Prepositions show relationships between words from "summary" of English Grammar for Today by Geoffrey Leech,Margaret Deuchar,Robert Hoogenraad
Prepositions play a crucial role in English grammar by indicating relationships between different parts of a sentence. These relationships can involve various elements such as time, place, direction, manner, and more. By using prepositions, we can establish how different words in a sentence are connected to each other. For example, in the sentence "She is sitting on the chair", the preposition "on" shows the relationship between the subject "She" and the object "chair". It indicates the position of the subject in relation to the object, clarifying the spatial arrangement in the sentence. Similarly, prepositions can also convey other types of relationships. In the sentence "He went to the store", the preposition "to" indicates the direction of the subject's movement towards the store. This shows how prepositions are versatile in expressing a wide range of relationships between words. Moreover, prepositions can also be used to establish more abstract relationships. In the sentence "She is afraid of spiders", the preposition "of" connects the subject "She" with the object "spiders" by expressing the emotion of fear. This demonstrates how prepositions can convey not only physical relationships but also emotional or conceptual connections. Furthermore, prepositions can be used in combination with other words to create more complex relationships. In the sentence "He is interested in learning new languages", the preposition "in" is part of the phrasal verb "interested in", which together convey the subject's curiosity or engagement with the activity of learning new languages. This highlights how prepositions can work in tandem with other components of a sentence to convey nuanced relationships.- Prepositions serve as essential tools in English grammar for indicating relationships between words. By understanding how prepositions function and the various types of relationships they can express, we can enhance our ability to communicate effectively and clearly in written and spoken language.
