if you say, "The book is on top of the big slide." would "on top of" be a compound preposition or is on and of two different prepositions?

Thanks...

I'd count it as two separate prepositions and two separate prepositional phrases.

on top
of the big slide

i need help

In the sentence "The book is on top of the big slide," "on top of" is considered a compound preposition. A compound preposition is formed by combining two or more prepositions to create a new meaning. In this case, "on" and "top of" are combined to indicate the location of the book above the big slide.

To determine if "on top of" is a compound preposition or two different prepositions, you can break down the sentence:

"The book is on top of the big slide."
- "On" is a preposition indicating the position or location of the book.
- "Top of" is also functioning as a preposition because it shows the relationship between the book and the big slide.

So, in this context, "on top of" is considered a compound preposition.