PREPOSITIONS AND CONJUNCTIONS.
s. 442. _Prepositions._--Prepositions, as such, are wholly unsusceptible of
inflection. Other parts of speech, in a state of inflection, may be used
with a prepositional sense. This, however, is not an inflection of
prepositions.
No word is ever made a preposition by the addition of a derivational[59]
element. If it were not for this, the practical classification of the
prepositions, in respect to their form, would coincide with that of the
adverbs. As it is, there are only the prepositions of deflection, and the
absolute prepositions. On another principle of division there are the
simple prepositions (_in_, _on_, &c.), and the complex prepositions
(_upon_, _roundabout_, _across_).
The prepositions of deflection, when simple, originate chiefly in adverbs,
as _up_, _down_, _within_, _without_, unless, indeed, we change the
assertion, and say that the words in point (and the others like them) are
adverbs originating in prepositions. The absence of characteristic
terminations renders these decisions difficult.
The prepositions of deflection, when complex, originate chiefly in nouns,
accompanied by an absolute preposition; as _instead of_ of substantival,
_between_ of adjectival origin.
The absolute prepositions, in the English language, are _in_, _on_, _of_,
_at_, _up_, _by_, _to_, _for_, _from_, _till_, _with_, _through_.
s. 443. _Conjunctions._--Conjunctions, like prepositions, are wholly
unsusceptible of inflection. Like prepositions they {379} are never made by
means of a derivational element. Like prepositions they are either simple
(as _and_, _if_), or complex (as _also_, _nevertheless_).
The conjunctions of deflection originate chiefly in imperative moods (as
_all_ save _one_, _all_ except _one_); participles used like the ablative
absolute in Latin (as _all_ saving _one_, _all_ excepting _one_); adverbs
(as _so_); prepositions (as _for_); and relative neuters (as _that_).
The absolute conjunctions in the English language are _and_, _or_, _but_,
_if_.
s. 444. _Yes, no._--Although _not_ may be reduced to an adverb, _nor_ to a
conjunction, and _none_ to a noun, these two words (the direct affirmative,
and the direct negative) are referable to none of the current parts of
speech. Accurate grammar places them in a class by themselves.
s. 445. _Particles._--The word particle is a collective term for all those
parts of speech that are _naturally_ unsusceptible of inflection;
comprising, 1, interjections; 2, direct affirmatives; 3, direct negatives;
4, absolute conjunctions; 5, absolute prepositions; 6, adverbs
unsusceptible of degrees of comparison; 7, inseparable prefixes.
* * * * *
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