Let's break it down:
* Preposition: A word that shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and another word in the sentence.
* Prepositional Phrase: A group of words that begins with a preposition and ends with a noun or pronoun (the object of the preposition).
In the example "according to," "according" is the preposition and "to" is part of the prepositional phrase. The entire phrase "according to" acts as a single unit to modify the noun or pronoun that follows it.
For instance:
* According to the weather forecast, it will rain tomorrow.
Here, "according to" shows the relationship between the noun "forecast" and the verb "will rain." It tells us that the source of information about the rain is the weather forecast.
Therefore, "according to" is a prepositional phrase that functions as a preposition in a sentence.