Language Structures — Part 2: Around the Core / 2


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 2.2 — PREPOSITIONS

Most complements hook up to the core via words such as with, underneath, to, from, through, as, so as*, until, since, by, of, in order that*, behind, and many others(1).

    An asterisk (*) marks those linking subordinate clauses to a main clause (as discussed in the penultimate paragraph of the previous section 2.1). They are not found before complements inside a single clause.

Such connecting words (or phrases if more than one word is involved) are called prepositions(2).

English is a tricky language in this matter, because the same words which perform as prepositions are also used to make up new words built from a basic word(3).

This happens especially with verbs. For example from to give the following forms are derived: to give up (to relinquish the intention of doing something), to give in (to surrender to pressure exerted on us); and from to go we obtain to go off (to blast, to explode), to go out (to exit, extinguish), to go in (to enter), to go by (to comply with some rules).

In, off, up, by are prepositions when connecting a complement to the clause core. But, as adjuncts to basic forms of verbs, rather than being connectors they are embedded within the new verbs being shaped.

Whether a particle is a preposition should be evaluated case by case. Consider "to": it is is a preposition when found in "I am flying to New York", but in "to write", "to believe", "to open" to it is a mark of the infinitive form of verbs (verbal forms are exhibited in 3.5).

Once the prepositional role has been verified, it would be wrong to associate a particular preposition with a particular complement. To realise why, let us revert to one of the examples of Relational Complements: "I went to the movies with some friends". Whilst in this case "with" introduces a relational complement, not all complements introduced by with are relational. In:

  • This magazine deals with horses and hounds.
"with horses and hounds" is no relational complement. For it, a new complement cetegory is needed, which may be termed topical. Other examples of topical complements are:
  • At the party, our uncles dwelled at length on their holidays.
  • What do you think about her views?
Again, prepositions "on", "about" are in no way tied to topical complements. In these examples:
  • Just sit on the couch.
  • The job is about done.

"on" introduces a place complement ("on the couch") and "about" is not a preposition anymore (it qualifies verb "done", therefore it is an adverb).

Finally, when particles which may perform as prepositions join a verb to make up a new verb, they should not be referred to as prepositions (they are not positioned before a complement being introduced) but as particles. Down and up are particles in "calm down" and "wind up", but are prepositions in:

  • My cousin fell down the stairs (a place complement is being introduced by "down")
  • The hounds chased the hare up the hill (a place complement is being introduced by "up")

When performing as "particles", the word bundle in which they are embedded is a phrase(4):

  • to give up
  • to cave in

    • are phrases and those verbs are called phrasal. But in:
  • to come out of the kitchen

    • "out" is a preposition introducing the "out of the kitchen" place complement. Here the verb is "to come" and "out" does not merge with it but follows as a separate entity.
To underscore the difference between particle and preposition let us consider:

  • That guy ripped off a bank

That clause can be seen as:

    Wrong way

  1. That guy ripped  | off a bank

    2. The core is: subject "that guy" + predicate "ripped";
    attached to it there is "off a bank", a place complement introduced by preposition "off".

    Correct way

  2. That guy ripped off  |  a bank

    3. "to rip off", a phrasal verb, is the predicate of subject "That guy"; "Ripping off", being transitive, refers to an object which is "a bank".

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FOOTNOTES

(1) – While most complements are preceded by prepositions, not all do.
Among those which plug in without connectors are such time complements as yesterday, next winter, tonight, this morning:

    Yesterday I bought a new shirt.

    Yesterday = complement
    I = subject
    bought = predicate (transitive kind, needs object)
    a new shirt = object

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


(2) – From Latin meaning "positioned before".
As they usher the complement in, they are placed before it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


(3) – Let us call root any basic word around which other words are built.
For example, fluorescent derives from the root fluor (a chemical substance which makes minerals and even some animals glow in the dark).
Another word derived from the same root is fluoridation (meaning: adding fluor to water distributed by a utility company to strengthen teeth when brushing them).

    For a more rigorous definition of root, check here.
Words stemming from a common root may append to it a sort of tail called a suffix (Latin for "added after"). In the case of "worker" (from the root "work") the suffix is "-er".
  Additions can also be found before the root; they are known as prefix (Latin for "added before").
Consider the basic form "destiny": we get "predestined" (for someone whose destiny was established before he/she was born) by adding suffix "-ed" and prefix "pre-".
In "co-worker" (prefix "co-" + "worker") the meaning of "worker" is modified to imply the the person works in a same crew or firm being discussed.

Prefixes and suffixes are used in many languages, but English also resorts to adding words normally found as prepositions as adjuncts to coin words with new meanings. Revert to main text to see how that happens.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


(4) – A phrase is also a ready-made cluster of words which adds side information to the clause core, such as:

  • off duty
  • under control
  • by chance
  • out of love
            and many others.
These phrases may be seen as a subset of the adverb category, discussed in #3.6.

Furthermore, grammars edited by the BBC and British Council refer to verbs comprising particles (to give in, to make up, to start off and so forth) under the name of phrasal verbs.