Is the word just a preposition

• #1

Hello everyone,

I don’t know if this is the right forum to post that message, but I have a question :
What’s the difference between «just like» and «just as» ?

I feel like we’d use just like if we talk about someone or someting, and someone if it’s followed by a verb :
«just like every year»
«just as Sarah said»

But I might be wrong ?!

Help appreciated

Thanks a lot

• #2

You’re absolutely right, that’s the «official» rule.

But only about 2% of English people follow the rule, so I wouldn’t worry about it if I were you. What is certain is that

nobody

says «Just as me» — the correct version is indubitably «Just like me». But very many people say «Just like I do» and life’s too short to correct it every time.

Just don’t overdo «like» — there are so many elegant alternatives such as such as, similar to, as, resembling…

• #3

Lucia, The rule is that you use «like» if what follows is not a complete subordinate clause. You use «as» if what follows isa complete subordinate clause. There are however many many MANY English speakers who use «like» in places where it should not be used. For example, I want to be just like Mike. This is grammatically incorrect, because the complete thought is «I want to be just like Mike is.» Since «Mike is» constitutes a subordinate clause (subject and verb), the correct word choice is «AS,» but no one, or hardly anyone, would say «I want to be just as Mike is.» We’d think you were crazy if you did.

More examples:

Just as we all agreed to leave, Mary remembered she had homework due tomorrow.
Just as you said yesterday, snow will fall today.
Just like lightning, the TGF passed through the countryside.
Gilles Marini danced just like poetry in motion.

• #4

«I want to be just like Mike.» This is grammatically correct, surely?

In any case, it only goes to prove what I say about 2%. Life’s too short…

The example «Just as we all agreed to leave, Mary remembered she had homework due tomorrow» is nothing to do with it. Here, as = when.

Anyway, where does this «official rule» come from? In English we have no «Académie anglaise» and the only rule is thus accepted usage. And the usage currently accepted is moving increasingly in favour of «like».

• #5

Sorry to have been away from this forum, but, yes, definitely, the usage currently accepted is moving increasingly in favor of «like.» The situation is so similar to the use of «me» when «I» would be grammatically correct: «Mike wants to be just like me.» Since the meaning of this sentence is «Mike wants to be just like I am,» to be totally accurate, one should say «Mike wants to be just as I am.» But, cor blimey and go-o-olly! who talks like that? Nobody.

To make matters even more confusing for foreign speakers of English, however, is the fact that the word «as» serves in at least four capacities in the language: as a subordinating conjunction, as an adverb, as a preposition, and as a relative pronoun.

• #6

Thanks a lot ! These are great answers. I understand, now

• #7

Sorry to have been away from this forum, but, yes, definitely, the usage currently accepted is moving increasingly in favor of «like.» The situation is so similar to the use of «me» when «I» would be grammatically correct: «Mike wants to be just like me.» Since the meaning of this sentence is «Mike wants to be just like I am,» to be totally accurate, one should say «Mike wants to be just as I am.» But, cor blimey and go-o-olly! who talks like that? Nobody.

I disagree with your analyses. Whether or not, like me can be compared to as I am is irrelevant. It is the structure not the sense that is at issue, and while we have no English Academy, there are preferred usages that academic institutions and the media follow. There is of course great laxity in every-day usage, but the fact that someone is asking for the best solutions to grammatical issues means that that is what we should be offering him (or her).

Post # 2 offers the most sensible approach to this matter.

And Mike is just like me. is perfectly correct. Like is a preposition, as is a conjunction, and a preposition is what is required in this example.

• #8

I agree with Mr. Bradford, and kudos for resuscitating «indubitably» in post #2.

• #9

If I may, I will add that the main difference is indeed a grammar one: like is a preposition (even though nowadays usage tends to turn it into a conjunction) which is used to make a comparison, thereby implying different elements (which is why you wouldn’t say as me) whereas on the other hand, as is a conjunction that introduces a verb clause, and since it is derived from the comparative of equality, it conveys the idea that there is equality of identity or of character between the elements compared. See this link.

This list of prepositions will help you understand what a preposition is. But let’s start by having you learn the preposition song. Singing this song is an easy way to help you memorize some of the prepositions. I’ll sing it for you in the video below.

This list contains one-word, two-word, and three-word prepositions. Sometimes, words act together to form one preposition.

WARNING: Keep in mind that the words on this list have the potential to be prepositions. Many of these words can also function as adverbs and other fun things. How can you tell the difference? I’ll teach you all the secrets below this list.

