Conjunctions and prepositions are different parts of speech with distinct functions:
* Conjunctions connect words, phrases, or clauses. Examples: and, but, or, because, so.
* Prepositions show the relationship between a noun or pronoun and another word in the sentence. Examples: on, in, at, to, from, with, by.
While some words can act as both conjunctions and prepositions (e.g., "after"), they do not have interchangeable meanings in all situations.
Example:
* Conjunction: *The dog ran after the cat.* (Connects two clauses)
* Preposition: *I arrived after lunch.* (Shows the relationship between "arrived" and "lunch")
In these examples, "after" has different meanings and functions depending on its role. They cannot be interchanged without altering the meaning of the sentence.