名词 + 介词

很多名词要搭配固定的介词：名词 + 介词 + 名词 / -ing。名词后面的介词往往和相关动词后面的不一样（动词可能根本不加介词），所以要整块记。

• What's the reason for the delay?

  延误的原因是什么？

• Nobody knows the answer to this question.

  谁也不知道这个问题的答案。

• There has been a big increase in the number of tourists.

  游客数量大幅增加了。

• The storm did serious damage to many houses.

  风暴给很多房屋造成了严重的损坏。

• There's no need for a taxi. I can walk.

  不用打车。我可以走过去。

• Thanks for the invitation to your wedding!

  谢谢你邀请我参加你的婚礼！

• Mai has a good relationship with her mother.

  阿梅和她妈妈关系很好。

• What's the matter with your leg? Did you fall?

  你的腿怎么了？摔倒了吗？

表示变化的名词（increase、rise、fall、drop、decrease）：

• in + 发生变化的东西：an increase in prices（价格上涨），a fall in sales（销量下降）。
• of + 变化的幅度（数字）：an increase of 10%（增长 10%），a drop of 5,000 visitors（减少 5,000 名游客）。
• 两者可以同时用：a rise of 20% in the price of rice（米价上涨 20%）。

• There was a 15% increase in rent this year.

  今年房租涨了 15%。

• Sales grew, with an increase of 10% in March.

  销量增长了，三月份增长了 10%。

the cause of = 导致某事发生的东西（起因）；the reason for = 对为什么的解释（理由）。

• Police are still looking for the cause of the fire.

  警方仍在调查起火原因。

• Is there a reason for this rule?

  定这条规矩有什么理由吗？

对比一下：动词常常直接接宾语，而相关的名词需要介词。

💡很容易在每个名词后面都用 of 或 about（受中文“…的”影响）。实际上：reason for，answer to，demand for——只有 cause of 用 of。还要注意，affect 是动词，effect 是名词（effect on）。

• ✗Can you tell me the reason of your decision?

  ✓Can you tell me the reason for your decision?

  reason for。

• ✗The sun can do serious damage for your skin.

  ✓The sun can do serious damage to your skin.

  damage to。

• ✗I have a problem about my phone.

  ✓I have a problem with my phone.

  某样东西出了毛病：problem with。

• ✗There is a big demand of English teachers here.

  ✓There is a big demand for English teachers here.

  demand for。

• ✗What's the answer of question 5?

  ✓What's the answer to question 5?

  answer to。

• ✗There has been an increase of the number of tourists.

  ✓There has been an increase in the number of tourists.

  of 用于数量；发生变化的东西用 in。