The role and purpose of English prepositions
The role and purpose of English prepositions

Summary/Abstract: English language has a structured grammar in which parts of speech like the noun, the verb, the adjective and the adverb help us express our ideas. English prepositions have the role of offering clarity, direction and sense in a sentence. Even if most of the English prepositions are the shortest words from this language, their role is essential for the syntax of every sentence or phrase. Most grammar books speak about English prepositions as linkers or bridges between other parts of speech. It is important to add that, in English we can encounter two or three prepositions one after another, having a similar communicative effect and functioning as a single unit/ preposition (e.g. in front of, up to, out of, along with, from behind, etc). These types of combinations in which 2 or 3 prepositions are used together, lead to prepositional phrases. Moreover, English, as a flexible and fluid language, gives us the chance to use the same preposition in different contexts but with distinctive meanings: e.g. The bread is in the box. (The preposition in shows the place of the object) He is in trouble. (In this case we have a collocation in which the preposition is fixed and cannot be translated separately. The sense of in trouble = to have problems) Please, come in! (This is a phrasal verb where the preposition is mandatory. The sense of come in = enter) English prepositions can be classified in simple and complex or compound. Simple prepositions are represented by one word: in, on, at, for, to, by, about, etc. Complex or compound prepositions are formed by a group of words: as for, aside from, such as, in spite of, in favour of, from under, in addition to, etc. Of course, English prepositions can also be classified depending on the purpose of their use. This means that in English, prepositions can help us express: time, action, location, direction, space orientation or they can help us introduce an object. In general, English prepositions are placed before nouns or pronouns in order to establish a relationship with the other words from the sentence. Besides this general use, we also find English prepositions in other situations that represent exceptions to this rule. This article is meant to detail one important connector in English communication: the preposition.

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