More than one word prepositions

A compound preposition is a preposition that consists of more than one word. It does the same as a one-word preposition. They explain a relationship or show location.

See the list of compound prepositions below.

1	2	3	4	5
according to	ahead of	along with	alongside of	apart from
around about	as against	as between	as compared with	as compared to
as for	at that point in time	at this point in time	at the point of	at the time of
because of	by force of	by means of	by reason of	by virtue of
by way of	due to	during the course of	except for	for fear of
for lack of	for the purpose of	for the reason that	for the sake of	from above
from among	from behind	from beneath	from between	from the point of view of
in accordance with	in a manner similar to	in care of	in case of	in close connection with
in common with	in comparison to	in compliance with	in connection with	in consequence of
in consideration of	in contrast to	in default of	in deference to	in exchange for
in excess of	in favor of	in front of	in lieu of	in opposition to
in order to	in place of	in preference to	in receipt of	in regard to
in relation to	in search of	in spite of	in terms of	in the course of
in the event of	in the face of	in the immediate vicinity of	in the nature of	independently of
inside of	instead of	on account of	on behalf of	on the basis of
on the part of	on the point of	on top of	out of	outside of
owing to	previous to	prior to	pursuant to	regardless of
relating to	relative to	round about	short of	similar to
subsequent to	under cover of	what with	with a view to	with regard to
with reference to	with respect to	with the intention of

Avoid using compound prepositions

Replace a compound preposition with a short word.
Examples:
in favor of = for
in a manner similar to = like
at this point in time = now

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English has numerous word combinations that work together as a preposition

GENERAL NATURE AND IMPORTANCE

Prepositions, like other generally recognised word classes (“parts of speech”), tend to be thought of as single words but can also be multi-word (see 84. Seven Things to Know about Prepositions, #3). Prepositions of two, three or even more words can be identified, though the last word will always be a familiar shorter preposition like to. Common examples are along with, according to, in front of and on the basis of. Some grammarians call one-word prepositions “simple” and multi-word ones “complex”.

Multi-word prepositions resemble multi-word conjunctions and multi-word connectors in being surprisingly numerous. This means that studying them is likely to be a useful language-learning exercise. There are various aspects that can be considered: what they are, what they comprise and what they mean. Identifying and classifying these are the main concerns of the present post.

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DEFINING FEATURES

A useful way to discover the grammatical class of any multi-word expression is to observe the kind of single words that it can replace in a sentence without being ungrammatical or structurally different. Thus, every day can be identified as noun-like before the verb matters because it can replace a noun like exercise (Every day matters) and adverb-like after it because it can replace an adverb like greatly (…matters every day). The change of meaning is immaterial (see 26. One Word or Two?).

Using this technique, it is easy enough to conclude that with the help of is preposition-like: it clearly acts like the preposition by (albeit with slightly different meaning) in the following:

(a) Consumer demand can be increased by advertising.

However, there is a problem with this approach: plenty of word groups exist that end in a preposition but are intuitively not multi-word prepositions. One kind, illustrated by just like, is easily dealt with. This is not a different preposition from like, but just a stronger version of it – combined with a special strength-showing adverb, other possibilities being a little, quite, much and very (see 262. Adverbs that Describe a Preposition). I exclude all such combinations as multi-word prepositions.

More problematic are examples like the following:

(b) Deep pits were dug for the construction of foundations.

It would be hard to argue here that for the construction of was a multi-word preposition, even though it is replaceable by a simple one like for or under and mirrors recognised possibilities like with the help of. The more likely analysis is that the preposition for is followed by a noun (construction) whose meaning is being refined by an of phrase after it. In other words, construction is a part not of the preposition but of the following noun phrase.

How can we know this? The answer, I suspect, is the concept of “collocation” – the tendency of word combinations to become familiar-sounding and easy to produce automatically as a result of their frequent occurrence. Thus for the construction of does not sound to me like a regularly-occurring fixed phrase in the way that with the help of does. I am able to make this judgement because English is my mother tongue and hence very familiar to me.

