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What Are Postpositions?
Postpositions are a type of grammatical particle used to indicate the relationship between a noun or pronoun and other elements in a sentence. Unlike prepositions, which are placed before the complement or object, postpositions are placed after the noun or pronoun they modify. Together, prepositions and postpositions form a group called adpositions.
English Postpositions
English generally uses prepositions rather than postpositions, as in 'at night' and 'under the table'. However, there are a few examples of postpositions in the English language, such as:
Almost all of these are most commonly used as prepositions and their use after the complement might seem literary or formal. These are called ambipositions because of their flexibility. However, 'ago' is a special case which always comes after the noun. Now take a look at some examples:
His wife died ten years ago.
The decision stood, objections notwithstanding.
She spun the globe around.
She ran the whole day through.
His mistakes apart, he is a hardworking student.
Jokes aside, I really like your work.
Ten years on, he was still struggling with his addiction.
In this case, 'on' means 'later.'
His works are known to art enthusiasts the world over.
The Postposition 'Ago'
'Ago' is used to show how far back in the past something happened. Therefore, we should use time-related words before it. For example:
The woman you saw a moment ago was my mom.
I started my new job some time ago.
Note that when using 'ago', the simple past tense should be used, not the
present perfect tense.
She started a new job a few weeks ago. (Not 'She has started a new job a few weeks ago.')
What Is a Postpositional Phrase?
A postpositional phrase is a phrase made from a postposition and its complement.
She was bedridden the whole week through.
Jokes aside, I really think you should consider this plan.
Postpositional Phrases: Functions
Postpositional phrases form adverbial phrases that can serve two main functions in a sentence. They can be:
Adjunct Adverbials
Disjunct Adverbials
Adjunct adverbials are words, phrases, or clauses that add necessary information to a clause. Disjunct adverbials are words or phrases that provide additional information to a clause. They are often set off by commas, and they can function as a comment on the whole sentence or as a modifier of the speaker's attitude or stance. Take a look at some examples:
Unfortunately we had to live a mile apart. (adjunct adverbial)
Jokes aside, I should really call him. (disjunct adverbial)
Review
Postpostions are similar to prepositions in that they take a noun or noun phrase as their complement and establish a relationship between that noun and some other element in the sentence. However, they are different from prepositions in that they appear after the noun rather than before it. Common postpositions in English are:
Ago
On
Notwithstanding
Around\round
Through
Aside
Apart
Quiz:
Which of the following sentences correctly uses a postposition?
I met her at three years ago.
He finished the race the whole day through.
She met her new boss two months ago.
Ten years since, he left the city.
Sort the words to form a correct sentence.
complete each sentence using the correct postposition. (There are two extra options.)
He stayed up working the entire night
.
Five years
, the community finally came together to solve the issue.
Personal feelings
, we must focus on the facts.
That incident happened several months
.
Match each incomplete sentence with the correct ending.
Which sentence contains a postpositional phrase?
We walked the entire path through despite the rain.
The book is on the shelf.
They arrived before the meeting started.
She hid the gift under the bed.
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