Preposition,

Conjunction and
Interjection
Tanveer Adnan
 ?
● Suppose that a sports announcer suddenly lost control over the
words that connect words and groups of words in a sentence. The
announcer knew when connections were needed but could not
think of the right words. The opener of a baseball telecast might
sound like this:
(1) Welcome by Yankee Stadium, ladies nor gentlemen, in
the game against the Royals or the Yankees. (2) It's time until the
game to begin. (3) The umpires are meeting under home plate
against the two managers. (4) The Yankees are about to run over
the field. (5) We'll be back right before this word to our sponsor.

2
  PREPOSITION 
In the telecast the announcer misuses prepositions and
conjunctions.
● Prepositions describe the relationships between people,
places, or things. For example, leaves grow on branches, not above
them. By using the wrong prepositions, the announcer causes
confusion on the part of the reader.
● Conjunctions join words or groups of words and express a
relationship among the words that they have joined.
For example, if you are going out with a group of friends, you say,
"My friends and I are going out." It would be misleading to say,
"My friends or I am going out." The telecaster used the wrong
conjunctions, making the passage even more confusing.
3
PREPOSITION
● A preposition is a word that expresses a relationship between a
noun or a pronoun and another word in the sentence.
The lake is behind the cottage.
[The preposition, behind, shows where the lake is in relation to the
cottage.]
We swam after lunch.
[The preposition, after, shows a time relationship between lunch
and when we swam.]
The lake was like a mirror.
[The preposition, like, shows the similarity between a mirror and
the lake.]

4
PREPOSITION
The prepositions in italic type in the following list are used
frequently in speaking and writing.
about twenty minutes above the tower
across the bridge after the dance
against all odds along the ridge
among the chefs around the earth
at midnight before the exam
behind the bush below the street
beneath the tree beside the bench
besides hard work between you and me
beyond the trees by seven o'clock
despite the loss down the well
during the struggle except my sister
5
PREPOSITION
for the school from Officer Mallory
in his eyes inside the box
into the frying pan like a huge weight
near the lake off the highway
on the huge egg onto the cycle
out the door outside my house
over the lifeboat past the last station
since the game through the maze
till tomorrow to us
toward the end under the new mayor
underneath the ledge up the chimney
until the third quarter upon her head
within our class with the flamingos
without a sound 6
PREPOSITION
Some prepositions, called compound prepositions, are made up of
more than one word. The compound prepositions are in italic type
in the following list:
according to the paper aside from your objections
as of yesterday as well as his wallet
because of the rain by means of a telephone
in addition to eggs in front of the house
in place of sugar in regard to a question
instead of my sister in spite of everything
on account of the storm
on top of the mountain
out of the sky prior to your call
7
PREPOSITION
● Barring, concerning, considering, during, notwithstanding,
pending, regarding, respecting, touching, and a few similar
words which are present participles of verbs, are used
absolutely with out any noun or pronoun being attached to
them. For all practical purposes, they have become Prepositions,
and are sometimes distinguished as Participial Prepositions.
Barring (= excepting apart from) accident, the mail will arrive
tomorrow.
Concerning (= about) yesterday's fire, there are many rumours in
the bazar.
Considering (= taking into account) the quality, the price is not
high. 8
PREPOSITION
Ulysses is said to have invented the game of chess during the siege
of Troy.
Notwithstanding (= in spite of) the resistance offered by him, he
was arrested by the police.
Pending further orders. Ms. Joti will act as Head of Sales.
Regarding your inquiries, we regret to say that at present we are
not interested in imitation silk.
Respecting the plan you mention, I shall write to you hereafter.
Touching (= with regard to) this matter, I have not as yet made up
my mind.
9
PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES
A preposition is usually followed by a noun or a pronoun, which is
called the object of the preposition. The preposition together with
the object and its modifiers is called a prepositional phrase.
Twenty dolphins performed like playful acrobats.
[The prepositional phrase includes the preposition, like, the
modifier, playful, and the object of the preposition, acrobats.]
A prepositional phrase may contain more than one object, as
in the following example.
I vacuumed under the bed and the dressers.

