The word ‘before’ can function as various parts of speech depending on its use in a sentence. Primarily, it is used as a preposition, but it can also serve as a conjunction or an adverb.
As a preposition, ‘before’ is used to indicate the time or order of something happening earlier than another event. For example, in the sentence ‘She arrived before noon,’ it shows a time relationship.
As a conjunction, ‘before’ connects clauses, as in ‘Finish your homework before you go out,’ where it links two actions with a temporal relationship.
Lastly, ‘before’ can act as an adverb in phrases, such as ‘The time will come when I will call you before.’ In this case, it modifies the verb by providing information about the timing of the action.
In summary, ‘before’ is versatile and serves primarily as a preposition and conjunction, while also having the potential to be used as an adverb.