Prepositions, conjunctions, connecting adverbs and interjections

Terms:

• The object of a preposition is the noun or pronoun that follows it (through the forest, under the banyan tree).
• A compound preposition is two or three words that work as one: owing to, because of, in front of, instead of (Owing to his ill health, he retired).
• Some prepositions are fixed in a phrase and cannot be changed: second to none (the best of all).

What prepositions show:

• Place: in, on, under, above, between, through.
• Time: in, on, at, during, since, for.
• Cause: owing to, because of.

The method:

• Find the noun or pronoun right after the word.
• If the word links that noun to a verb or another noun, it is a preposition.
• If there is no such noun, it is not a preposition (see the next concept).

Terms:

• A particle (adverbial particle) is a small adverb such as over, off, up, out, around that goes with a verb.
• A phrasal verb is a verb + particle with its own meaning: knock over, switch off, take off, look up.

The object test:

• Is there a noun or pronoun after the word that answers 'over what?', 'off what?'? Then it is a preposition (presiding over the meeting).
• No such noun? Then it is an adverb (moves around in her class; the plane took off).

The movement test, for a phrasal verb with a noun nearby:

• If the small word can move past the noun (switch off the fan = switch the fan off), it is a particle, an adverb.
• If it cannot (presiding over the meeting, never 'presiding the meeting over'), it is a preposition.

For 'since':

• since + a point of time (since 2002) = preposition; since + a clause (since he left) = conjunction; since alone at the end (I have not seen him since) = adverb.

Terms:

• Coordinating conjunction: joins two equal parts: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so (Jasmines and roses; I was tired, but I went).
• Subordinating conjunction: begins a clause that depends on the main clause: because, after, before, although, if, unless, when, since, except that (We went away after they had left).

The method:

• Is the word joining two parts? If it only links a single noun, it is a preposition.
• Can each part stand as a sentence on its own, with the word between them? Coordinating.
• Does the word begin a part that cannot stand alone (because he had hit the most fours)? Subordinating.

Terms:

• A conjunctive adverb (connecting adverb) links the idea of one sentence or clause to another. It usually has a comma after it, or a semicolon or 'and' before it.
• Common ones: therefore, besides, otherwise, consequently, however, moreover, nevertheless, hence, thus, meanwhile.

The movement test:

• 'Therefore, I stayed.' = 'I, therefore, stayed.' = 'I stayed, therefore.' The word moves: adverb.
• 'I was tired, so I stayed' cannot become 'I was tired, I so stayed': conjunction.
• 'Besides' with a noun after it (Besides English, he speaks Tamil) is a preposition. Alone, followed by a comma, it is an adverb.

The signs of an interjection:

• It shows a sudden feeling: joy, sorrow, surprise, pain, praise.
• It stands at the start, set off by '!' or a comma.
• Removing it leaves a complete sentence.
• A short group of words can work as one interjection (Oh no!).

Other common ones: Bravo (praise), Ouch (pain), Oh (surprise), Wow (wonder), Hush (silence).