complex preposition

4.9

More than one word that work together to show place, time, or other connection like in front of

noun
/ˈkɒmplɛks ˌprɛpəˈzɪʃən/

Specialized

: preposición compleja

‘According to’ and ‘in front of’ are examples of a complex preposition in English.

Examples

Examples like ‘instead of’ and ‘in accordance with’ are common complex prepositions found in everyday English.
The teacher explained the difference between a simple preposition and a complex preposition.
In academic writing, it is important to use the appropriate complex preposition to clarify relationships between ideas.
A complex preposition can enhance your writing.
Many students struggle with complex prepositions.
In academic writing, using a precise complex preposition can clarify the relationships between different ideas.
The teacher emphasized that understanding complex prepositions is essential for mastering English grammar.

Antonyms

simple preposition

Specialized

1.0

A single word that shows place, time or direction, like in

How Complex

complex preposition

Specialized

4.9

simple preposition

Specialized

1.0

Surface Forms

complex preposition singular

complex prepositions plural

Morphology

complex + preposition

The phrase is directly compositional: a B1 learner who knows 'complex' (made of multiple parts) and 'preposition' (word showing relation) can infer 'a preposition composed of multiple words' such as 'in spite of'. This is a standard noun + modifier construction found cross-linguistically (e.g. Spanish 'preposición compleja'), so the meaning is immediately derivable from the constituents.

Etymology

The name complex preposition comes from the idea of two or more words joining to act like one small word. Think of phrases like in spite of or according to, where the words together show a 'relationship', so a 'complex preposition' means a group of words that work as one preposition.