Compound Prepositions for intermediate learners
Compound Prepositions or complex prepositions consist of two or more words that function as a single preposition. You'll learn about them here!
What Are Compound Prepositions?
In English, we can have both single-word prepositions and compound prepositions that consist of two to three words. However, bear in mind that these compound prepositions function as one single unit and they appear before a noun or a noun phrase.
Two-word Prepositions
Some compound prepositions consist of two words. Take a look at the following list:
- Because of
- Aside from
- According to
- Instead of
Now, let us examine each one separately:
Because of
When we want to express the reason for something, we use 'because of'. Let us take a look at some examples below:
People couldn't trust the police anymore,
Aside from
When we want to add additional information to an idea, we often use the preposition 'aside from'.Take a look at the following examples:
According to
If we want to show that an idea was expressed by a specific person, authority, or source, we can use the preposition 'according to'. Let us study the following examples:
Instead of
We can use 'instead of', to indicate a replacement for something or someone. Check out the following examples:
Couldn't you invite Sarah
Three-word Prepositions
As mentioned earlier, compound prepositions are not limited to two-word combinations. Below is a list of some of the most common three-word prepositions:
- In addition to
- On top of
- In spite of
Now, let us examine each one separately:
In addition to
As the name suggests, when we want to add something extra along with another thing, we mainly use 'in addition to'. Now, Take a look at the following examples:
On top of
We can use 'on top of' when we want to add something, especially something unpleasant, to an idea. Study the following examples carefully:
In spite of
Usually, when we want to indicate that surprisingly something still continues, we can use 'in spite of'. Take a look at the examples:
How could people be so foolish to vote for him,
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Prepositions of Place
Prepositions allow us to talk about the relationship between two words in a sentence. Here, we will discuss the different prepositions of place in English.
Prepositions of Direction and Movement
As their names suggest, prepositions of direction and movement show a movement from one place to another or show a particular direction.
Prepositions of Manner
Prepositions of Manner which is also called Prepositions of Method express how a certain thing happens or is done. In this part, we will discuss them.
Complex Prepositions
Complex prepositions are created by combining two or more simple prepositions like out of and as for. In this lesson, we will discover more about them.