A aboard, about, above, according to, across, after, against, ahead of, along, amid, amidst, among, around, as, as far as, as of, aside from, at, athwart, atop

B barring, because of, before, behind, below, beneath, beside, besides, between, beyond, but (when it means except), by, by means of

C circa, concerning

D despite, down, due to, during

E except, except for, excluding

F far from, following, for, from

I
in, in accordance with, in addition to, in case of, in front of, in
lieu of, in place of, in spite of, including, inside, instead of, into

L like

M minus

N near, next to, notwithstanding

O of, off, on, on account of, on behalf of, on top of, onto, opposite, out, out of, outside, over

P past, plus, prior to

R regarding, regardless of

S save, since

T than, through, throughout, till, to, toward, towards

U under, underneath, unlike, until, up, upon

V versus, via

W with, with regard to, within, without

If you’d like to see even more prepositions, check out Wikipedia’s list of English prepositions page.

The Mean Thing About This List
(The Secret About Prepositions)

Many times, words on this list of prepositions don’t act as prepositions. 

That’s not very nice, is it? You probably feel a bit like you were tricked. I’m sorry about that. I would change the rules of language if I could so that it would be easier for you to figure all of this out.

Of course, I can’t do that, but I can help you use that powerful brain of yours to tell when a word is a preposition and when it’s not a preposition. Are you ready? Good. 

Here is the one thing that you need to remember: prepositions are ALWAYS in prepositional phrases.

Look at these examples of prepositional phrases with the eye of a detective. What do you notice about them?

All three of those prepositional phrases begin with a preposition (to, up, around) and end with a noun (park, tree, block), and that sums up what a prepositional phrase is.

Prepositional phrases begin with a preposition (to, up, around) and end with a noun or pronoun called the object of the preposition (park, tree, block).

But why? Why do prepositions need to be in prepositional phrases?

The answer comes to us when we look at the definition of a preposition.

In order for a preposition to do its job (to show the relationship between a noun/pronoun and another word in a sentence), it needs to be followed by that noun or pronoun.

I sense that you may be furrowing your brow in a state of confusion right now, so it’s the perfect time for us to look at some sentence diagrams, which will make all of this visual.

Sentence diagrams are pictures of sentences that show us how the words are grammatically related. 

In the diagram, the preposition to, which is on a slanted line, is connecting the noun park with the verb walked. It almost looks like a little bridge, doesn’t it? You can think of a preposition as a noun bridge if that helps. 

to the park = prepositional phrase

to = preposition

park = noun (object of the preposition)

Prepositional phrases are always diagrammed like that. The preposition goes on a slanted line between the object of the preposition (the noun or pronoun at the end of a prepositional phrase) and a word in the rest of the sentence.

Why? Because the preposition is telling us how that special noun called the object of the preposition relates to the rest of the sentence. It acts as a little noun bridge. 

Psst! You can learn more about how to diagram prepositions and prepositional phrases here if you’d like. 

Preposition or Adverb?

Did you know that words on the preposition list are often used as adverbs rather than prepositions? It’s true! I’m going to use that fact to see if you’ve been paying attention. Are you ready for a tiny quiz? Great! In which sentence is down a preposition? 

A. The cat ran down the tree.

B. The tree fell down.

I’ll give you a hint and show you the sentence diagrams of those sentences. (In which diagram is down a bridge between a noun and the rest of the sentence? That’s the diagram with the preposition!)

Are you ready for the answer?

In sentence A, down is a preposition. It’s in the prepositional phrase down the tree. 

In sentence B, the word down isn’t in a phrase, so it’s not a preposition. (In this sentence, down is an adverb telling us where the tree fell.)

If you wanted to, you could change sentence B so that down was a preposition instead of an adverb. Can you think of how you would do that?

HINT: Add at least a noun (and probably an adjective as well) after down so that you create a prepositional phrase.

The tree fell down. (adverb)

The tree fell down the hill. (preposition)

Here are two other examples of words from this list functioning as adverbs and as prepositions. I’ll bet that you can see the difference now, right?

My sister just walked past. (adverb)

My sister just walked past us. (preposition)

Carefully crawl inside. (adverb)

Carefully crawl inside the tent. (preposition)

The moral of the story is that in order for a word to be a preposition, it must be in a prepositional phrase.

Preposition or Phrasal Verb? 

As you saw above, words on this list of prepositions are only potential prepositions. We need to look at how each word-in-question is functioning within a sentence in order to say what part of speech it actually is. 

I’m sure you remember that the words on this list are only prepositions when they are in prepositional phrases.