Of course recognising collocations is not easy for less experienced English users. The ability to do it usually develops automatically over time through extensive exposure to the language. However, this natural process may sometimes be shortened by making a focussed study, and it is this that I am aiming to assist here. There is a similarity in this respect to the Guinlist post 164. Fixed Preposition Phrases. The difference between a multi-word preposition and a fixed preposition phrase is that only the former ends with a preposition and can begin with a word that is not a preposition.

Identifying collocations, however, does not guarantee preposition discovery. This is because collocations – including multi-word prepositions – occur along a spectrum from very weak to very strong. As a result, there are some combinations that I would consider to be dubious or borderline cases. Examples are accompanied by, at the back of, in anticipation of, in time for, in the case of (see 235. Special Uses of “the”, #8), to the right of and turning to (see 186. Language in Oral Presentations, #2). I will try not to include such phrases below, but it is rather subjective.

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CLASSIFICATION

Multi-word prepositions have a noticeably variable feature that can assist their grouping into different categories, namely the kind of word they begin with. Very often this is a preposition, but alternatives include adverbs, participles and other words. Using these categories, multi-word prepositions may be listed as follows.

1. Preposition First

as a result of; at odds with; at risk of; at the expense of; at the hands of; at the top of; by means of; by way of; except for; for the sake of; in accordance with; in addition to; in association with; in case of; in charge of; in comparison with; in conjunction with; in connection with; in contradiction of; in contrast to; in excess of; in favour of; in front of; in keeping with; in light of; in line with; in relation to; in respect of; in spite of; in terms of; in the absence of; in the event of; in the hope of; in the interests of; in the region of; in tune with; in the wake of; in the words of; in view of; on account of; on the basis of; on top of; out of tune with; under the auspices of; under the influence of; up to; with a view to; with regard to; with the aid (or assistance or help) of; with the aim (or intention or purpose) of; with the exception of.

In addition, there are three phrases with and between two prepositions: in and around, above and beyond and over and above (see 209. Fixed Phrases with “and”).

Noticeable within the above list is a fairly frequent metaphorical meaning of the central noun. For example, region inside in the region of refers not to surrounding space, but to surrounding numbers (see 95. Making Statements More Uncertain 1, #2). Other examples are underlined. Note that at the hands of implies ill treatment by the hands. For details of in view of, see 296. Tricky Word Contrasts 12, #4. For another aspect of metaphorical preposition usage, see 229. Metaphorical Prepositions.

Also noticeable, even though the list is probably incomplete, is the frequency of a starting in…, and the small number of alternatives (only as, at, by, for, on, out of, under and with). End prepositions are even less varied: overwhelmingly of, sometimes to or with.

The inclusion of the after the starting preposition is surprisingly variable. Plural odds and terms lack it, but auspices, hands and words have it. Singular countable account, case, front, line, tune and way lack it, but aim, basis, exception, expense, sake, top (after at) and wake have it, while top after on has it variably according to meaning (see 81. Tricky Word Contrasts 2, #2). A is used instead of the in as a result, though the occasionally replaces it if the result is the only possible one.

Except for is unusual in just comprising two prepositions. For a discussion of except + preposition that does not make multi-word prepositions, see 215. Naming Exceptions. In spite of is an alternative to the single-word preposition despite, with which it is easily confused (see 133. Confusions of Similar Structures 1). For a discussion of in case of versus in the event of, see 48. Tricky Word Contrasts 1, #10.

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2. Adverb First

about to; ahead of; along with; apart from; aside from; away from; further to; instead of; next to; out of; over against; regardless of; up against; up to

Some of these (about, along, over, up) start with a word that could elsewhere be a preposition. What confirms their adverb status here, I think, is the absence of a noun between them and the ending preposition. They are also able to be adverbs in other contexts, for example within phrasal verbs (see 139. Phrasal Verbs) and directly after BE (see 154. Lone Prepositions after BE).

Further to is perhaps the least common of the above phrases. It often appears at the start of a letter or email to name a communication from the addressee that is being responded to, e.g. Further to your letter of 26^th July… .

