preposition

I

prep•o•si•tion

[[t]ˌprɛp əˈzɪʃ ən[/t]] n.

gram. a member of a class of words that are typically used before nouns, pronouns, or other substantives to form phrases with adverbial, nominal, or adjectival function, and that typically express a spatial, temporal, or other relationship, as on, by, to, with, or since

Etymology: 1350–1400; ME < L praepositiō putting before, a prefix, preposition. See pre-, position prep`o•si′tion•al•ly, adv. usage: The common “rule” that a sentence should not end with a preposition is transferred from Latin, where it is an accurate description of practice. But the Latin rule does not fit English grammar. In speech, the final preposition is normal and idiomatic, esp. in questions: What are we waiting for? Where did he come from? You didn't tell me which floor you worked on. In writing, the problem of placing the preposition arises most often when a sentence ends with a relative clause in which the relative pronoun (that; whom; which; etc.) is the object of a preposition. In edited writing, esp. formal writing, when a pronoun other than that introduces a final relative clause, the preposition usu. precedes its object: He abandoned the project to which he had devoted his whole life. I finally telephoned the representative with whom I had been corresponding. If the pronoun is that, or if the pronoun is omitted, then the preposition must occur at the end: The librarian found the books that the child had scribbled in. There is the woman he spoke of. II

pre•po•si•tion or pre-po•si•tion

[[t]ˌpri pəˈzɪʃ ən[/t]] v. t.

cvb to position in advance or beforehand

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Etymology: 1960–65; pre-+position