Normally a prepositional phrase will begin
with a preposition and end with a noun, pronoun, gerund, or clause, the
"object" of the preposition.
The object of the preposition will often
have one or more modifiers to describe it. These are the patterns for a
prepositional phrase:
i.Preposition + Noun, Pronoun, Gerund, or Clause
ii. Preposition +
Modifier(s) + Noun, Pronoun, Gerund, or Clause
Some examples of the basic
prepositional phrase:
At home
At = preposition; home = noun.
In time
In = preposition; time = noun.
From Runa
From = preposition; Runa = 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 Box
Under = preposition; the, = modifiers; box = noun.
In the weedy,
overgrown garden
In = preposition; the, weedy, overgrown
= modifiers; garden = noun.
Along the busy,
two-lane highway
Along = preposition; the, busy, two-lane
= modifiers; highway = noun.
Without
excessively worrying
Without = preposition; excessively =
modifier; worrying = gerund.
The function
of a prepositional phrase
A prepositional phrase will function as an
adjective or adverb. As an adjective, the prepositional phrase will answer the
question Which one?
Examples:
The book on the on the
table is white.
Which book?
-The one on the table!
The
sweet mangoes in the fruit bin are green with yellow stances.
Which
sweet mangoes?
-The ones are in the fruit bin!
As an adverb, a prepositional phrase will
answer questions such as How? When? or Where?
Karim is stiff from yesterday's long cricket
practice.
How
did Karim get stiff?
-From yesterday's long cricket practice!
Before class, Jasim begged his friends
for a pencil.
When did Jasim do his begging?
-Before class!
I saw a man standing at a book stall in
Book fair
Where
did you see the man?
- at a book stall in Book fair
****Remember that a
prepositional phrase will never contain the subject of a sentence.
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