The grammatical class represented by the prepositions plays the role of linking two terms in a clause. And, depending on the context in which they are inserted, they denote different meanings.
So that we can better understand this linguistic fact, we will emphasize the term "semantics", since it represents one of the parts related to Grammar, being directly linked to the meaning of words in the middle of an utterance.
When portraying this meaning, it is important to know that the same word can have different meanings, and this is attributed solely and exclusively to a contextual analysis.
In the case of prepositions, more specifically, we will subsidize the following examples in evidence:
| The company's pending issues were discussed during the meeting. The book is on the table. |
Paying attention to the meaning represented by the prepositions, we conclude that the first sentence reveals the “subject” that permeated the meeting, that is, the company's pending issues.
In the second, we have the “place” in which the book is located.
Aiming to further improve our knowledge, we will analyze some representative cases of this occurrence.
Semantic values of:
Possession: These school objects are by Pedro.
Cause: Those affected by the earthquake are starving.
Matter: Objects made with porcelain are on display at the event.
Subject matter: Newspapers reported on the violence plaguing society.
Company: I will go with my friends to the party.
Goal: We will travel on vacation to have fun.
Instrument: The boy was injured with the sharp object.
Place: The university I intend to enter is in Brasília.
Origin: Visitors came from Maranhão.
Time: The trajectory covered was thirty minutes.
Quite: Communication over the Internet is very dynamic.
Conformity: I carried out the research according to the bibliographic sources indicated.
Mode: We received the visits with immense joy.
Opposition: We are against that teacher's ideas.
Do not stop now... There's more after the advertising ;)
By Vânia Duarte
Graduated in Letters
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
DUARTE, Vânia Maria do Nascimento. "The semantics of prepositions"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/gramatica/a-semantica-das-preposicoes.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.