Phonetics

Some grammarians think that words should be divided into two categories on the following principle: notional words denote things, actions and other extra-linguistic phenomena functional words denote relations and connections between the notional words

• Some grammarians think that words should be divided into two categories on the following principle: notional words denote things, actions and other extra-linguistic phenomena functional words denote relations and connections between the notional words

This view is shaky, because functional words can also express smth extra-linguistic:

• This view is shaky, because functional words can also express smth extra-linguistic:
• e.g. The letter is on the table. The letter is in the table. (diff. prepositions express different relations between objects) The match was called off because it was raining. (the conjunction because denotes the causal connection between two processes).

e.g. I have some money left. (have – a notional word)

• e.g. I have some money left. (have – a notional word)
• I have found a dog. (have – an auxiliary verb used to form a certain analytical form of the verb to find, i.e. it is a functional verb)
• The main notional parts of speech are nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs. Members of these four classes are often connected by derivational relations: strength - strengthen.

Functional parts of speech are prepositions, conjunctions, articles, particles. The distinctive features of functional parts of speech are:

• Functional parts of speech are prepositions, conjunctions, articles, particles. The distinctive features of functional parts of speech are:
• very general and weak lexical meaning;
• obligatory combinability;
• the function of linking and specifying words.

The Preposition

• The Preposition
• It is common knowledge that prepositions are a most important element of the structure of many languages, particularly those which, like Modern English, have no developed case system in their nominal parts of speech. Prepositions in English are less closely connected with the word or phrase they introduce than, say, in Russian. This greater independence of English prepositions manifests itself in various ways.