There are many other adverb-preposition combinations that are surely not multi-word prepositions, usually because the collocation is weak. For example, back in in the famous play title Look back in Anger is nothing more than an adverb plus simple preposition.

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3. Participle First

according to; based on; compared to; depending on; linked to; owing to

The -ing participles here are active, the -ed ones passive. However, the active / passive decision can be subjective – East African English, for example, prefers basing on to based on.

Compared to is of course useful for describing differences (see 216. Indicating Differences, #4). Unlike than, it accompanies adjectives and adverbs in their base rather than comparative form (…is large compared to…: see 231. Confusions of Similar Structures 3, #5). Also unlike than, it can start a sentence. Elsewhere, it suggests more:

(c) Mice are (very) large compared to fleas.

This indicates not just the comparatively large size of mice, but also that mice may not be (very) large in absolute terms, many other creatures being larger.

According to has a wider meaning than in accordance with. Both are usable in expressions like played…the rules to mean “matching” or “obeying”, but according to can additionally introduce either the name of a source being reported (see 79. Fitting Quotations into a Text and 107. The Language of Opinions), or the basis of a classification (see “Naming All of the Class Members” in 162. Writing about Classifications).

Owing to reflects a metaphorical use of the verb OWE (see 246. Tricky Grammar Contrasts 2, #3). For advice on its grammar, see 72. Causal Prepositions.

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4. Other Words First

as for; as opposed to; as regards; because of; but for; contrary to; courtesy of; due to; irrespective of; part of; prior to; relative to; subsequent to; thanks to

A starting adjective is common here, exceptions being courtesy, part and thanks (all nouns) and as, because and but (conjunctions). Every adjective except irrespective is alternatively usable in the ordinary adjective way.

Adjectives starting a preposition only describe a noun just before them, e.g. accidents due to darkness (not *due accidents to darkness). Ordinary adjectives preceding a preposition are more flexible. For example, opposite can make either the colour opposite to white or the opposite colour to white. This distinction might be a useful means of recognising when adjectives do not make a multi-word preposition (see 203. Expanding an Adjective with Words after it).

For details of as regards, see 48. Tricky Word Contrasts 1, #9. On due to, owing to, courtesy of and thanks to, see 72. Causal Prepositions. On but for, see 88. Exotic Grammar Structures 1, #1. On part of, see 293. Tricky Grammar Contrasts 4, #2.

Tests:

        

Scientific paper must be supported by theory. In writing a paper, we have to follow the procedure objectively and scientifically. One of the aspects that support a validity of a paper is theoretical framework. The analysis of this study was based on the theory of grammar. In this case, the writer used two main theories proposed by Quirk, et al. (1985), and Swan (1996).

According to Quirk (1985) and Swan (1996), in the most general terms, a preposition expresses a relation between two entities, one being that represented by the prepositional complement. Of the various types of relational meaning, those of place and time are the most prominent and easy to identify. Other relationships such as instrument and cause may also be recognized, although it is difficult to describe prepositional meanings systematically in terms of such labels. Normally a preposition must be followed by its complement, but there are some circumstances in which this does not happen, either because the complement has to take first position in the clause, or because it is absent. Quirk (1980:143) stated that prepositions followed by a noun phrase or wh-clause or V-ing clause and has meaning that can be divided into preposition denoting place, time, the cause/purpose spectrum, the means agentive spectrum, accompaniment, support and opposition.

English prepositions can sometimes be a little difficult, because they do not always conform to what you would use in other languages. There are many prepositions, for example: at (exact location, time, ability, place, directional verb); for (referring to destination, indicate the period of time); on (indicate some form of contact, applies to a specific day, a temporary condition); and out (indicate some kind of comparison, sometimes can be found d in front of noun).

Swan (1995) thinks that it is difficult to learn to use prepositions correctly in a foreign language. Most English prepositions have several different functions (for instance, one well-known dictionary lists eighteen main uses of at), and these may correspond to several different prepositions in another language. At the same time, different prepositions can have very similar uses (in the morning, on Monday, at night). Preposition before particular words and expressions, for examples: at a party, in my opinion, on time.

As Hornby (1995) in the dictionary entitled Oxford Advance Learner’s Dictionary of Current English also define the preposition as a word or group of words (e.g. in, from, to, out of, on behalf of) used before noun or pronoun to show e.g. place, position, time, or method.

Preposition is one of the traditional parts of speech into which words are classified. It is a closed class, in that few new prepositions ever enter a language. There are some kinds of prepositions. Most of the common English prepositions are simple, complex, and compound, while participial and phrasal prepositions are less common in their using.

The Simple preposition, traditionally, the preposition proper: one- or two-syllable words, such as at, but, by, down, for, from, in, like, near, of, off, on, out, over, save, through, till, to, up, via, with and without (Burks and Wishon, 1980: A-12).

The Complex prepositions consist of more than one word. Some multi-word sequences function semantically and syntactically as a single prepositions (Biber et al, 1990: 75). For examples:

Two word prepositions generally end in a common simple preposition. Ending in:

as         : such as

for        : as for, but for, save for, expect for

from     : apart from, aside from, as from, away from

of           : ahead of, as of, because of, devoid of, exclusive of, inside of, instead of, irrespective of, out of, outside of, regardless of, upwards of, void of

on        : depending on

to           : according to, as to, close to, contrary to, due to, next to, on to, opposite to, owing to, preliminary to, preparatory to, previous to, prior to, relative to, subsequent to, thanks to, up to

with      : along with, together with

others   : as against, as per, as regards, rather than

Three-word prepositions most commonly consist of a simple preposition + noun + another simple preposition. Ending in:

as         : as far as, as well as

far        : in exchange for, in return for

from     : as distinct from

of           : by means of, by virtue of, by way of, for lack of, for want of, in aid of, in aid of, in back of, in case of, in charge of, in consequence of, in front of, in light of, in need of, in place of, in respect of, in search of, in spite of, in terms of, on account of, on grounds of, on top of

to           : as opposed to, by reference to in addition to, in contrast to, in reference to, in regard to, in relation to, with regard to, with respect to

with       : at variance with, in accordance with, in comparison with, in compliance with, in conformity with, in contact with, in line with

There are also four-word prepositions. These are similar to three-word prepositions, expect that include the definite or the indefinite article and usually end in of:

as a result of, at the expense of, for the sake of, in the case of, in the event of, in the light of, on the grounds of, on the part of, with the exception of

The Compound preposition is two prepositions used together as one (Burks and Wishon, 1980: A-12). : in and to as into. For examples: aboard, about, above, across, after, against, along, amid, amidst, among, around, before, behind, below, beneath, beside, besides, between, betwixt, beyond,, despite, except, inside, into, onto, opposite, outside, since, throughout, toward(s), under, underneath, unlike, until, unto, upon, within, without. These prepositions as similar as free prepositions in the way they formed.

Such forms are primarily conventions of writing and print and may vary according to the kind of English: BrE generally has on to and AmE onto. Forms like into, on to/onto, and out of are all compounds in speech, because of their rhythm and stress: the first preposition is stressed (INto), and the second is usually reduced. This point is reflected in the non-standard spelling of out of (Will ya get outa here?), where a stands for of reduced to schwa.

2.3.1        Alternative Positions of Prepositions

Martinet and Thomson (1986) mentioned, prepositions normally precede nouns or pronouns. In two constructions, however, it is possible in informal English to move the preposition to the end of the sentence:

1. In questions beginning with a preposition + whom/which/what/whose/where:

To whom were you talking? (formal)

Who were you talking to? (informal)

In which drawer does he keep it? (formal)

Which drawer does he keep it in? (informal)

It used to be thought ungrammatical to end a sentence with a preposition, but it is now accepted as a colloquial form.

2.3.2        Meaning and Categories

The following list illustrates the use of prepositional phrases to convey specific kinds of information (Burks and Wishon, 1980: 289, 290).

