Think back to 7th grade English class.
I know there were probably a lot of hormones and general awkwardness going on, but remember…
…rEmEmBeR…
…prepositions.
A preposition is a word or set of words that indicates location (in, near, beside, on top of). It can also express some other relationship between a noun and other parts of a sentence (about, after, besides, instead of, in accordance with).
We all know you’re not supposed to end sentences with them. You’ve probably even heard some variation of this joke about them.
And, if you’re anything like me, you feel like you’re trying too hard when you say something like 🧐 In which booth should we sit? 🧐
They’re the words that tell you how something is positioned in relation to something else.
But, for that reason, I think “prepositions” is a misnomer, not exactly right for its use.
The prefix “pre-” (ha) means “before”…
…added to…
“position” – a place where someone or something is located or has been put (“the distress call gave the ship’s position”).
But, prepositions already give the position of whatever they come after in a sentence—“the dog is on the hill”. ‘On’ is the preposition, describing the dog’s position re: the landscape feature.
Seems kinda redundant.
If you ask me, prepositions should be called PRELOCATIONS, because they come before where something is. They describe how a noun is positioned in regards to a particular place.
Prelocation.
And, obviously, a prelocution is when you clear your throat or take a sip of water before speaking.