Language/English/Grammar/Prepositions

preposition

prepositions are short words (on,in,to) that usually stand in front of nouns( sometimes also in front of geund verbs). A prepositions describes a relationship between other words in a sentences. In itself,a word like "in" or " after" is rather meaningless and hard to define in mere words.For instance, when you do try to define a preposition like "in" or " between" or " on",yoi invariably juse your hands to show how something is situated in relationship to something else.Prepositions are nearly always combined with other words in structures called prepositional phrases.Prepositional phrases can be made up of a million different words ,but they tend to be built the same : a preposition followed by adeterminer and an adjective or two ; followed by a pronoun or noun ( called the object of the preposition).This whole phrase,in turn,takes on a modifying role,acting as an adjective or an adverb,locating something in time and space , modifying a noun,or telling when or where or under what conditions something happened....

Examples

you can sit before the desk OR in front of the desk The professor can sit on the desk(when he's being informal) or behind the desh ,and then his feet are under the desk or beneath the desk.He can stand beside the desk( meaning next to the desk),before the desk,between the desk and you, or even on the desk(if he's really strange)