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idioms - Should we worry about what precedes a preposition?


Should we always worry about what precedes a preposition?


Many times we come across people concerned with what preposition comes after a certain word.


A preposition's raison d'être is qualifying what typically follows it, not add to what precedes it.


The Oxford Dict.:



a word governing, and usually preceding, a noun or pronoun and expressing a relation to another word or element in the clause, as in ‘the man on the platform’, ‘she arrived after dinner’, ‘what did you do it for?’



merriam-webster:



a function word that typically combines with a noun phrase to form a phrase which usually expresses a modification or predication



reference.com:



used before nouns, pronouns, or other substantives to form phrases functioning as modifiers of verbs, nouns, or adjectives, and that typically express a spatial, temporal, or other relationship, as in, on, by, to, since.



[emphasis added]


Does the selection of the right preposition depend also upon what is said before it?


Right here on englishSE,
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what preposition should I use here written of me or written about me
which preposition should I use here thinking of or thinking about




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