10
PREPOSITION OR ADVERB?
If the word has an object, it is a preposition.
If the word does not have an object, it is usually an adverb.
PREPOSITION We waited inside the house.
ADVERB We waited inside.
PREPOSITION I came the day before yesterday.
ADVERB I could not come before.
PREPOSITION The driver jumped off the car.
ADVERB The wheel came off.

11
OBJECTS OF PREPOSITIONS
● We have seen that the object to a Preposition is a Noun or
Pronoun. Sometimes, however, the object to a Preposition is an
Adverb of Time or Place; as,
I will be done by then (= that time).
Come away from there (= that place).
● Sometimes the object to a preposition is an Adverbial Phrase;
as,
Each article was sold at over a pound.
The noise comes from across the river.
● A clause can also be the object to a Preposition; as,
Pay careful attention to what I am going to say.
There is no meaning in what you say. 12
OBJECTS OF PREPOSITIONS
● The object to a Preposition, when it is a relative pronoun, is
sometimes omitted; as,
He is the man I was looking for. [Here whom is understood].
These are the good rules to live by. [Here which is understood.]

13
MORE ON PREPOSITIONS
● The following Prepositions require special notice:
(1) We can use in or at with the names of cities, towns or
villages. In most cases in is used. We use in when we are talking
about a place as an area; we use at when we see it as a point.
We stayed in Khulna for five days.
How long have you lived in this village?
Our plane stopped at Singapore on the way to America.
(Singapore = Singapore airport)
(2) We use at to talk about group activities and
shops/workplaces.
Did you see Alex at the party?
There weren't many people at the meeting.
I saw him at the baker’s. 14
MORE ON PREPOSITIONS
(3) We use in with the names of streets and at when we give the
house-number.
He lives in Church Street.
He lives at 45 Church Street.
(4) We use on when we think of a place as a surface.
The dog is lying on the floor.
Put this picture on the wall.
(5) Till is used of time and to is used of place; as
She slept till eight o’clock.
He walked to the end of the street.
15
MORE ON PREPOSITIONS
(6) With often denotes the instrument and by the agent; as,
He killed two birds with one shot.
He was stabbed by a lunatic with a dagger.
(7) Since is used before a noun or phrase denoting some point of
time, and is preceded by a verb in the perfect tenses; as,
I have eaten nothing since yesterday.
He has been ill since Monday last.
I have not been smoking since last week.
(8) In before a noun denoting a period of time, means at the end
of; within means before the end of; as,
I shall return in an hour.
I shall return within an hour. 16
MORE ON PREPOSITIONS
(9) Beside means at (or by) the side of while besides means in
addition to; as,
Beside the ungathered rice he lay.
Besides her children, there were present her nephews and
nieces.
Besides being fined, he was sentenced to a term of
imprisonment.

17
  CONJUNCTION 
● A conjunction is a word that connects individual words or groups
of words. A coordinating conjunction joins words or groups of
words of equal rank. The coordinating conjunctions are in the
following list:
and but for nor or yet

