Supercategory of Prepositions and Conjunctions?

Fredbln

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Oct 24, 2024
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Is there a common name for these little words that are called prepositions on one hand and conjunctions on the other hand?
I am looking for a possible label of a hypernym for these two parts of speeches.
 
Welcome to the forum, @Fredbln.

I know of no such hypernym, though some grammarians include far more words in the preposition class than used to be the case. Traditional grammar would label the words in bold in the sentences below as I have.

I have never seen him before. - adverb
Please lock up before you leave. - conjunction
She went home before the meeting. - preposition.

Some grammarians today would consider them all prepositions.
 
I’ve often wondered the same—how to group prepositions and conjunctions under a broader grammatical umbrella. “Connectives” seems like a fitting term in functional grammar, covering their role in linking clauses or ideas. It might not be traditional, but it works well in ESL contexts to simplify explanations. Curious to hear if anyone’s seen other overarching categories in academic resources.
 
Note.

It's "parts of speech".
 

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