Prepositions v. Adverbs

​Some words can be used as either prepositions or adverbs. Here are some examples of words we normally think of as prepositions that can also be adverbs.

Preposition or Adverb?

Characteristics:

• It must be part of a prepositional phrase.

• Prepositions never stand alone in a sentence. 🚫

• If the word has an object (noun or pronoun), it's probably a preposition. 🏠👨🚒💭

Example:

"...he put his fingers in his ears as usual, and sang loudly to drown my voice." ^{--from Home}

"Ears" is the object of the word "in", so "in" is used as a preposition.

"In his ears" is the prepositional phrase.

Characteristics:

• No object; it's probably an adverb.

• Adverbs tell how, when, where, or why

Example:

"....barracks were built with green pine that shrank and left cracks between the boards, allowing sand and insects to seep and creep inside." ^{--from Dear Miss Breed}

• Inside describes (modifies) the verb creep.

• Inside does NOT have an object.

• Inside answers the question "Where?", so in this example inside is an adverb