Prepositional

Prepositional is a term used in linguistics to describe things related to prepositions. As an adjective, it characterizes forms, constructions, or grammatical categories that involve prepositions. In grammar, prepositional topics include prepositional phrases and, in some languages, a dedicated prepositional case.

A prepositional phrase consists of a preposition and its complement, typically a noun phrase or pronoun. The phrase expresses spatial, temporal, directional, or other relations: in the park, after dinner, with enthusiasm, about the plan. In English, prepositional phrases can modify nouns (as adjectives) or verbs (as adverbs) and can appear in various positions within a sentence. Prepositions form a relatively small, closed class of words, and their objects often take additional modifiers.

Prepositional case is a term used in languages that mark nouns to show their relationship to a preposition. In such languages, the noun changes form when used after certain prepositions, a phenomenon sometimes called the locative or oblique case, depending on the language. Russian and Polish grammars, for example, describe a prepositional or locative form used after prepositions to indicate topics, locations, or other relations. The exact endings and rules vary by language.

In English, there is no separate prepositional case on nouns; rather, prepositional relationships are expressed through prepositions that precede noun phrases. The concept of a prepositional is thus more prominent in descriptions of other Indo-European languages than in contemporary English grammar. See also preposition, prepositional phrase, case.