Overview: Why Prepositions and Conjunctions?
Both prepositions and conjunctions show relationships between words within sentences. It is important to use both types correctly, as changing either the preposition in a prepositional phrase or the conjunction can change the direction and meaning of the sentence. Although they may be overlooked during proofreading, the correct preposition or conjunction can affect the meaning the writer is trying to convey in the sentence. (For example, if the above sentence read, “Although they may be overlooked during proofreading, the correct preposition or conjunction can affect the meaning the writer is trying to convey on the sentence,” the spellchecker didn’t catch any error, but the preposition is clearly incorrect.)
What Are Prepositions?
Prepositions show relationships between separate parts of the sentence, such as location, direction, cause, or possession. Compare under with over, to with from, above with below, and toward with away. Prepositions do not act alone, but must be part of a phrase, with a noun or pronoun used as its object. In addition, some prepositions may be compound, such as in the phrases “apart from”, “instead of” , or “because of”.
What Are Conjunctions?
While prepositions show relationships, conjunctions connect words directly. Coordinating conjunctions such as and, but, or, and so connect similar words and word groups. Correlative conjunctions connect words in pairs, such as both -and, either-or, and neither-nor. Subordinating conjunctions connect clauses by making one idea dependent upon another. For example, in the sentence “As soon as she finishes typing the essay, they will leave on vacation,” there is a cause-and-effect relationship between the typist finishing and the speaker leaving.
Conjunction or Preposition?
Depending upon the relationship in the sentence, the same words can function either as a conjunction or as a preposition. For example, in the sentence “They left on vacation before the afternoon,” the word before is used as a preposition. In the closely related sentence “Before they left on vacation, she finished typing the essay,” the word before is a subordinating conjunction showing a relationship between the two clauses.
Conjunctions and Prepositions on Standardized Tests
On tests like the SAT and ACT, students will not have to identify the part of speech, as may be required on tests in English class. However, they will have to proofread to make sure the words are used correctly to show the relationship the writer of the reading passage intended. In addition, students will need to pay close attention to whether or not they are using the correct conjunction or preposition.
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