In our last example above (The tree fell down.), you saw how words from the list of prepositions could also function as adverbs.

Another common function of words on this list is for them to be a part of something called phrasal verbs. (I’ll underline the phrasal verbs below.) Notice that the words out, up, and off are not prepositions in these sentences.

I work out every Saturday.

He dressed up for the concert.

I was so tired that I nodded off during the class.

Phrasal verbs are two-word or three-word phrases that function as the verb in the sentence. They are made up of a verb (word, dressed, nodded) and a word from the preposition list (out, up, off), and they form a meaning that’s different from the meaning that the words have all by themselves. 

When words like out, up, and off are in phrasal verbs, they have a special name. They’re called particles. 

Let’s look at a sentence diagram with a phrasal verb. That way, you can see that particles (words from the preposition list that are functioning in phrasal verbs) are not prepositions.

Look at the sentence diagram and notice that the word in isn’t on a little noun bridge. If in were a preposition, it would be diagrammed on a noun bridge like the word to in the diagram below.  

Preposition or Conjunction?

I have a feeling that you already know where I’m going with this. Some words on this list can also function as conjunctions. Let’s look at an example. 

A. I’m looking for bananas. (preposition)

B. He felt energized, for he had just won the competition. (conjunction)

In sentence A, for is in the prepositional phrase for bananas.

In sentence B, for is connecting the two clauses he felt energized and he had just won the competition.

Summary

Sometimes it helps to have a summary of everything you’ve learned. For your learning pleasure, here are the main points we covered on this page.

• Singing some of the prepositions to the tune of «Yankee Doodle» can help you memorize a handful of words from the preposition list. 
• Words on the preposition list are not always used as prepositions.
• They are only prepositions when they are in prepositional phrases (preposition + noun).
• Words from the preposition list often act as adverbs. They can also be in phrasal verbs or function as conjunctions. In these cases, they are not prepositions.

This is original content from https://www.english-grammar-revolution.com/list-of-prepositions.html

Main Prepositional Phrase Takeaways:

• Prepositional phrases help show the relationships between the nouns, pronouns, and other supporting words in a sentence.
• Prepositional phrases contain a preposition, an object, and sometimes one or more modifiers.
• There are two types of prepositional phrases: adverbial and adjectival.
• “Before I leave,” is an example of an adverbial prepositional phrase.
• “The sandwich on the table” is an example of an adjectival prepositional phrase.
• Simple prepositions are just one word.
• Complex prepositions contain two or more words.
• Some words can be both adverbs and prepositions. Prepositions always relate to an object.

Prepositional phrases give your content power. Instead of simple, drab sentences that lack color, you can create an entire world of detail. Here’s a look at prepositional phrases, how they work, and the best way to use them.

What Is a Preposition?

Before we start discussing prepositional phrases, let’s first define what a preposition is. Prepositions are words that show the relationships between words in sentences. They usually come before nouns, pronouns, gerunds, or clauses to show place, location, time, and direction or introduce an object in a sentence. For example:

On, near, over, since, and under are all prepositions. These words allow readers to visualize where an object is located or when something happened. If you want to know more about prepositions, feel free to check our article 5 Types of Prepositions: An Easy Guide. Now, moving on to our main topic, what is a prepositional phrase?

What Is a Prepositional Phrase?

A prepositional phrase is a group of words composed of a preposition, an object (noun or pronoun), and the word that modifies the object. Prepositional phrases function as information-givers in a sentence. Let’s take this sentence as an example: “With a sharp knife in hand, the man freed the dog from its leash.” “With” is the preposition, “knife” is the object, and “sharp” is the word that modifies the object. Together as a prepositional phrase, it tells the readers what the man used to free the dog off its leash.

In most cases, writers use a prepositional phrase to modify a verb or a noun.

For example, why say “you went out” when you can say that “you went out to an incredible party?”

Then, you have the option to add a modifier.

“A bit” modifies or further describes the time of departure.

How Do You Identify a Prepositional Phrase?

A prepositional phrase starts with a preposition and ends with an object, which could be a noun, pronoun, gerund, or clause. The object at the end of the prepositional phrase is referred to as the “object of the preposition.” For you to easily identify a prepositional phrase, you need to know the format or pattern it follows in a sentence. There are two ways to write a prepositional phrase, as illustrated below:

Here are some examples of prepositional phrases following the preposition + modifier + object format:

Now, the following are examples of prepositional phrases written in the preposition + object format:

If you can spot any of these two patterns, you’ll be able to identify prepositional phrases easily in any sentence.

