In English, the preposition is a set of words that can help to identify the relationship between nouns or to define the position of something.
The use of prepositions is similar to verbs, which also indicate the relationship between nouns and describe the positions of things. There are many prepositions in the English language, including beside and besides.
In this article, I am going to explain the difference between beside and besides.
Definitions
Beside means located next to or alongside. When used in the construction beside, the preposition be is used before the noun or pronoun which follows it. The preposition be is a prepositional phrase that precedes a noun or pronoun and connects the word to its direct object.
Besides means in addition to or as well as. When used in the construction besides, the preposition by is used before the noun or pronoun which follows it. The preposition by is a prepositional phrase that precedes a noun or pronoun and connects the word to its direct object.
Difference Between Beside and Besides
The main difference between beside and besides is that beside indicates a location next to or alongside, while besides indicates something in addition to or as well as. Beside also has two definitions: one being “next to” and the other being “alongside”. Beside means located next to or alongside.
Besides is defined as “in addition to or as well as”. The most common use of besides is with a preposition such as with, at, or in. The difference between beside and besides lies in the verb that follows the preposition, because by using beside you can express more than just a location.
To avoid misusing these two prepositions, you can use the words beside and besides with care. Besides can be used to express the location of an object next to another object.
In addition, beside can also be used to describe the position of two objects, as in the following example: “I am writing this book beside my daughter.” The same use of beside can also be used to describe the position of a thing on a table or in another space (such as on top of or under something).
Besides is used to describe a relationship between two objects, as in the following example: “I am writing this book besides my daughter.” In this case, besides means “in addition to or as well as”. By using beside and besides correctly, you can avoid confusion when using these prepositions in your written work.
