Saturday, 14 February 2026, 4:51 AM
Site: The TEFL Academy e-Learning
Course: The TEFL Academy e-Learning (e-learning)
Glossary: TEFL Glossary
P

preposition

It is a word placed before a noun to indicate a relationship between two parts of the sentence, e.g., on, in, at.

Most obviously prepositions indicate location: The cat is on the table. However, they may also refer to time: My birthday is in August, or other types of relation: I am interested in jazz

prepositions

Prepositions are words which express relationships between two items. Primarily they express location (position) and come before a noun (pre-). E.g.,The bottle is on the table, in the cupboard, etc. They are also used to express time relationship: on Wednesday, at 4.O clock, in August. These words are also used in more abstract ways: interested in, look forward to, the study of.

There is a high number of prepositions in English, and they are difficult for learners to master.

Present continuous

A verb tense used to describe actions happening at the moment of speaking or ongoing actions (e.g., I am studying).



Present perfect

A verb tense used to indicate actions that occurred at an unspecified time or that started in the past and continue to the present (e.g., I have eaten).



Present-practice-produce

See PPP.

primary stress

See main stress.

process writing

The term is used to describe writing lessons which focus on the process of producing a piece of written work – the various stages a writer goes through to create the final product, e.g., gathering ideas, planning, drafting, editing, proofreading, etc.

productive skills

Skills that involve producing language, such as speaking and writing.

productive vocabulary

A distinction can be drawn betweenproductive and receptive vocabulary (sometimes referred to as active and passive vocabulary). Productive vocabulary is the vocabulary a person uses in their spoken and written language. Receptive vocabulary is the vocabulary which is recognised and understood in context, but not actually used in productive language.

proficiency test

A proficiency test is designed to measure the level of a learner's  language. Public examinations, such as TOEFL and FCE, are proficiency tests.