What Is an Example Of a Prepositional Phrase?

Here are some examples of prepositional phrases in action. We’ll give you a sentence, identify the prepositional phrase, and explain how it works.

Here, we’re demonstrating the connection between the rainbow and where the Wicked Witch lives.

How are the couch and magazine related? One fell behind the other!

Why did Eliza jump? “For joy!”

“By the elevator” indicates where the room is.

Types Of Prepositional Phrases

There are two types of prepositional phrases, depending on the modifier describing the object: adverbial and adjectival. Adverbial prepositional phrases function as adverbs and answer questions like where, when, how, and why. Adjectival prepositional phrases act as adjectives and answer one of these two questions: What kind of?Which one?

In the succeeding sections, we’ll discuss the major differences and effective usage of these two types of prepositional phrases.

What Is an Adverbial PrepositionalPhrase Example?

Adverbial clauses get their name from the fact that they function as adverbs.

For example, we use adverbial prepositional phrases to show timing or cause and effect. They might tell you when or where something happened. They might also detail how something happened or to what extent.

Adverbial Prepositional Phrases contain a preposition. But, the entire phrase functions as an adverb. This is because the phrase shows when, how, or why something happened.

In this example, “because I went to the store early” is an adverbial clause. This is because it demonstrates how the action in the second part of the sentence came to be.

“Before it sold out” is also an adverbial phrase because it described when that action took place.

Here, “Since Marika left her wallet at home” demonstrates what caused her to have to borrow money.

What Is an Adjectival Prepositional Phrase Example?

On the other hand, an adjective phrase modifies the noun or pronoun that comes immediately before it.

Adjectival Prepositional Phrases contain a preposition. But, the entire phrase functions as an adjective. This is because the complete phrase describes the object it follows.

“On the island” describes the man. The object of the prepositional phrase is the island. What’s more, the phrase itself indicates how the island and the man are connected.

In this case, the pantry is the object, and the prepositional phrase is describing the link between the cake and its location.

Prepositions That Begin Prepositional Phrases

Here are some examples of common prepositions that you often see at the start of prepositional phrases. Jump over to our types of prepositions guide to explore a full list of common, simple and complex prepositions.

Aboard	About	Above	Across	After
Against	Along	Amid	Among	Around
As	At	Before	Behind	Below
Besides	Between	Beyond	But	By
Concerning	Considering	Despite	Down	During
Except	Excluding	Following	For	From
In	Inside	Into	Like	Minus
Near	Of	Off	On	Opposite
Outside	Over	Past	Plus	Regarding
Round	Save	Since	Than	Through
To	Toward	Under	Underneath	Unlike
Until	Up	Upon	Versus	With

There are also some multi-word prepositions. These contain two or more words that function together to create a complex preposition.

• According to
• In spite of
• Along with
• On account of

Can You Begin a Sentence With a Prepositional Phrase?

The quick answer to this question is YES. You can begin a sentence with a prepositional phrase. Prepositional phrases appearing at the beginning of sentences are called introductory prepositional phrases. Besides giving additional information, introductory prepositional phrases also help provide a sense of flow to any written work. They make the text less choppy and pleasurable to read. Read the following paragraph:

The ones underlined in the paragraph above are introductory prepositional phrases. Notice how they provide extra information and help with the flow of the sentences? Now, you also need to pay attention to the placement of your comma when using introductory prepositional phrases.

Comma After a Prepositional Phrase

As a general rule, you can choose to use a comma after a short introductory prepositional phrase or forego using one. By “short,” we mean prepositional phrases that are no longer than four words. Prepositional phrases longer than four words automatically get a comma after them. For example:

Is It a Preposition or an Adverb?

Some words can function as prepositions and as adverbs. You can easily figure out whether a word is acting as a preposition or an adverb by looking for the object.

In the first sentence, “up” doesn’t refer to anything. There is not object. Therefore, “up” is acting as an adverb here.

However, in the second example, “up” does refer to an object. For example, “up” is followed by a noun (the hill). As a result, it’s a preposition in this case.

You can confirm that “up” is a preposition here by asking and answering this question: Where did she run? She ran up the hill!

Here’s another one:

In the first example, all we know is that Clark walked across something. We don’t know what that something is, because there is no object. Consequently, “across” is an adverb here.

In the second example, we find out that Clark walked across a courtyard. Since “courtyard” is the object, and across becomes a preposition.

Quick Prepositional Phrase Grammar Quiz

Read More: When to Use Comma Before Such As: the Definitive Guide