PARTS OF SPEECH: PREPOSITIONS

A preposition is a word which shows relationships among other words in the sentence. The relationships include direction, place, time, cause, manner and amount. Eg: She went to the store, to is a preposition which shows direction. He came by bus, by is a preposition which shows manner. In the sentence They will be here at three o'clock, at is a preposition which shows time It is under the table, under is a preposition which shows place. A preposition always goes with a noun or pronoun which is called the object of the preposition. The preposition is almost always before the noun or pronoun and that is why it is called a preposition. The preposition and the object of the preposition together are called a prepositional phrase. The following chart shows the prepositions, objects of the preposition, and prepositional phrases of the sentences above.

Preposition to by at under

Object of the Preposition the store bus three o'clock the table

Prepositional Phrase to the store by bus at three o'clock under the table

Prepositional phrases are like idioms and are best learned through listening to and reading as much as possible. Below are some common prepositions of time and place and examples of their use. Prepositions of time: at two o'clock on Wednesday in an hour, in January; in 1992 for a day Prepositions of place: at my house in New York, in my hand

on the table near the library across the street under the bed between the books ~ prepositions link a noun phrase to another part of the sentence in order to express the relationship between the two. (Is the book on the table, under the table, or next to the table?) Here are some useful preposition links:

Prepositions of Time, Place, and to Introduce Objects - a quick overview. Prepositions: Locators in Time and Place - a more detailed explanation with quizzes at the bottom. The American Heritage Book of English Usage Prepositions - explains why you can end a sentence with a preposition

What is a Preposition? A preposition links nouns, pronouns and phrases to other words in a sentence. The word or phrase that the preposition introduces is called the object of the preposition. A preposition usually indicates the temporal, spatial or logical relationship of its object to the rest of the sentence as in the following examples: The book is on the table. The book is beneath the table. The book is leaning against the table. The book is beside the table. She held the book over the table. She read the book during class. In each of the preceding sentences, a preposition locates the noun "book" in space or in time. A prepositional phrase is made up of the preposition, its object and any associated adjectives or adverbs. A prepositional phrase can function as a noun, an adjective, or an adverb. The most common prepositions are "about," "above," "across," "after," "against," "along," "among," "around," "at," "before," "behind," "below," "beneath,"

"beside," "between," "beyond," "but," "by," "despite," "down," "during," "except," "for," "from," "in," "inside," "into," "like," "near," "of," "off," "on," "onto," "out," "outside," "over," "past," "since," "through," "throughout," "till," "to," "toward," "under," "underneath," "until," "up," "upon," "with," "within," and "without."

PARTS OF SPEECH: CONJUNCTION

What is a Conjunction? You can use a conjunction to link words, phrases, and clauses, as in the following example: I ate the pizza and the pasta. Call the movers when you are ready. Here are the three types of conjunctions:

Coordinating Conjunctions - for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so, and while. Subordinating Conjunctions - unless, before, if, that, etc. These introduce dependent or subordinate clauses. Correlative Conjunctions - either/or, neither/nor, not only/but also, etc.

Co-ordinating Conjunctions You use a co-ordinating conjunction ("and," "but," "or," "nor," "for," "so," or "yet") to join individual words, phrases, and independent clauses. Note that you can also use the conjunctions "but" and "for" as prepositions. In the following sentences, each of the highlighted words is a co-ordinating conjunction: Lilacs and violets are usually purple. In this example, the co-ordinating conjunction "and" links two nouns. This movie is particularly interesting to feminist film theorists, for the screenplay was written by Mae West.

In this example, the co-ordinating conjunction "for" is used to link two independent clauses. Daniel's uncle claimed that he spent most of his youth dancing on rooftops and swallowing goldfish. Here the co-ordinating conjunction "and" links two participle phrases ("dancing on rooftops" and "swallowing goldfish") which act as adverbs describing the verb "spends." Subordinating Conjunctions A subordinating conjunction introduces a dependent clause and indicates the nature of the relationship among the independent clause(s) and the dependent clause(s). The most common subordinating conjunctions are "after," "although," "as," "because," "before," "how," "if," "once," "since," "than," "that," "though," "till," "until," "when," "where," "whether," and "while." Each of the highlighted words in the following sentences is a subordinating conjunction: After she had learned to drive, Alice felt more independent. The subordinating conjunction "after" introduces the dependent clause "After she had learned to drive." If the paperwork arrives on time, your cheque will be mailed on Tuesday. Similarly, the subordinating conjunction "if" introduces the dependent clause "If the paperwork arrives on time." Gerald had to begin his thesis over again when his computer crashed. The subordinating conjunction "when" introduces the dependent clause "when his computer crashed." Midwifery advocates argue that home births are safer because the mother and baby are exposed to fewer people and fewer germs. In this sentence, the dependent clause "because the mother and baby are exposed to fewer people and fewer germs" is introduced by the subordinating conjunction "because." Correlative Conjunctions

Correlative conjunctions always appear in pairs -- you use them to link equivalent sentence elements. The most common correlative conjunctions are "both...and," "either...or," "neither...nor,", "not only...but also," "so...as," and "whether...or." (Technically correlative conjunctions consist simply of a co-ordinating conjunction linked to an adjective or adverb.) The highlighted words in the following sentences are correlative conjunctions: Both my grandfather and my father worked in the steel plant. In this sentence, the correlative conjunction "both...and" is used to link the two noun phrases that act as the compound subject of the sentence: "my grandfather" and "my father". Bring either a Jello salad or a potato scallop. Here the correlative conjunction "either...or" links two noun phrases: "a Jello salad" and "a potato scallop." Corinne is trying to decide whether to go to medical school or to go to law school. Similarly, the correlative conjunction "whether ... or" links the two infinitive phrases "to go to medical school" and "to go to law school." The explosion destroyed not only the school but also the neighbouring pub. In this example the correlative conjunction "not only ... but also" links the two noun phrases ("the school" and "neighbouring pub") which act as direct objects. Note: some words which appear as conjunctions can also appear as prepositions or as adverbs.

PARTS OF SPEECH - INTERJECTION

~ Interjections are words used for the sole purpose of expressing emotion. Theyre either used as complete sentences, often with an exclamation mark. ~ Interjection: An interjection is a word that expresses a strong feeling or command.They have no grammatical relation to the rest of the sentence. ~ They are included in a sentence - usually at the start - to express a sentiment such as surprise, disgust, joy, excitement or enthusiasm. Examples: (Wow! Oh! Good grief!), or within a sentence, offset by a comma (Well, I hope so. Oh, thank you! Example: Wait! I am not finished. In this example, the word Wait is an interjection because it expresses a command and has no grammatical relation to the rest of the sentence. Example: Great, I would love to go to the beach. In this example, the word Great is an interjection because it expresses a strong feeling and has no grammatical relation to the rest of the sentence. ~ Introductory expressions such as yes, no, indeed and well are also classed as interjections. Examples: Indeed, this is not the first time the stand has collapsed. Yes, I do intend to cover the bet. I'm sure I don't know half the people who come to my house. Indeed, for all I hear, I

shouldn't like to. (Oscar Wilde) Well, it's 1 a.m. Better go home and spend some quality time with the kids. (Homer Simpson) Phew! Some interjections are sounds: Examples: Phew! I am not trying that again. Humph! I knew that last week. Mmmm, my compliments to the chef. Ah! Don't say you agree with me. When people agree with me, I always feel that I must be wrong. (Oscar Wilde)