Beyond in, on and at, English has whole PATHS of movement — into, through, across, along — and two-word and three-word prepositions like "in front of" and "because of" that work exactly like a single word.
Each of these describes a different PATH — picture the movement as you read each one.
| Word | Path |
|---|---|
| into | moving to the inside |
| through | in one side and out the other |
| across | from one side to the other, over a surface |
| along | following the length of something |
| over | above, or covering something |
Two or three words that work together as ONE preposition.
| Compound preposition | Meaning |
|---|---|
| in front of | facing the front side of |
| next to | beside |
| because of | due to (a reason) |
| in spite of | despite (a contrast) |
| according to | as stated by |
Read the whole sentence — is it giving a reason, a contrast, or just a position?
12 IEO-style questions on prepositions. 🍀