THE ROLE OF CONTEXT IN THE INTERPRETATION OF PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES IN PREDICATIVE CONSTRUCTIONS

This paper examines the role of context in interpreting prepositional phrases (PPs) functioning in predicative constructions in English. While prepositions are often treated as fixed relational markers, their meaning in predicative positions demonstrates profound flexibility, shifting between literal, metaphorical, evaluative, and institutionalized uses depending on context. Drawing on literary, political, journalistic, and conversational discourse, the study highlights how syntactic form alone is insufficient to determine meaning. Instead, interpretation is anchored in the interaction of structural, semantic, and pragmatic factors. The findings confirm that prepositional predication is highly context-sensitive, with implications for theories of semantics, pragmatics, and discourse analysis