Prepositional phrases modify nouns and verbs while indicating various relationships between subjects and verbs. They are used to color and inform sentences in powerful ways. A prepositional phrase is a group of words consisting of a preposition, its object, and any words that modify the object.
Most of the time, a prepositional phrase modifies a verb or a noun. These two kinds of prepositional phrases are called adverbial phrases and adjectival phrases, respectively. While prepositions are limited in number, they are important because they act as vital markers to the structure of a sentence; they mark special relationships between persons, objects, and locations.
Like adjectives and adverbs, prepositional phrases add meaning to the nouns and verbs in our sentences. The first prepositional phrase — in the kitchen — modifies the noun air; the second — of stale food —modifies the verb reeked. The two phrases provide information that helps us understand the sentence as a whole. A prepositional phrase that behaves adjectivally is called, quite logically, an adjectival phrase. The cat in the middle is the cutest. I always buy my milk from the convenience store on Main Street.
My mother has always wanted to live in a cabin by the lake. In the first of these sentences, in the middle answers the question of which cat the writer thinks is the cutest. All of these adjectival phrases provide specificity to a noun in order to enhance our understanding. When a prepositional phrase acts upon a verb, we say it is behaving adverbially because adverbs modify verbs. A prepositional phrase that behaves adverbially is called an adverbial phrase. To find the person who stole the last cookie, look behind you.
Harry drank his Butterbeer with fervor. A list of faults has been recorded. With an expression like "some of," "most of," "half of," and "majority of," the noun that follows determines whether the subject is singular or plural.
Some of the treasure is mine. Some of the coins are mine. Be careful with prepositional phrases because they can be ambiguous. If there's genuine ambiguity, put your prepositional phrase next to whatever it's modifying or reword your sentence. Ready for the Test? If or when? If or whether? Ill or sick? Imply or infer? In the way or on the way? Late or lately? Lay or lie? Lend or borrow? Less or fewer? Look at , see or watch? Low or short? Man , mankind or people? Maybe or may be? Maybe or perhaps?
Nearest or next? Never or not … ever? Nice or sympathetic? No doubt or without doubt? No or not? Nowadays , these days or today? Open or opened? Opportunity or possibility? Opposite or in front of? Other , others , the other or another? Out or out of? Permit or permission? Person , persons or people?
Pick or pick up? Play or game? Politics , political , politician or policy? Price or prize? Principal or principle? Quiet or quite? Raise or rise? Remember or remind? Right or rightly? Rob or steal? Say or tell? So that or in order that? Sometimes or sometime? Sound or noise? Speak or talk? Such or so? Towards or toward? Wait or wait for? Wake , wake up or awaken? Worth or worthwhile? Noun phrases: dependent words Noun phrases: order Noun phrases: uses Noun phrases: noun phrases and verbs Noun phrases: two noun phrases together.
Pronouns: possessive my , mine , your , yours , etc.
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