[Grammar] preposition, adverb or conjuntion

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hela

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Dear teachers,

Would you please give me a hint about how to recognize a preposition from an adverb from a conjunction ?

In the following sentence how can I know if "before" is a preposition or an adverb (and sometimes a conjunction) ?
A conjunction always introduces a clause ?

Before the Fire, there had been a plague, the like of which had not been known before."

Thanks
Hela
 

philo2009

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Yes, a (subordinating) conjunction always introduces a clause, and so that clearly rules it out as a choice in the sentence you cite.
Where the word 'before' is followed simply by a noun phrase (as is the first 'before' in the same sentence), it is a preposition, and where it is followed by nothing at all (as the second), it is an adverb.

Dear teachers,

Would you please give me a hint about how to recognize a preposition from an adverb from a conjunction ?

In the following sentence how can I know if "before" is a preposition or an adverb (and sometimes a conjunction) ?
A conjunction always introduces a clause ?

Before the Fire, there had been a plague, the like of which had not been known before."

Thanks
Hela
 

hela

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 12, 2004
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Arabic
Home Country
Tunisia
Current Location
Tunisia
Status
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