Prepositions always have objects. This combination of verb and preposition is usually referred to as a prepositional verb, although sometimes it is also known as a phrasal verb. Further examples ...

dire à to say to/to tell Elle a dit à son frère de ne pas s’inquiéter. – She told her brother not to worry. demander à to ask L’élève a demandé au prof s’il y avait des devoirs ...

A phrase is a group of two or more words that does not contain a subject and a verb working together. There are many types of phrases, including verb phrases, adverb phrases, and adjective phrases.

You're reading this because procrastination. As the language writer Stan Carey delightfully sums it up: "'Because' has become a preposition, because grammar." Indeed. So we get uses like this ...

The finding: A person’s use of function words—the pronouns, articles, prepositions, conjunctions, and auxiliary verbs that are the connective tissue of language—offers deep insights into his ...

In these examples, down and back are not prepositions but function as adverbs to extend or change the meaning of the verb. This combination of verb and adverb is always known as a phrasal verb.

You're reading this because procrastination. As the language writer Stan Carey delightfully sums it up: "'Because' has become a preposition, because grammar." Indeed. So we get uses like this ...