When the expressions in, on or at are used but not to express time or place, then how it's called?

Question

When the expressions in, on, or at are used but not to express time or place, then how it's called?

Examples:

Paul is not here at the moment. (preposition of time)

We live in brazil. (Preposition of place)

He's on heroin.

She has lost her faith in god.

I'm not good at lies.

given the context, can these words be called a preposition?

right now I'm studying prepositions, but it looks like these words are not used only as prepositions.

AlpheccaStars · Accepted Answer

A preposition is the headword of a prepositional phrase.

An adverb is a word expressing time, place or manner.

You have mixed up these two.

A prepositional phrase can express time, place or manner or it can be a modifier. Rarely it can be used as a noun.

Here are examples with the preposition "on".

He came on April 1, 2004. (adverbial phrase; time)
The lecture ran on time. (adverbial phrase; manner)

Homeless people live on the streets. ((adverbial phrase; location)
This is a book on the philosophy of Plato. (noun modifier)
On the top shelf is the best place to put medications away from the reach of children. (noun phrase)

AlpheccaStars · Answer

kr0wleyright now I'm studying prepositions, but it looks like these words are not used only as prepositions.

Sometimes words can be used as prepositions, adverbs, conjunctions, or other parts of speech. The function of a word is determined by its use in a sentence.

On:

The professor droned on and on. We thought he would never stop. (adverb)
The professor stepped on the podium. (preposition)

Near can be used:as a preposition: I lived near the school. as an adverb: Come near, and I’ll tell you the whole story.as an adjective: He shot the gun at me, and it was a near miss.

When the expressions in, on or at are used but not to express time or place, then how it's called?

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