A Preposition is a Terrible Thing to Waste

What is a Preposition? 

What do Prepositions do? 

Why do writers use too many Prepositions? 

How do you keep them useful without giving them a big head?

Good questions. Here are some Grammar Anarchist answers.

A Preposition is an introduction to a descriptive phrase. That phrase can modify either an adjective or an adverb (which is where the terms “adverbial phrase” and “adjective phrase” come from). The Preposition generally provides direction or relationship (in, out, under, over, up, down, with, before, behind, etc.) Therefore, if a phrase is to do a good job modifying, it needs something to modify. That’s where the noun or verb comes in. Here are a few examples of “adverbial phrase”:

She walked regularly in the park, near the creek, with her dog. (Whew! Three in a row!)
The dog toddled along behind the walker, on a leash. (Only two of them here.)
Neither the dog nor the walker appeared in a hurry. (One dab’ll do you!)

Notice how the bold-face prepositional phrases describe the verbs (walk, toddle, appear)

Here are some “adjective phrases”, which you will see modify the nouns:

The youth, in his teens, wearing only a light jacket with pockets, wanted hot coffee with cream.
His man next to him asked for an iced tea without sugar.
Both guys seemed anxious to get to the ballgame about to start.

 Here the bold-face phrases describe the nouns (youth, jacket, coffee, man, tea, ballgame).

Keep your prepositions useful by not overdoing. Some overloaded and overworked combinations include: off of, on in, near to, behind of, and in to (when what is meant is into).

Awkward: Keep your hands off of me if you want to get on in my favor and near to my heart, rather than behind of my good graces.
Neater: Keep your hands off me if you want to get in my favor and near my heart, rather than behind my good graces.

Now you know how to keep your Prepositions in tow. BTW, One walks into a room or situation, but once inside, one is in the room or the situation. Into moves; in says it’s too late to move; you’re stuck.

Respect your Prepositions; love them; keep them to a minimum.