This document discusses prepositions and preposition phrases. It provides examples of different types of preposition complements including object NPs, NPs, predicative phrases, PPs, and clauses. It then asks the reader to identify the category of the complement in example sentences. Next, it discusses prepositional verbs and whether certain verb+preposition combinations are fossilized. It also discusses the differences between prepositions and adjectives. Finally, it asks the reader questions about preposition stranding, fronted prepositions, and restrictions on certain prepositions occurring with or without NP complements.

1. Prepositions and preposition
phrases

2. Complements of prepositions
i. Object NP I was talking [to a friend].
ii. NP We left [before the last act].
iii. Predicative I regard her [as a friend].
iv. PP I stayed [until after lunch].
v. AdvP I won’t last [for long].
vi. Clause I left [because I was tired].

3. 1. For each of the following sentences, underline the complement of the
doubly underlined preposition – all the words that make up the
complement, but no other words. In each case give the category of the
complement.
i. What may not be expected in a country of eternal light?
What may not be expected in a country of eternal light? Noun phrase
ii. Six years have passed since I resolved on my present undertaking.
Six years have passed since I resolved on my present undertaking. Clause
iii. I commenced by inuring my body to hardship.
I commenced by inuring my body to hardship. Object NP
iv. My life might have been passed in ease and luxury.
My life might have been passed in ease and luxury. Noun phrase
v. They fly quickly over the snow in their sledges.
They fly quickly over the snow in their sledges. Noun phrase

4. Prepositional verbs
Prepositional verbs are verbs that take PP
complements.
He asked for water.
We came across some errors.
He’ll treat me to lunch.
I served as secretary.
He took me for a fool.

5. Fossilisation
Some verb + preposition combinations are
fossilised, in the sense that they don’t permit any
variation in their relative position.
NON-FOSSILISED FOSSILISED
i a. I asked for some information. b. I came across some letters.
ii a. the information which I asked for. b. the letters which I came across
iii a. the information for which I asked b* the letters across which I
came

6. 3. Determine which of the verbs below belong to the class of
prepositional verbs. For those that do, identify the prepositions(s)
they select and provide relevant examples. For each verb + preposition
sequence say wheather or not it is fossilised, and provide evidence
that your claim about fossilitation is correct.
i. bank - it’s not a prepositional verb
ii. believe
prepositional verb – believe in He believes in God.
fossilised *God in who he believes.
iii. convince
prepositional verb - convince sb of sth You convinced the judge of your innocence.
non-fossilised The innocence of which you convinced judge.
iv. fall
prepositional verb – fall in He fell in love with a young girl.
non-fossilised A young girl with whom he fell in love.
v. feel
prepositional verb - feel strongly about sth I feel strongly about this issue.
non-fossilised The issue which I feel strongly about.
The issue about which I feel strongly.

7. vi. hope
prepositional verb – hope for We are hoping for good weather.
fossilised *Good weather for which we are hoping.
vii. see
prepositional verb – see after He sees after his younger brother.
fossilised *His younger brother after who he sees.
viii. stand
prepositional verb – stand for She always stands for animal rights.
non-fossilised Animal rights for which she always stands.
ix.treat
prepositional verb – treat sb to sth He treated me to lunch.
non-fossilised Lunch to which he treated me.
Lunch which he treated me
to.
x. wait
prepositional verb – wait for He is waiting for his mother.
fossilised His mother who he is waiting for.
*His mother for who he is
waiting.

8. 4. The word up is a particle in We folded up the map but not in We
climbed up the mountain. What syntactic differences can you find
between the two constructions? Use these differences to say for each
of the following which of the two kinds of construction it belongs to.
We folded the map up. *We climbed the mountain up.
i. I looked over my shoulder.
non-particle *I looked my shoulder over.
ii. We must bring in the washing.
particle We must bring the washing in.
iii. We’d better run off some more copies.
non-particle *We’d better run some more copies off.
iv. I knocked over the vase.
particle I knocked the vase over.
v. He never got over his disappointment.
non-particle *He never got his disappointment over.

9. Preposition vs adjectives
1) NP complement
Prototypical members of the preposition class license NP
complements. Adjectives do not.
2) Inflection and gradability
Adjectives are gradable and inflected. Prepositions are normally non-
gradable. There are not inflected forms.
3) The predicand requirement for adjectives
Adjectives are related to a predicand and this applies not only with
predicative complements but also with predicative adjuncts.
Preposition can head adjuncts that are unassociated with any
predicand.
4) Complement of become
Adjectives can normally head complements of become, whereas
preposition without modifiers normally cannot.

10. 5. For each of the following words, decide whether it is a preposition
or an adjective, and give arguments to support your view
i. about - preposition It allows an NP complement: We were
speaking about the film. It is non-gradable. It cannot normally head
the complement of become.
ii. ahead - adjective It doesn't allow an NP complement. It is gradable
and inflects for grade: Today technology is /become more ahead.
It occurs as complement to become: Today technology becomes
ahead very fast.
iii. aloof - adjective It doesn't allow an NP complement. It is gradable
and inflects for grade: He is the most aloof boy in our class. It
occurs as complement to become: He becomes quite aloof.
iv. aloft – adjective/preposition It allows an NP complement: Birds
perching aloft telephone wires. It is non-gradable. It cannot
normally head the complement of become.
v. around - preposition It allows an NP complement: The people were
seated around the table. It is non-gradable. It cannot normally
head the complement of become.

