again repeatedly.

Dictionary example:

swinging from side to side

Learner example:

I began to understand it when I went [to] Kenya in 1986, because I had the wonderful chance to look at the animals in their natural [surroundings], without being in a cage, walking nervously from side to side. (First Certificate in English; B2; Italian)

from time to time

B2 sometimes but not often

Dictionary example:

From time to time I still think of her.

Learner example:

I wash the dishes from time to time (I sometimes try to avoid this unpleasant duty) and clean our house. (First Certificate in English; B2; Polish)

from the 1870s/March/6:30 pm, etc. onward

C1 beginning at a particular time and continuing into the future

Dictionary example:

The committee will meet on Monday and weekly from then onward.

Learner example:

14-24 year olds stays almost at [the] 90% attendance point before it picks up from 2008 onward. (International English Language Testing System; C1; Korean)

from scratch

C1 If you do something from scratch, you do it from the beginning.

Dictionary example:

We didn't have any furniture of our own so we had to start from scratch.

Learner example:

That means you don't have to start from scratch with your teacher. (Certificate in Advanced English; C1; Swedish)

from top to bottom

C2 completely

Dictionary example:

I've searched the house from top to bottom and still can't find it.

Learner example:

Very often we can see someone in black, from top to bottom, or in white. (Certificate of Proficiency in English; C2; Chinese)