Why are North South East and West not prepositions?

You're right to question this! While we often use words like "north," "south," "east," and "west" to indicate direction, they are not technically prepositions. Here's why:

* Prepositions show the relationship between a noun or pronoun and another word in the sentence. They tell us things like location, time, or direction.

* "North," "south," "east," and "west" themselves are nouns. They name directions.

Here's how to understand the difference:

* Preposition: "The bird flew over the house." ("Over" shows the relationship between the bird and the house)

* Noun: "The bird flew north." ("North" is the direction the bird flew)

However, these words can sometimes act as prepositions when they're part of a prepositional phrase.

* Prepositional phrase: "The bird flew to the north." ("To the north" is a prepositional phrase indicating direction.)

Here are some common prepositions that relate to direction:

* To

* From

* Toward

* Away from

* On

* In

Remember: Even though "north," "south," "east," and "west" can be used to indicate direction, they are primarily nouns. They only function as prepositions within a larger prepositional phrase.