Many participles have lost their verbal force and now function as prepositions. Such a one is during, which earlier meant "lasting" (compare enduring) and as a participle was used to modify a noun: "The siege, during a long time, cost many lives'* (i.e., "lasting a long time"). Now we always feel it as a preposition, the prepositional phrase usually modifying a verb or a clause: "Two accidents occurred during the dinner/There are a dozen or so words which function sometimes as participles, sometimes as prepositions: