Simple Prepositions:
* Single word: These are the most common prepositions, consisting of a single word. Examples:
* on, in, at, to, from, with, by, for, of, through, about, during, before, after, since, until, like, unlike, despite, except, besides, between, among, across, beyond, beneath, behind, above, below
Complex Prepositions:
* Multi-word: These prepositions consist of two or more words working together to express a single prepositional meaning. They can be further categorized as:
* Phrasal prepositions: These are two or more words that act as a single preposition. Examples:
* according to, in front of, out of, instead of, because of, in spite of, on behalf of, with regard to, up to, along with, next to, due to, thanks to
* Prepositional phrases: These include a preposition followed by a noun or pronoun, often with modifiers like adjectives or adverbs. They function as a unit, expressing a relationship similar to a single preposition. Examples:
* on the table, in the morning, at the end of the day, near the river, from the beginning, with great care
It's important to note that:
* Prepositional phrases are distinct from prepositional clauses, which have a subject and a verb.
* While "compound preposition" is not a standard term, it can be used to refer to a phrasal preposition, which is a type of complex preposition.
In summary:
The distinction between simple and complex prepositions is based on their structure. Simple prepositions consist of a single word, while complex prepositions comprise two or more words. Complex prepositions can be further categorized as phrasal prepositions or prepositional phrases.
While "compound preposition" is not a standard term, it can be used synonymously with "phrasal preposition."