1. Place, position

There are several prepositions are indicated place or position, such as:

across                          Her house is across the street.

after                             The first street after the bridge is state street.

against                         His bicycle was leaning against the fence.

among                         The letter might be among those papers.

around                         The shop is just around the corner.

at                                             He used to be a student at a north American university.

before                          I have your letter before me now.

behind                          The garage is behind the house.

below                           They live in the apartment below ours.

between                                   His shop is between the bank and the post office.

by                                 That house by the lake is my dream house.

in                                 She was dozing in an armchair when we got there.

in front of                    The ball stopped in front of the bus.

inside                           Come in. it is warmer inside the house.

near                             You shouldn’t smoke near gasoline.

on top of                                  I want whipped cream on top of my strawberries.

opposite                       The school is opposite the church.

outside                         There a bird’s nest outside my window.

over                             The window is over the radiator.

to                                 Attach the rope to the bumper of the car.

under                           The book was under the desk.

underneath                  The book is underneath the paper.

1. Direction

There are several prepositions are indicated direction, such as:

Across                          I am going across the street to see my cousin.

at                                 The child threw a stone at the bear.

by the way of              Cant we drive to New York by the way of Philadelphia.

down                            We saw her walking down Fifth Avenue.

into                              I saw her going into the theater a few minutes ago.

out of                           He took some money out of his pocket.

to                                 She went to grocery store.

through                        The bird flew through the open window.

toward                         This road leads toward the sea.

up                                The salmon were swimming up the river.

upon                            The bird was perched upon his shoulder.

1. Time

There are several prepositions are indicated time, such as:

about                           I think she will be away about a week.

after                             Would you please call after eight.

around                         I get to my office around nine every morning.

at                                 I told her to  meet us at six o’clock sharp.

before                          Take this medicine before meal time.

by                                 She should be back by seven at the latest.

during                          During the winter, I think I’ll go to Florida.

from…to                      The office will be open from nine to one every day.

from…until                  She works from eight until two six days a week.

1. Purpose, reason

There is one preposition indicates purpose or reason, such as:

for                              Take this medicine for your headache.

1. Possession

There is one preposition indicates possession, such as:

of                               The leader of the scouts has not arrived yet.

1. Manner, instrument

There are several prepositions are indicated manner or instrument, such as:

by                              I enjoyed going there by train

in                               You can’t go to that restaurant in jeans.

like                             That clown walks like a duck.

With                           She writes with a pen.

1. Identification

There are several prepositions are indicated identification, such as:

at                               The shop at the corner sells stamps.

on                                          The apartment on the second floor is smaller than ours.

With                           People with law degrees often go into politics.

1. Distance

There is one preposition indicates distance, such as:

for                              We walks for miles and miles.

1. Agent

There is one preposition indicates agent, such as:

by                              This film was directed by a Czech director.

10.  Material

There is one preposition indicates material, such as:

with                           I must fill my pen with ink.

1. Quantity

There is one preposition indicates quantity, such as:

by                              Meat is sold by the pound or by the kilo.

2.3.3        Prepositions with Multiple Meanings

Some prepositions are used to express a variety of meanings. These may present difficulties. Some of the common prepositions with their various meanings and their most common uses are summarized as follows (Burks and Wishon, 1980: 291-293):

1. Around
2. At approximately

The police believe the man died around six o’clock.

1. b.   In the vicinity of

People have reported seeing a stranger around the store.

1. At
2. With a street address if the house number is given.

     She lives at 18 Magnolia Street.

1. With points in time.

     He arrived at 8:00.

1. With prices.

     They are on sale at two dollars a dozen.

1. By
2. Alone (with a reflexive pronoun).

     She did the homework by herself.

1. b.   Past (with verbs or motion).

     Several buses go by our house.

1. c.    At the latest (with a maximum time limit).

     All classes will be over by June.

1. For
2. To indicate duration of time.

     She played the piano for two hours.

1. b.   In exchange for.

     I bought thus book for two dollars.

1. c.     With the beneficiary of an action.

     He baked a cake for me.

1. Instead of or in place of.

     When he was away, his neighbor did the work for him.

1. e.    With the subject of an infinitive.

