Preposition
A preposition is a functional word that combines with a noun phrase to form a phrase that expresses a modification or predication [1].
We use prepositions to show a connection in space or time or a logical connection between two or more people, places or things. Prepositions are often followed by a noun or pronoun [2].
Prepositions express the dependencies and interdependencies of substantive referents in a sentence. Because of this, they are considered connecting words that introduce preposition phrases. Most prepositions are short and have invariant forms [Kirvalidze, 89].
Prepositions are words which occur with a noun phrase whose case they determine [Muller, 22].
There are five major classes of prepositions:
1. Simple Preposition (at, for, in, off, on, over, and under).
2. Double Prepositions (two simple prepositions used together: into, upon, onto, out of, and without).
3. Compound/Complex Prepositions (consist of two or more words, usually a simple preposition and another word, to convey location: in addition to, on behalf of, and in the middle of).
4. Participle Prepositions (have endings such as -ed and -ing: considering, during, provided).
5. Prepositional Phrases (groups of words that include a preposition, an object and the object's modifier: on time, at home, before class, and on the floor) [5].
⠀ 1. Retrieved from: Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preposition]
⠀ 2. Retrieved from: Cambridge Online Dictionary [https://dictionary.cambridge.org/ru/грамматика/британская-грамматика/prepositions]
⠀ 3. Nino Kirvalidze. (2013). Theoretical Course of English Grammar. Tbilisi: Ilia State University.
⠀ 4. Stefan Müller. (2016). Grammatical theory: From transformational grammar to constraint-based approaches. Berlin: Language Science Press.
⠀ 5. Retrieved from: Your Dictionary [https://examples.yourdictionary.com/preposition-examples.html].