nonprepositional

Nonprepositional is a linguistic term used to describe words, phrases, or constructions that do not involve a preposition or a prepositional phrase. In many grammars, a prepositional phrase consists of a preposition and its complement, such as in on the table or at night. A nonprepositional element, by contrast, may function as a stand-alone word class (for example an adverb or a direct object noun) or participate in a structure that lacks a preposition. The label is descriptive and framework-dependent; different grammars may set different boundaries for what counts as nonprepositional.

Common nonprepositional items include adverbs such as quickly, there, or well, which do not require a preposition to link to their clause. Another category is direct objects or noun phrases that act directly with a verb, as in eat cake or write a letter, where no preposition is involved. Some nouns and adverbs can also function as adverbials without a preposition, as in go home or stay here, though they can appear in prepositional phrases (at home, in here).

Usage and interpretation vary across linguistic theories. The term appears in grammars, educational materials, and corpus annotation to distinguish elements that do not form PPs. In languages that rely on case marking or postpositions rather than prepositions, what counts as nonprepositional may shift. Because nonprepositional is a descriptive label rather than a fixed category, readers should note its meaning within the specific theoretical framework used.