11. 6. Construct an example, complete with as much context as necessary,
to show that context is right a pronoun can follow the particle in a
verb + particle construction like rip you off or call him out or
turn them down, if it is contrastively stressed.
ask someone out
Brian asked Judy out to dinner and a movie.
back someone up
My wife backed me up over my decision to quit my job.
break something in
I need to break these shoes in before we run next week.
put through
I'll put you through to Mr. Brown.

12. 7. Which of the following prepositions can occur in declarative main
clauses either with or without an NP complement? Give examples to
illustrate both uses, noting those which occur without an NP
complement only in a restricted subset of their uses/meanings
i. against
Occurs with an NP complement: He turned up his collar against the
wind.
but not on its own: * He turned up his collar against.
ii. between
Occurs with an NP complement: Gatwick is about halfway between
London and Brighton.
And on its own: Two periods of study with a short break between.
iii. despite
Occurs with an NP complement: He remains a great leader despite his
age.
but not on its own: *He remains a great leader despite.

13. iv. opposite
Occurs with an NP complement: The school is opposite the park.
And on its own: Mark and Betty live opposite.
v. throughout
Occurs with an NP complement: She has traveled throughout the world.
And on its own: The hotel was redecorated throughout.
vi. to
Occurs with an NP complement: It was my first visit to Africa
but not on its own: *It was my first visit to
vii. underneath
Occurs with an NP complement: He took a gun and hid it underneath the sofa.
And on its own: She left the buttons open to show silk underneath.
Underneath he is a pleasant man.
ix. until
Occurs with an NP complement: We played until it got dark.
but not on its own: * We played until.
x. within
Occurs with an NP complement: He entered the house, and within seconds, he was
surrounded by
children.
And on its own: As she approached the door she heard a telephone ringing within.

14. Preposition stranding
Stranded prepositions – located before a site from which its
understood complement is missing.
i. Who did they vote for? interrogative
ii. I can’t find a book which she was reffering to. relative
Fronted prepositions – prepositions at the beginning of the
clause so it accompanies the NP that is understood as
its complement.
i. For whom did they vote? interrogative
ii. I can’t find the book to which she was reffering. relative

15. 8.The following examples have stranded prepositions. Construct
corresponding examples with a fronted preposition. If you find any
of your examples ungrammatical, mark them with * in the usual
way.
i They couldn 't agree on who it referred to.
ii What am I supposed to cut this thing with?
iii He 's the man I showed the photo to.
iv The place we 're going to is so informal they
don 't have table cloths.
v It was the only proposal which every department
member agreed with.

16. i They couldn 't agree on who it referred to.
*They couldn 't agree on to whom it referred. （ the clause who it
referred to containing the preposition is a subordinate interrogative
clause functioning as complement to a preposition (on);here
stranding is obligatory. ）
ii What am I supposed to cut this thing with ?
With what am I supposed to cut this thing?
iii He 's the man I showed the photo to.
He is the man to whom I showed the photo.
iv The place we 're going to is so informal they don 't have table cloths.
*To the place we are going is so informal they don 't have table cloths.
(We have the idiom going to meaning "plan" ， it is a tense, to is
never fronted.)
v It was the only proposal which every department member agreed with.
It was the only proposal with which every department member agreed.

17. 9. The following examples have fronted prepositions. Construct
corresponding examples with a stranded preposition.If the example
turns out to be ungrammatical,mark it with *.
i Under what circumstances would you agree ?
ii In what year was she born ?
iii He came to the bed in which Goldilocks had
been sleeping.
iv It appealed to everyone with whom he
discussed it.
v It was a situation in which it would have been
hard for anyone to form a judgement
concerning what to do.

18. i Under what circumstances would you agree ?
*What circumstances would you agree under?(the fronted preposition
occurs in front of a NP, that is ungrammatical .)
ii In what year was she born ?
*What year was she born in?(The PP is in adjunct rather than
complement function.The manner adjunct in what year, can never
be split up.)
iii He came to the bed in which Goldilocks had been sleeping.
He came to the bed which Goldilocks had been sleeping in.
iv It appealed to everyone with whom he discussed it.
*It appealed to everyone whom he discussed it with.(the PP is in
adjunct rather than complement function, specifically an adjunct of
time. The manner adjunct in with whom can never be split up.)
v It was a situation in which it would have been hard for anyone to form
a judgement concerning what to do.
*It was a situation which it would have been hard for anyone to form a
judgement concerning what to do in.(the PP is in adjunct rather than
complement function, specifically an adjunct of time. The manner
adjunct in what to do can never be split up.)

19. Preposition vs adverb
Traditionally prepositions have complements with the form
of the NPs but when they are adverbs they have no
complement:
Traditional preposition: She went aboard the liner.
Traditional adverb: She went aboard.

20. 10. Classify the following words as adverbs or prepositions, basing
your answers on the criteria discussed in Ch. 7 and citing the relevant
evidence.
[i] ahead adv&prep
adv.
(doesn’t require NP
complements)
I could see the end of
[ii] always adv the tunnel ahead.
[iii] indoors adv
[iv] often adv
[v] overseas Adv, adj
A large number of overseas visitors. (adj.)
The company plans moving production
overseas. (adv.)