How Do You Tell If a Word Is a Preposition?

 

Today we will know how to tell whether a word is a preposition or not.

Let me consider the following example.

●I will show you the book in the garden.


You have to remember that we can use "in" as a preposition or noun.Besides, we can also use "in" as an adverb or adjective.


But in this post I will show you the usage of "in" as a preposition and an adverb and I will give you the explanation of the usage of "in" as a preposition and an adverb and much more.



Let me give you an example:



●I will show you the book in the garden.


●Explanation:Here "in" has been used as a preposition because "the garden" which is a noun phrase is the object of " in."


◆Remember that every preposition has a object but a adverb does have any object.The object of the preposition can be a noun,noun phrase or noun clause.

More Explanation:

A preposition in a sentence builds the relationship between a noun to a noun or a verb to a noun.


●I will show you the book in the garden.


Here,"in" has built the relationship between the garden which is a noun  and show which is a verb.



Nice to Know:


Structure of Noun phrase:


●Determiner + Noun


So,"the garden " is a noun phrases in the following sentence.



●I will show you the book in the garden.






◆Structure of Prepositional phrase:


•Preposition +Noun phrase



So,"in the garden' is a prepositional phrase.







Now observe the following examples:


#I will show you the book in the garden.



In this example,"in the garden"is a prepositional phrase from structural side of prepositional phrase but from functional side,"in the garden is an adverbial prepositional phrase because like adverb "in the garden " is modifying the verb "show".


Also, consider the following example:

●Come in.

Explanation:Here "in" is an adverb because it does not have any object and it is modifying the verb "come"

●Now we will consider the following example:



•Blue is certainly the in colour this time.

Explanation:
Noun phrase=Determiner+adjective +Noun=The in colour


Here "in" has been used as adjective because it is modifying the noun colour.
●"In" meaning here fashionable

Nice to Know:

I will show you the book in the garden.




Explanation:Here "show"is a transitive verb.It can take nouns after it without preposition."you and the book are the two objects of the verb show.You can write the above example like the following.




In the garden,I will show you the book. 







●He comes here in the morning.




Here "come" is an intransitive verb.Here "morning"is a noun.Intransitive verb cannot take a noun directly after it.It can take nouns after it with the help of preposition.