     It is important for them to arrive early

1. In
2. With cities, states, countries, continents.

     He lives in Cairo.

1. b.   With periods of time.

     The mails come in the morning.

1. c.    With lengths of time.

     He will come in an hours.

1. With languages.

     That opera was originally written in Italian.

1. On
2. To indicate contact with a surface.

     The book is on the table.

1. b.   With days of the week and dates.

     Summer begins on June 21.

1. With the name of the street.

     She is visiting a friend on Magnolia Street.

1. With
2. To indicate association.

     She is with a consulting firm.

1. Using.

     He opened the door with his key.

1. c.    Having.

     A white dress with a red spots.

1. d.   Showing a particular way of behaving.

     He fought with a big courage.

1. In the company of.

     She comes to school with her sister.

1. f.     Because of.

     They smiled with pleasure.

1. Without
2. To indicate the absence of something.

     Nothing can live without water.

1. b.   Not having something.

     You can’t see the film without a ticket.

1. c.    Without doing something or not doing something.

     He left without saying goodbye.

A complex preposition consists of two words taken together to perform the office of one connective. — A Practical Grammar of the English Language (1869)  by  Andrew Burtt

As the quote illustrates, complex prepositions are a REAL THING and have been around since at least 1869. Having said that, they do create a certain amount of confusion and debate, and modern grammar continues to challenge traditional grammar’s concept of all prepositions. In The Cambridge Grammar of English Language (2002), Rodney Huddleston writes, “One of the main respects in which the present grammar departs from traditional grammar is in its conception of prepositions.”

We have two basic groups of complex prepositions:

1. Two-Word Complex Prepositions
2. Three-Word and Four-Word Complex Prepositions

And here is a relatively complete list of both types.

Two-Word Complex Prepositions: 37 Total

1) according to,  2) adjacent to,  3) ahead of,  4) along with,  5) apart from,  6) as for,  7) as of,  as per,  9) as regards,  10) as to,  11) aside from,  12) away from,  13) because of,  14) but for,  15) close to,  16) contrary to,  17) due to,  18) except for,  19) far from,  20) in between,  21) inside of,  22) instead of,  23) irrespective of,  24) next to,  25) opposite to,  26) out of,  27) outside of,  28) owing to,  29) pertaining to,  30) prior to,  31) pursuant to,  32) regardless of,  33) subsequent to,  34) thanks to,  35) together with,  36) up against,  37) up to.

Three-Word and Four-Word Complex Prepositions: 45 Total

Note: The three-word and four-word prepositions are very similar in structure, except that the four-word prepositions contains an article (the or a).

1) as a result of,  2) at the expense of,  3) by means of,  4) by virtue of,  5) by way of,  6) for the sake of,  7) in accordance with / to,  in addition to,  9) in back of,  10) in case of,  11) in charge of,  12) in comparison with / to,  13) in common with,  14) in connection with / to,  15) in contact with,  16) in contrast with / to,  17) in exchange for,  18) in favor of,  19) in front of,  20) in lieu of,  21) in (the) light of,  22) in line with,  23) in need of,  24) in place of,  25) in the process of,  26) in reference to,  27) in regard to,  28) in relation to,  29) in respect to,  30) in return for,  31) in search of,  32) in spite of,  33) in terms of,  34) in view of,  35) on account of,  36) on behalf of,  37) on the matter of,  38) on top of,  39) to the left of,  40) to the right of,  41) to the side of,  42) with reference to,  43) with regard to,  44) with respect to,  45) with the exception of.

Valid Complex Prepositions

I’ve come across a number of lists of complex prepositions that would be a source of great debate for grammarians, and some lists even contain outright errors. Many questionable prepositions look quite similar to the prepositions listed above, but do not parse as complex prepositions, and don’t appear on most authoritative lists of prepositions.

I’ve chosen to omit words that are debatable. I’ve also omitted rarely used and archaic complex prepositions. For this reason, you may be able to find a few more complex prepositions than the 82 I have listed above. Having said that, I have confirmed that at least one authoritative source has listed each of these 82 complex prepositions as being valid. To some extent, complex prepositions are created through idiomatic use, and I didn’t want to include any complex prepositions that might be debatable or that are just plain wrong.

