Prepositions Reveal Meaning

Prepositions relate nouns, pronouns, and phrases to other parts of a sentence; they create relationships among these pieces. I like to think of a sentence as if it is a pearl necklace. In this light, prepositions are in a sentence like the string that helps the necklace to shape and straighten; they help the sentence to shape its meaning. Let’s consider these two sentences:

1. Sara talks to Giacomo
2. Sara talks with Giacomo

In the first sentence, the preposition to suggests that Sara is the active talker, while Giacomo is rather a listener more than a speaker. The action of talking goes from Sara to Giacomo. In the second sentence instead, the preposition with suggests that Giacomo is also a talker, a speaker and not just a listener. In other words, in the second sentence Giacomo may participate in the action (talking).

Language reveals itself. Writers do not create language, but language forms writers. That Sara talks to Giacomo bears its own meaning apart from the meaning the writer wanted to convey.