Prepositions don’t get much attention. Defined by Cambridge Dictionary as “a word that is used before a noun, a noun phrase or a pronoun to connect it to another word”, prepositions are often relegated to the menial job of sentence extenders (like their cousin, the conjunction). While that’s certainly one of their most recognisable purposes, did you know that prepositions can accomplish more than that? Taking note from Caroline Taggart and J.A. Wines’ book My Grammar and I (Or Should That Be “Me”?), let’s examine how prepositions can be used to give sentences greater flair!
Preposition prepositioning
Before looking at how prepositions can be moved around, let’s do a crash course on how they work. “It’s their job to show where one thing is in position to another, i.e. ‘the cat is on the mat… I was in front of you,” write Taggart and Wines. “Expressions such as in front of, out of and the like, made up of more than one word, are known as complex prepositions.” These generally follow the formula of a preceding word paired with a simple preposition (e.g. according to, centred around, absorbed in, connected between etc.)
Since prepositions establish the position of a subject relative the object, there are an abundance of directional terms that can be used to precisely express where something is. Try filling in the blank below:
“Benny drove ________ the mall.”
Benny can drive to the mall or down to the mall. He can even drive up and around, across and over, through a bridge, behind a truck and near a duck to the mall. Note that not all prepositions are always applicable though – terms like with or after, although they can be plugged into the sentence, do not make much sense unless you’re in some bizarre world where malls can lift themselves off the ground and move around.
Taggart and Wines explain that preposition conventions can be confusing for non-native speakers. “I get down off the bus tells us exactly what the person is doing, but most native speakers would make do with I get off the bus.” In our opinion, the easiest way to avoid redundant prepositions is to try removing them one at a time.
1. “Jon put the cookie back down.”
2. “Sarah took a day off of work.”
3. “Jeff snuck out to smoke.”
In example 1, removing either preposition would work, but it depends whether you want Jon to drop the cookie on the spot or return it to its container. The next example is also dependent on context, as we usually take a day off work, but taking a day of work is also possible for people who work part-time. In the final example, snuck out smoke doesn’t make any sense, so Jeff snuck to smoke would be the only acceptable choice.
There are instances where certain complex prepositions absolutely need the two terms to be used together in an exact sequence. For example, you can see an employer discriminating against someone, but you can’t say that the employer was discriminating someone. Many complex prepositions also convey different meanings depending on which preposition you use. “When I want your opinion, I’ll ask for it,” say Taggart and Wines. “But I might ask after your health.”
Before using the preposition, consider what you want to say first. Let’s say you are assigned a new project and you are trying to express the aim:
· The project aims to raise brand awareness.
· The project aims at a middle-aged demographic.
· The project aims for an impression rate of 10,000 people.
As you can see, the complex preposition above all share the word aim, but a simple preposition swap can quickly alter its aim!
Placement planning
Just as you wouldn’t use a conjunction to conclude a sentence, you wouldn’t end a sentence with a preposition either… or would you?
Banning prepositions at the end of a sentence falls under one of the many rules of Robert Lowth (the former Bishop of the Church of England, Oxford Professor of Poetry and the father of English grammar and writing conventions in the 1700’s). “In Latin, it is not possible to end a sentence with a preposition, so Lowth decided that this must be the case in English too,” explain Taggart and Wines. Here’s what Lowth wrote in his book A Short Introduction to English Grammar:
“This is an Idiom which our language is strongly inclined to; it prevails in common conversation, and suits very well with the familiar style in writing; but the placing of the Preposition before the Relative is more graceful, as well as more perspicuous; and agrees much better with the solemn and elevated Style.”
Unfortunately for Lowth, he failed to adhere to his rule. Look at the first line and see what he uses to end the sentence. He accidentally used to – a preposition! You could argue that it’s different given the semi-colon, but because semi-colons link independent clauses, you could technically also interpret each as a sentence. “This seems to be a rule for a rule’s sake, which of course would have been right up Lowth’s street. In fact, ending a sentence with a preposition rarely hinders its meaning and often sounds more natural, certainly in speech,” point out Taggart and Wines. Consider how these two similar sentences read:
A. That’s the guy Sam works with.
B. That’s the guy with whom Sam works.
C. The President’s goal was something I disapproved of.
D. The President’s goal were disapproved of by me'.
As you can see, not only does having a preposition at the end of a sentence sound normal, its absence renders the sentence abnormal!
Can prepositions be used to begin a sentence? Absolutely! Just as certain conjunctions like and, but and because have seen usage in contemporary writing (despite us being taught to never use them), prepositions can be used in a similar manner to shake up the flow of your writing. Let’s look at how they can be used:
· In accordance with the law, he’s being prosecuted.
· Beneath the floorboards… there was a hidden chest.
· At 12 sharp, the bells begun to toll.
Of course, you can always convert the prepositional phrase back to their original position (e.g. there was a hidden chest beneath the floorboards), but it can get tedious to read if all your sentences used the same format. Reposition prepositions to the beginning of a sentence every now and then – it can help to keep your writing fresh.
Prepositions have a lot more to offer than just what Robert Lowth intended them to do. From merely providing positioning context and extending sentences, prepositions can be used to effectively adjust your sentences’ flow and dynamics. Give prepositions their time in the spotlight and you might just find your writing more distinguished!