Preposities

Preposities are a class of words that express relations between a noun (or pronoun) and another element in a sentence. In many languages they form prepositional phrases, which consist of a prepositie and its complement, usually a noun phrase. Common examples include in, on, at, to, from, with, about, during, before, and after.

Functions of preposities include signaling spatial relations (the cat on the mat), temporal relations (meetings after lunch), direction or destination (travel to the coast), possession or association (a book about science), and other nuances such as manner or instrument (written with a pencil). They also help connect clauses and indicate grammatical role within sentences.

Syntax and cross-linguistic variation: In English and Dutch-like languages, preposities typically precede their complement. Some languages use postpositions, where the complement follows the prepositie. Others rely on case marking rather than separate words to express the relation. Multiword prepositions such as in front of or on behalf of are common in many languages.

Structure and usage: A prepositional phrase attaches to a noun or a verb, providing an adjectival or adverbial function. Preposities are generally unstressed function words and do not inflect in many languages, though they may govern different cases or require agreement in others.

Ambiguity and learning: Many prepositional expressions are idiomatic and must be learned as fixed combinations. Learners often struggle with choosing the correct preposisie for a given relation and with distinguishing preposities from particles in phrasal verbs.