ENGLISH
REFERENCE

access to sth

prep. phr..
B1 Intermediate Oxford

prep. phr.. the right or ability to use, see, or enter something.

prep. phr.. a noun phrase followed by a prepositional complement indicating the availability of a resource, location, or information.


SIMPLE

Students have free access to the library.

CONTEXTUAL

Many people in remote areas still do not have reliable access to clean water.

COMPLEX

The new legislation aims to ensure that all citizens, regardless of income, maintain equal access to high-quality healthcare services.

Usage

usually follows the verbs 'have', 'gain', or 'provide'.

Teaching tip

point out that 'access' is a noun here requiring 'to', whereas the verb form 'to access' is transitive and takes no preposition.

Pitfall

I can't access to the file.I can't access the file.when 'access' is used as a verb, it does not take the preposition 'to'.

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