Given the broad range of prepositions in French, two passages are offered in this chapter. The first treats specifically prepositions as a single word, while the second deals with compound prepositions.

The first passage below analyzes the speedy and even unrestrained development of the Internet over the past two decades. The passage, of great topical importance, emphasizes its multiple and various uses, stressing not only its undoubted commercial and social benefits, its staggering communicative capacity, but also its dangers associated with, for instance, financial scams, pedophilia and even medical perils. The passage exploits the multifarious applications of prepositions. It is quite evident that de and à dominate the prepositional scene, notwithstanding the wide variety of prepositions that exist in French. One needs to differentiate between the preposition de(s) and the partitive article de(s), which is dealt with in Chapter 8, and the uses of which, logically, are not emphasized. Note that the French term Internet takes a capital letter and that it is not preceded by the definite article as in English. Some translations are provided.