The Analysis of Prepositions

Prepositions are an uncontroversial lot. When a preposition is not followed by a noun or noun phrase, it is instead an adverb, which usually relates to the verb. When a preposition by form acts like an adjective (whether substantival or not), we consider it an adverb used as an adjective rather than a preposition used as an adjective. (Though that is its behavior, its tag is simply ab.) Because prepositions may function as adverbs and adjectives when not followed by a noun, one might think that adverbs and adjectives should be considered prepositions when they relate a following noun to the rest of the sentence. As was shown in the discussions of adverbs and adjectives, this is not the case. A preposition implies an adverb (which in turn implies an adjective) in the right circumstances; the converse is not true. No adjective functions as a preposition in our analysis except the adjective m™son, which is analyzed as a preposition in one instance (Philippians 2.15).

The list of prepositions at the end of the appendix (list 2) shows at a glance what words we accept as prepositions. It also reveals the distribution of prepositions with respect to case governance and shows the other analyses of any given form. Notice that four prepositions may also serve as conjunctions.