From the example sentences shown below, it can easily be seen that a word that is a preposition can belong to other parts of speech. Understanding the different parts of speech ensures the proper use of such words.   

 

Same word used as preposition, adverb or adjective. 

Examples:

 

about::

  • There has been anger about his decision to buy the house with leaks in the roof. (Preposition)
  • It started to rain when we're about ready to go picnicking on the river bank. (Adverb)
  • She was so angry with me that she looked as if she was about to kick me. (Adjective)

 

above:

  • His kite was flying high above the trees. (Preposition)
  • We looked at the branches above for the owl that was hooting. (Adverb)
  • Call the above number for more information. (Adjective) 

 

down:

  • Our room is down the corridor on the left. (Preposition)
  • The path zig-zags down to the sea. (Adverb)
  • There was a dead body down in the ditch. (Adjective 

 

in:

  • There are too many raisins in her home-made cake. (Preposition)
  • Who says you can just come in? (Adverb)
  • This year, bald hairstyle is the in thing. (Adjective)

     

inside:

  • Beautiful pictures of ugly witches can be found inside the book. (Preposition 
  • The book has beautiful pictures of blonde mermaids inside. (Adverb)
  • The inside pages of the book have black and white pictures of rainbows. (Adjective)

     

off:

  • This is the third time he's fallen off his horse. (Preposition)
  • All of us were at the airport to see her off. (Adverb)                    
  • You can’t put the kettle on to boil when the switch is off. (Adjective)

     

near::

  • His ninety-nine-year-old grandmother keeps saying she is near death. (Preposition)
  • She became more nervous as the day of her first delivery drew near. (Adverb)
  • This stranger goes around telling everyone the world will end in the near future. (Adjective)

 

on:

  • There are two flies on the cake. (Preposition 
  • Their argument went on till dawn. (Adverb)
  • The match is on now if you still don’t know. (Adjective)

     

outside:

  • There is a debt collector outside the door looking for you. (Preposition)
  • The queue for the female toilets was so long, it stretched outside the building. (Adverb)
  • They engaged an outside consultant for the project. (Adjective)

     

over:

  • A crowd gathered to watch an object hovering over the mountain. (Preposition)
  • My book got soaking wet when he knocked over my glass of juice. (Adverb)
  • It was such an exciting march and it was over before we knew it. (Adjective)

     

past:

  • You have to drive past the hospital to reach the morgue. (Preposition)
  • He drove past sheep grazing in the fields. (Adverb)
  • I have been looking for my missing puppy for the past one year. (Adjective)

     

round:

  • We walked round the marketplace just for the fun of it, rather than to buy something. (Preposition)
  • They gathered round to listen to his encounter with a wild dog. (Adverb)
  • I saw two big, round eyes which must have belonged to an owl in that tree. (Adjective)

     

     

through:

  • He learned to be a clown through watching his father in the circus. (Preposition)
  • The bullet went through his right ear. (Adverb)
  • The women’s team is through to the next round. (Adjective)

     

up:

  • He lives here and the wife lives up the road. (Preposition)
  • The men said they were digging up buried treasure. (Adverb)
  • She was up all night baking a cake for her own birthday the next day. (Adjective)
 
 
 
Same word as preposition, adverb or conjunction.
 

Examples: 

 

after:

  • The mother named the newborn Pasta, after the father’s favourite food. (Preposition)
  • Before she took her last breath, she requested her husband to join her as soon as possible, and he died soon after. (Adverb)
  • After 

    he lost his job, he became his neighbourhood burglar. (

    Conjunction

     

     


     

as:

  • His workmates regard him as a moron who never seems to be able to do anything but make things worse, and usually much worse. (Preposition)
  • He has many girlfriends, and his twin brother has just as many. (Adverb)
  • He became a circus clown just as his father and grandfather had been.  (Conjunction)

     

before:

  • In choosing cabinet members, the Prime Minister put loyalty before quality. (Preposition)
  • He said we met before though I was sure I had never seen him in my life. (Adverb)
  • They thought they would die before they were found. (Conjunction)

     

but:

  • She had never fallen in love with anyone but her butler. (Preposition)
  • We have but one week to apologize to her or she will sue. (Adverb)
  • You are not only my best friend but also my only bodyguard. (Conjunction)

     

since:

  • She has been crying since yesterday. (Preposition)
  • They have long since ceased to be excited by the number of dinosaur eggs they find. (Adverb)
  • It is over 10 years since I last made a donation to a charity. (Conjunction)
 
 
 
 Same word as preposition or adjective. 
 

Examples: 

 

concerning::

  • The ministry’s spokesman gave very little information concerning the proposal for a new wildlife park in the area. (Preposition)
  • While the incidences of children killed by poisonous spiders are currently small in number in the area, they are extremely concerning. (Adjective
     

unlike:

  • The wife was skinny and undersized, unlike her husband who was bigger than usual in size. (Preposition)
  • The reported sighting was about a creature that was very unlike to any normal human being. (Adjective)
 
 
 
 Same word used as preposition or conjunction. 
 

Examples: 

 

for:

  • We use the doghouse for storing some garden tools from time to time. (Preposition)
  • She believed fairies exist, for she saw them. (Conjunction)

     

than:

  • My cat’s tail is longer than his dog’s. (Preposition)
  • His father looks older than his friend’s grandfather. (Conjunction)

 

until:

  • After breakfast, he slept until dinnertime. (Preposition)
  • You won’t know how delicious my homemade cake is until you taste it. (Conjunction)
 
 
 
 
Same word used as preposition, adverb, adjective or conjunction.
 

Examples: 

 

like:

  • They say he looks like an owl because his eyes are so big. (Preposition)
  • That was a horrible smell, sort of rotting fish like coming from that old warehouse. (Adverb)
  • We didn’t argue much that evening as we're of like mind on most political issues. (Adjective)
  • After retirement, he looked like he was about to become couch potato, spending a lot of time sitting at home watching television. (Conjunction