buddhabelly Posted September 21, 2009 Share Posted September 21, 2009 "He threw the ball down." Is "down" an adverb, a preposition, or both (preposition functioning as an adverb?) Thanks so much - my Analytical Grammar is coming in the mail soon! Julie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bugs Posted September 21, 2009 Share Posted September 21, 2009 "down" tells "where" the ball was thrown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanainMA Posted September 21, 2009 Share Posted September 21, 2009 "He threw the ball down." Is "down" an adverb, a preposition, or both (preposition functioning as an adverb?) Thanks so much - my Analytical Grammar is coming in the mail soon! Julie In this instance, "down" is an adverb. It answers the question "where". Where did he throw the ball? He threw it down. It cannot be a preposition because there is no object of the preposition. If the sentence read, "He threw the ball down the stairs," it would be a preposition, "stairs" being its object. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddhabelly Posted September 21, 2009 Author Share Posted September 21, 2009 I found the answer in section 7.6 of Growing with Grammar 5, and you both are right. It is an adverb. But if it were "threw the ball down the hallway," then "down" would be a preposition. You all are gooooooooooood. :thumbup1: Julie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.