Prepositions in Use - Prepositions of Standard, Prepositions of Possession and Prepositions of Accompaniment - A study of Jordanian EFL learners

Oct 15, 2026

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The current research paper investigates the use of prepositions of standard, prepositions of possession, and prepositions of accompaniment by Jordanian learners of English. A total of 53 Jordanian English majors participated, using data collected through a fifteen-item multiple choice test. Findings indicate moderate difficulty with all three usages, mainly attributed to first language interference. Standard prepositions were the most difficult, followed by accompaniment and possession.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time9 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Concept of prepositions and classification

Prepositions of accompaniment, possession, and standard in English and Arabic

Literature review

Advances in Language and Literary Studies ISSN: 2203-4714 Vol. 7 No. 4; August 2016 Australian International Academic Centre, Australia | | | | | --- | --- | --- | | | | | | Flourishing Creativity & Literacy | | | Prepositions in Use: Prepositions of Standard, Prepositions of Possession and Prepositions of Accompaniment Naji Masned AlQbailat Director of the Language Center, Al-Balqa’Applied University, Jordan [E-mail: najimq1@bau.edu.jo](E-mail: najimq1@bau.edu.jo) Islam M. Al-Momani (Corrosponding author) Princess Alia University College, Al-Balqa’Applied University, Jordan E-mail: [almomani_islam@yahoo.com](almomani_islam@yahoo.com) Yazan Shaker Almahameed Ministry of Education, Jordan [E-mail: yazan.shaker@yahoo.com](E-mail: yazan.shaker@yahoo.com) Doi:10 .7575/aiac.alls.v.7n.4p.1 URL: [http://dx.doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.7n.4p.1](http://dx.doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.7n.4p.1) Received: 11/02/2016 Accepted: 16/04/2016 Abstract The current research paper attempted at investigating the use of prepositions of standard, prepositions of possession and prepositions of accompaniment by some Jordanian learners of English. A total of 53 Jordanian English Majors participated in the study from the department of English language at Princess Alia University College. In collecting the needed data for the purpose of the study, the researchers employed fifteen items of a multiple choice test. The results of the study showed that Jordanian learners of English encountered moderate difficulty in learning the three aforesaid usages of prepositions. This difficulty is ascribed mainly to first language interference more than intralingual interference. It was also found that prepositions of standard are the most difficult to learn by the participants, followed by prepositions of accompaniment and prepositions of possession respectively. Keywords: First language Interference, Intralingual Interference, Prepositions of Standard, Prepositions of Accompaniment, Prepositions of Possession 1. Introduction Many researchers have advanced numerous definitions of prepositions, and one of the most working definitions was presented by Quirk et al. (1985, p.673) who has argued that “A preposition expresses a relation between two entities, one being that represented by the prepositional complement, the other by another part of the sentence”. It is obvious from the aforementioned definition that a preposition performs the function of joining two parts of speech, such as joining a noun to a noun, a noun to a verb, a noun to an adjective or a verb to an adjective. Building a relationship between two entities in a sentence by using a preposition is exemplified in the two sentences below. 1- Smith has met his friend in the mall. 2- Maggie is always complaining about hot weather. In sentence 1, the preposition in joins the noun friend with the noun phrase the mall. Likewise, in sentence 2, the preposition about relates the verb complain to the adjective hot in order to show the relationship between the two. English language is characterized by having a large number of prepositions. Leacock et al,(2014) states that, there are over one hundred prepositions in English language. Prepositions in English fall into two main types; first, simple prepositions: this type of prepositions is comprised of only one word such as in, on, at, with, by etc. Second, Complex prepositions, these prepositions consist of two words or more combined together as with respect to, in front of, because of and etc (Ballard, 2013). English prepositions can express various meanings in a sentence. As stated by Quirk (1985), these meanings can be varied as the following; spatial meaning, temporal meaning, prepositions of manner and instruments, prepositions of accompaniment, prepositions of support and opposition and prepositions of concession and respect. Prepositions in English can be further used to indicate origin or source, possession,

FAQs

Who participated in the study on English prepositions?

The study involved 53 Jordanian English majors from the Department of English Language at Princess Alia University College.

How was the data collected in this research?

Researchers collected data using a fifteen-item multiple choice test focused on three types of prepositions.

What were the main causes of learners’ difficulty with these prepositions?

The results attribute the difficulty mainly to first language interference rather than intralingual interference.

Oct 15, 2026

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