Prepositions are words that show position. Some prepositions are actually two or three words used together. These multi-word prepositions act as a single preposition to begin a prepositional phrase. The prepositional phrase always ends with an object of the preposition.
Here are some multi-word prepositions:
in front of, in back of, in place of, in spite of, on top of, out of, next to
Multi-word prepositions are used just the same as single-word prepositions.
I parked in front of the truck.
in front of is the preposition.
truck is the object of the preposition.
I planted flowers in back of the garage.
in back of is the preposition.
garage is the object of the preposition.
I baked a cake in place of cookies.
We had a good picnic in spite of the rain.
We put a tarp on top of the roof.
A rabbit ran out of the garden.
Mary sat next to Grandma.
Sometimes a preposition is actually two or three words. The multi-word preposition begins the prepositional phrase. A prepositional phrase ends with an object of the preposition.