Compound prepositions
"Mastering Relationships: Compound Prepositions Unveiled!"
Compound prepositions are combinations of words that function as a single preposition. They’re formed by joining two or more words to create a new prepositional phrase that expresses a specific relationship. Here are examples of compound prepositions:
1. **According to:** According to the weather report, it will rain today.
2. **Because of:** They canceled the event because of the storm.
3. **In spite of:** In spite of the difficulties, they succeeded.
4. **Next to:** The park is located next to the library.
5. **Instead of:** He chose tea instead of coffee.
6. **Due to:** The delay was due to heavy traffic.
7. **Along with:** She brought her sister along with her.
These compound prepositions convey more nuanced or complex relationships and are created by combining words to act as a single prepositional unit.
Compound prepositions
Here are a few more compound prepositions along with examples:
1. **On behalf of:** She spoke on behalf of the team.
2. **Out of:** He ran out of patience.
3. **In front of:** They stood in front of the building.
4. **Ahead of:** He finished ahead of schedule.
5. **In addition to:** In addition to his job, he volunteers.
6. **In line with:** His actions were in line with the company’s policy.
7. **As of:** As of yesterday, the project is complete.
8. **Aside from:** Aside from her, no one else knew.
9. **Close to:** The store is close to the bank.
10. **In the midst of:** They met in the midst of chaos.
11. **With regard to:** With regard to your request, here is the information.
12. **In light of:** In light of recent events, changes are necessary.
13. **On top of:** The book is on top of the shelf.
14. **In terms of:** He excels in terms of creativity.
15. **In accordance with:** They acted in accordance with the rules.
16. **In exchange for:** He gave the item in exchange for money.
17. **As per:** As per the schedule, the meeting starts at 9.
18. **Regardless of:** He went regardless of the weather.
19. **In relation to:** The report is in relation to the sales figures.
20. **In view of:** In view of the circumstances, we’ll postpone.
21. **As well as:** She sings as well as she dances.
22. **In the event of:** In the event of an emergency, call 911.
23. **In contrast to:** In contrast to last year, profits increased.
24. **Owing to:** Owing to his absence, the meeting was delayed.
25. **By means of:** The message was sent by means of email.
26. **As opposed to:** He prefers tea as opposed to coffee.
27. **With respect to:** With respect to your question, here’s the answer.
28. **By way of:** He arrived by way of the back entrance.
29. **With the exception of:** Everyone attended with the exception of Sarah.
30. **With reference to:** With reference to the map, the town is nearby.
These compound prepositions add depth and specificity to the relationships between words in a sentence, conveying more precise meanings and contexts.
1. **In the face of:** In the face of adversity, they remained strong.
2. **On the brink of:** They were on the brink of discovery.
3. **Underneath of:** The keys were underneath of the book.
4. **Up against:** They were up against tough competition.
5. **On the verge of:** She was on the verge of tears.
6. **For the sake of:** He did it for the sake of his family.
7. **In the wake of:** In the wake of the storm, there was destruction.
8. **At the expense of:** He succeeded at the expense of others.
9. **In the course of:** In the course of the day, things changed.
10. **By dint of:** He succeeded by dint of hard work.
11. **By virtue of:** By virtue of his position, he had authority.
12. **In the throes of:** They were in the throes of passion.
13. **In the vicinity of:** The cafe is in the vicinity of the park.
14. **In the grip of:** The town was in the grip of fear.
15. **In the view of:** In the view of many, the decision was wrong.
16. **In the absence of:** In the absence of evidence, it’s hard to judge.
17. **In the neighborhood of:** The price was in the neighborhood of $100.
18. **In the depths of:** He was lost in the depths of the forest.
19. **In the face of:** In the face of criticism, he remained calm.
20. **In the eyes of:** In the eyes of the law, it was a crime.
These compound prepositions offer nuances in meaning and help to describe relationships or situations more precisely within sentences.
"Mastering Relationships: Compound Prepositions Unveiled!"
Here’s a worksheet to practice compound prepositions:
**Worksheet: Compound Prepositions**
**Exercise 1:** Fill in the blanks with the appropriate compound preposition:
1. She succeeded _______ hard work.
2. They stood _______ the entrance.
3. He managed to escape _______ danger.
4. _______ the absence of evidence, it’s difficult to decide.
5. The keys were found _______ the book.
**Exercise 2:** Create three sentences using compound prepositions.
**Exercise 3:** Match the phrases on the left with their corresponding compound prepositions on the right:
1. In the midst of a. In view of
2. By virtue of b. On the brink of
3. At the expense of c. Underneath of
4. In the wake of d. By dint of
5. On the verge of e. In the neighborhood of
Answers
Here are the answers to the exercises:
**Exercise 1:**
1. She succeeded **by virtue of** hard work.
2. They stood **at** the entrance.
3. He managed to escape **from** danger.
4. **In** the absence of evidence, it’s difficult to decide.
5. The keys were found **underneath** the book.
**Exercise 2:** Sample sentences (may vary):
1. She excelled at the expense of others.
2. They were on the verge of discovering a breakthrough.
3. He succeeded by dint of his dedication.
**Exercise 3:**
1. In the midst of – b. On the brink of
2. By virtue of – d. By dint of
3. At the expense of – e. In the neighborhood of
4. In the wake of – a. In view of
5. On the verge of – b. On the brink of
**Exercise 1:** Fill in the blanks with the appropriate compound preposition:
1. She arrived _______ the meeting started.
2. The child was lost _______ his parents.
3. They succeeded _______ their hard work.
4. The car keys were located _______ the dashboard.
5. _______ the course of the day, things changed.
6. He managed to escape _______ harm.
7. _______ the brink of disaster, they found a solution.
8. The decision was made _______ careful consideration.
9. They met _______ the midst of chaos.
10. He succeeded _______ his talent.
**Exercise 2:** Create three sentences using compound prepositions.
Answers:
Here are the answers to the exercises:
**Exercise 1:**
1. She arrived **before** the meeting started.
2. The child was lost **from** his parents.
3. They succeeded **through** their hard work.
4. The car keys were located **beneath** the dashboard.
5. **Over** the course of the day, things changed.
6. He managed to escape **from** harm.
7. **On** the brink of disaster, they found a solution.
8. The decision was made **after** careful consideration.
9. They met **in** the midst of chaos.
10. He succeeded **by** his talent.
**Exercise 2:** Sample sentences (may vary):
1. She made it before the meeting started.
2. The treasure was hidden beneath the old tree.
3. They found a solution on the brink of disaster.
