Parts of Speech: Prepositions

A preposition is a word that show the spatial relation between two or more nouns. For example:

The rock was below the tree.

In this sentence, below is a preposition. It connects rock to tree.

There are also compound prepositions. For example:

Because of the weather, I cannot go to the park.

In this sentence, because of is a compound preposition that connects weather and I. There is also another preposition in this sentence, to. It connects I to park.

Object of the Preposition

The noun or nouns that follow a preposition are known as objects of the preposition. For example:

I purchased a gift for you.

Let’s keep the secret between you and me.

In the first sentence, for has one object, you. In the second sentence, between has two objects, you and me.

Because a preposition must have an object, a preposition cannot be at the end of a sentence in formal English. For example:

Who are you talking to?

In this sentence, to has no object, making this grammatically incorrect. Although this type of situation is common in everyday speech and written dialogue, it should not occur in formal or expository writing.

To whom are you talking?

This sentence is grammatically correct, because no prepositions are without objects.

Prepositional Phrases

The combination of a preposition and its object creates a prepositional phrase. Preopositional phrases can vary in length, depending on the number of modifiers between the preposition and the object. For example:

I walk near the lake.

I walk near the deep, dark, blue lake.

In the first sentence “near the lake” is the prepositional phrase. In the second sentence, the prepositional phrase is much longer and includes all the adjectives as well.

Distinguishing Between Prepositions and Adverbs

In some cases, telling the difference between a preposition and an adverb can be difficult. This is because many prepositions function as adverbs as well. For example:

Weeds grew along the path.

Come along with us!

In the first sentence, along is acting as a preposition, because it describes the location of nouns relative to each other and has an object. In the second sentence, along is acting as an adverb, because it modifies the verb come and has no object.

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