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The Tongue Untied

A Guide to Grammar, Punctuation and Style

  • Parts of Speech
    • Adjectives
      • Descriptive
      • Limiting
      • Predicate Adjective
      • Participles
    • Adverbs
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      • Coordinating Conjunctions
      • Subordinating Conjunctions
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      • Conjunctive Adverbs
      • Conjunctions vs Prepositions
    • Nouns
      • Subjects
      • Objects
        • Direct Object
        • Indirect Object
        • Obj. of the Preposition
        • Obj. of the Verbal
      • Predicate Nominative
      • Gerunds
    • Prepositions
    • Pronouns
      • Personal
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      • Reflexive
    • Verbs
      • Verb Parts
        • Lexical
        • Auxilliary
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      • Gerunds
      • Participles
      • Infinitives
  • The Sentence
    • Clauses
      • Clauses, Independent
      • Clauses, Dependent
    • Phrases
      • Prepositional
      • Participial
      • Gerund Phrase
      • Appositives
  • Case
    • Nominative-Subjective
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    • Singular or Plural — It Depends
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  • Writing/Editing
    • Accuracy
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    • Misplaced Modifiers
    • Small Things That Matter
    • Spelling/Word Choice
  • Practice

Prepositions vs Adverbs

July 28, 2013 by TheTongueUntied 3 Comments

Words that are sometimes prepositions can act as adverbs. A preposition requires an object. An adverb does not.

A single word acting as an adverb answers where, when, how or to what degree about the verb.

  • If you want to see the eclipse, you will need to go outside.

OUTSIDE tells you where YOU WILL NEED TO GO.

NOTE: Without an object OUTSIDE is an adverb.

When the same word is a preposition, the entire prepositional phrase acts as an adverb modifying the verb.

  • Dorothy colors outside the lines.

OUTSIDE THE LINES is an adverbial phrase and OUTSIDE is a preposition.

NOTE: LINES is the object of the preposition.

To determine whether a word is an adverb or a preposition, look at what follows the word. Is there a noun acting as an object of the word? In other words, is there a word that answers the question WHAT? about the word.

  • It will be some time before his schedule settles down.

DOWN tells the reader WHERE the schedule settles. There is no object following it.

  • Please sit down and listen.

DOWN tells the listener WHERE to SIT. There is no object telling him or her WHAT to SIT DOWN.

  • One need only look down the roster to see the impact of so much travel.

ROSTER answers the question WHAT? about the word DOWN. One need only look down what? THE ROSTER. ROSTER is the object of the preposition DOWN.

Consider how many of these prepositions could be used as adverbs:

above
across
after*
against
among
around at
according to
before*
behind
below
beneath
beside
besides
between
beyond
by
because of
by way of
down
during
except
for
from
in
inside
into
in addition to
in front of
in place of

in regard to
in spite of
instead of
like
near
of
off
on
out outside
over
on account of
out of
since
through
throughout
to
toward
under
until*
up
upon
with
without

Related posts:

Adjectives: Predicate Adjective
Verb Parts: Lexical
Parts of Speech: Adverbs

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Filed Under: Adverbs, Parts of Speech, Prepositions

Comments

  1. Shreya says

    July 6, 2016 at 9:09 pm

    Well it is very helpful for students to understand the difference between adverbs and preposition.

  2. selina miriam says

    October 3, 2017 at 10:57 am

    This is very thoutful,atleast aquick reference for teachers too

  3. Aman says

    December 11, 2017 at 6:24 am

    Nice i can understand these logic

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