PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE

Definition

Prepositional phrase is a group of words that begins with a preposition and ends with a noun or a pronoun. This noun or pronoun is called the “object of the preposition.”

At the minimum, a prepositional phrase will begin with a preposition and end with a noun, pronoun gerund, or clause, the “object” of the preposition.

Pattern

The will often have one or more to describe it. These are the patterns for a prepositional phrase:

Preposition + Noun, Pronoun, Gerund, or Clause

Or

Preposition + Modifier(s) + Noun, Pronoun, Gerund, or Clause

Basic Prepositional Phrase 

Here are some examples of the most basic prepositional phrase: 

 At home

At=preposition; home=noun

·         In time

In=preposition; time=noun

·         From Richie

From=preposition; Richie=noun

·         With me

With= preposition; me=pronoun

·         By singing

By= preposition; singing=gerund

·         About what we need

About= preposition; what we need=noun clause

Most prepositional phrases are longer, like these:

·         From my grandmother

From=preposition; my=modifier; grandmother=noun

·         Under the warm blanket

Under=preposition; the, warm=modifiers; blanket=noun

·         In the weedy, overgrown garden

In=preposition; the, weedy, overgrown=modifiers; garden=noun

·         By writing furiously

By=preposition; writing=gerund; furiously=modifiers

A prepositional phrase will function as an adjective or adverb. As an adjective, the prepositional phrase will answer the question which one?

Read the examples:

·         The book on the bathroom floor is swollen from shower steam.

 Which book? The one on the bathroom floor!

·         The sweet potatoes in the vegetable bin are green with mold.

 Which sweet potatoes? The ones forgotten in the vegetable bin!

·         The note from Beverly confessed that she had eaten the leftover pizza.

 Which note? The note from Beverly!

·         As an adverb, a prepositional phrase will answer question such as how? when? Or where?

·         Freddy is stiff from yesterday’s long football practice.

 How did Freddy get stiff? From yesterday’s long football practice.

·         Before class, Josh begged his friends for a pencil.

 When did Josh do his begging? Before class.

·         Feeling brave, we tried the Dragon Breath Burritos at Tito’s Taco Palace.

 Where did we eat the spicy food? At Tito’s Taco Palace.