Conjunctions Connecting Individual Words

Conjunctions may connect individual nouns, pronouns, verbs,
adjectives, adverbs, or prepositions.
Sally and Harriet went to the ball game.
He or I will go to the fair with Joe.
They played swiftly yet carefully.
18
CONJUNCTION
Conjunctions Connecting Groups of Words
Conjunctions may connect groups of words such as verb phrases,
prepositional phrases, and sentences.
We found eggs near the barn and in the coop.
[The conjunction, and, connects two prepositional phrases, near
the barn and in the coop.]
We walked slowly and looked carefully.
[The conjunction, and, connects two verbs and their modifiers,
walked slowly and looked carefully.]
Coordinating conjunctions may also connect two or more
sentences.
You can hunt for eggs, or you can help in the field.
[The conjunction, or, connects two sentences, You can hunt for
eggs and You can help in the field.] 19
CONJUNCTION
● Conjunctions must be carefully distinguished from Relative
Pronouns, Relative Adverbs and Prepositions, which are also
connecting words.
1. This is the house that Jack built. (Relative Pronoun)
2. This is the place where he was murdered (Relative Adverb)
3. Take this and give that. (Conjunction)
● In sentence 1, the Relative Pronoun that refers to the noun
house and also joins the two parts of sentences.
In sentence 2, the Relative Adverb where modifies the verb was
murdered and also joins the two parts of the sentence.
In sentence 3, the Conjunction and simply joins the two parts of
the sentences; it does no other work.
● Observe that a Preposition also joins two words but it does
more; it governs a noun or pronoun; as,
He sat beside John. She stood behind me. 20
CONJUNCTION
● Some Conjunction are used in pairs; as,
Either-or -- Either take it or leave it.
Both-and -- We both love and honour him.
Whether-or -- I do not care whether you go or stay.
Not only-But also -- Not only he is foolish, but also
stubborn.
● Conjunctions which are thus used in pairs are called
Correlative Conjunctions or merely Correlatives.
● We use many compound expressions as Conjunctions; these
are called Compound Conjunctions. They are: provided that, as
well as, as soon as, as if etc.
21
CLASSES OF CONJUNCTIONS
Birds fly and fishes swim.
● The sentence contains two independent statements or two
statements of equal rank or importance. Hence, the Conjunction
joining together these two statements or clauses of equal rank
is called a Co-ordinating Conjunction [‘Co-ordinating’ means of
equal rank.]
● Co-ordinating Conjunctions are of four kinds:
(1) Cumulative or Copulative which merely add one statement
to another; as,
We built the house and we painted the walls.
22
CLASSES OF CONJUNCTIONS
(2) Adversative which express opposition or contrast between
two statements; as,
He is slow, but he is sure.
I was annoyed, still I kept quiet.
I would come; only that I am engaged.
(3) Disjunctive or Alternative which express a choice between
two alternatives; as,
She must weep, or she will die.
Either he is mad, or she will die.
Neither Mary nor Ellen wanted to play the game.
Walk quickly, else you will not overtake him.
23
CLASSES OF CONJUNCTIONS
(4) Illative which express an inference; as,
She must have cooked long for this is an elaborate meal.
All precautions must have been neglected, for the plague spread
rapidly.
● The chief Co-ordinating Conjunctions are: and, but, for, or,
nor, also, either-or, neither-nor.

24
CLASSES OF CONJUNCTIONS
I read the paper because it interests me.
● The sentence contains two statements or clauses one of
which, 'because it interests me', is dependent on the other.
Hence, the Conjunction introducing the dependent or
subordinate clause is called a Subordinating Conjunction.
 A Subordinating Conjunction joins a clause to another on
which it depends for its full meaning.
● The chief Subordinating Conjunctions are: after, because, if,
that, though, although, till, before, unless, as, when, where,
while.
● The word than is also a Subordinating Conjunction:
She is taller than I (am tall).
His bark is worse than his bite (is bad). 25
MORE ON CONJUNCTIONS
● Certain words are used both as Prepositions and Conjunctions.
Preposition Stay till Monday.
Conjunction We shall stay here till you return.
Preposition I have not met him since Tuesday.
Conjunction We shall go since you desire it.
Preposition He died for this country.
Conjunction I must stay here, for such is my duty.
Preposition The dog ran after the cat.
Conjunction We came after they had left.
Preposition Everybody but Mrinal was present.
Conjunction He tired, but did not succeed. 26
  INTERJECTION 
● An interjection is an exclamatory word that usually expresses a
strong emotion. It can stand by itself, or it may be followed by a
related sentence. An interjection that expresses strong feeling is
followed by an exclamation point.
Good grief!
Wow! Look at that huge wave!
An interjection that shows mild feeling is followed by a comma.
The word after the comma begins with a lower-case letter unless it
is a word that is always capitalized.
Well, that's over.
Oh, I didn't know you were a doctor.
[The pronoun I is always capitalized.] 27
INTERJECTION
● We use interjections often in speech, but we should use them
only occasionally in writing. Interjections are most useful for
writing dialogue that sounds natural. Here is a list of common
interjections:
aha great oh tsk tsk
alas help oops well
good grief hey hurray ouch
whew goodness psst wow
● Certain groups of words are also used to express some sudden
feeling or emotion; as,
For shame! Well done! Good gracious!
28