A preposition is a word that indicates the position of something.
A preposition always comes at the start of a prepositional phrase.
Sometimes, a preposition is more than one word.
Here are some multi-word prepositions:
ahead of
in front of
in back of
in spite of
on top of
out of
next to
Each of these multi-word prepositions shows position.
Let’s use these multi-word prepositions in sentences:
I parked the car in front of the truck.
Put the trash can in back of the garage.
I brought a cake in place of some cookies.
We had a nice day in spite of the rain.
Tom placed a weather vane on top of the barn roof.
A mouse ran out of the haystack.
Mary sat next to her best friend.
Notice that the bolded phrase starts with a multi-word preposition and ends with the object of the preposition.
Also notice that each bolded prepositional phrase shows the position of something.
Prepositions always begin a prepositional phrase. A prepositional phrase shows the position of an object.
Remember that some prepositions have more than one word. Those two or three words work together to be one multi-word preposition.