What are Complex Prepositions? Answer: Wolf Packs

Young student writers want to understand how and why groups of words (phrases, clauses, compound words etc.) can act just like one word. The short answer is this: That’s just how language works. A longer answer would involve a study of syntactic slots.

I’ve found one more technique that makes things quite clear for young grammarians: It’s an analogy and a metaphor from the animal kingdom. I call a group of words that functions as a single unit a Wolf Pack. (Note: I never overuse terms like this; this is simply a teaching tool that makes sense to students.) Of course, a teacher can use ants or killer whales or dolphins or lions or birds in flight, but I’ve found that a Wolf Pack is the best metaphor. And if you can find a nice documentary clip of a wolf pack in a chase in the snow, all the better.

All prepositional phrases are Wolf Packs, and prepositional phrase that contain complex prepositions compound the concept.

• Complex Prepositions = Wolf Packs = Function as a single unit, and function as a single part of speech (prepositions).

• Prepositional Phrases = Wolf Packs = Function as a single unit, and function as a single part of speech (primarily adverbs and adjectives).

Debating and Parsing Complex Prepositions

If people wish to debate complex prepositions, it comes down to debating how one should parse a sentence. Parsing involves breaking a sentence into parts based on how the parts connect syntactically. Parsing sentences has a long history in grammar instruction, but plenty of modern research indicates that it’s not an effective use of class time. Having said that, I do recommend becoming familiar with a few different online parsers: e.g., Stanford, Berkeley, and Carnegie Mellon. Please note, all these online parsers are based on modern linguistics and don’t align perfectly with traditional grammar or with school grammar. Furthermore, different parsers deliver different results. Still, they are extremely interesting and useful tools.

The following parsing example will help you understand what goes on inside a complex preposition. Grammarians do debate and argue about complex prepositions, and parsers do deliver different results. Here are two different parsing results for one very simple sentence.

The sentences is this: Kim rested prior to the meeting. The complex preposition is this: prior to.

Parsers		Adverb	Prepositional Phrase
1. Carnegie & Stanford	Kim rested	prior.
2. Stanford	Kim rested	prior	to the meeting.
3. Carnegie	Kim rested		prior to the meeting.

Both parsers agree that by itself “prior” is an adverb. However, the parsers disagree on how to treat “prior to.” By studying this one example and the different interpretations, you understand a great deal about complex prepositions. However, you will understand them even better and be able to spot them and analyze them better once you understand the common complex-preposition patterns.

Complex Preposition Patterns

Complex preposition contain multiple words. But what kinds of words? Individually, most of the words function as prepositions, adjectives (including participle adjectives), adverbs, conjunctions, nouns, and articles. These words usually combine according to specific patterns.

Two-Word Complex Preposition Pattern: Total 37

The two-word prepositions are pretty straightforward. You will notice that I provide a frequency count for the second word. Many of the first words can be used as several different parts of speech, so there is no way to come up with an accurate count.

•  First Word: The first word is usually an adjective (including participle adjective), adverb, or conjunction.

•  Second Word: The second word is usually one of these prepositions: to (16), of (9), from (4), for (3), with (2), misc. (4).

Three-Word and Four-Word Complex Preposition Pattern: Total 45

These complex prepositions create a phrase that can be interpreted as two prepositional phrases in a row. They all contain two prepositions and follow these two patterns:

1.  Preposition + Noun + Preposition                                        (Total: 36)
2.  Preposition + Article (the, a) + Noun + Preposition            (Total: 9)

Each of these 45 complex preposition uses two prepositions, and 94 prepositions are used in total. Surprisingly, only 8 individual prepositions are used: of (28), in (27), to (15), with (10), on (10), by (3), as (1), at (1).

Be sure to read:

1.  82 Color-Coded Complex Prepositions in Prepositional Phrases – Example Sentences with Analysis
2.  74 Color-Coded Prepositional Phrase Example Sentences with Analysis