Why do we need to study prepositions?

Why study prepositions?

To be able to identify the correct preposition to use—because using inappropriate prepositions can ruin the whole meaning of a sentence. It also makes the sentence sound awkward and unclear.

Example:

"I had lunch with a hotdog and a bun."

This sentence is incorrect. The preposition "with" is used to express connection or means toward other elements of the sentence. Saying "I had lunch with a hotdog and a bun" is the same as saying "I had lunch with a living hotdog and bun." The hotdog and the bun are treated as people or characters. The speaker had lunch together with them.

If the original meaning is "I had a hotdog and a bun", then the preposition "for" should be used to convey the lunchtime.

"I had a hotdog and a bun for lunch." (correct)

Here, "for lunch" is the prepositional phrase, "for" is the preposition, and "lunch" is the object of the preposition. Objects of prepositions always come after the prepositions that modify them.

Now, if the speaker wants to use "with" in this sentence, it may be used to portray a connection between the hotdog and the bun, as in:

"I had a hotdog with bun for lunch."

This sentence is also correct.

There are two prepositional phrases in this sentence:

1. with bun
2. for lunch

The prepositions are "with" and "for", and their objects of the prepositions are "bun" and "lunch".

In reality, one can have lunch together with friends and family but not with hotdogs and buns.