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Sunday, 11 August 2019

Prepositional phrase

https://englishsentences.com/prepositional-phrase/

Prepositional Phrase

1. What is a Prepositional Phrase?

A preposition is a word that connects two phrases or ideas in a sentence. Prepositions are used to specify when, where, how, and why. A simple prepositional phrase includes a preposition and its object, which can be a single word or a group of words expressing a single idea. The purpose of using a prepositional phrase is to provide additional information about a noun, verb, adjective, or adverb.
We use prepositional phrases when we want to specify when or where something is, or in which situations something is true.

2. Examples of Prepositional Phrases

Although some grammarians say there are more than 150 prepositions in total, you don’t need to memorize all the prepositions in order to identify one in a sentence. Because prepositional phrases provide extra information about a clause, they are usually found at the end of that clause. In the examples below, the modified phrases are in purple, the prepositions are green, prepositional phrases have been underlined, and the objects of prepositions (see section 3) are in italics.
Examples
  • Today is the first day of the month. The first day is part of the month.
  • I take my coffee with milk and sugar. My coffee includes milk and sugar.
  • Yesterday, we met in the auditorium. Where we met was the auditorium.
  • She likes all colors except for yellow. All colors does not include yellow.

3. Parts of a Prepositional Phrase

Every prepositional phrase consists of one or more prepositions and one or more objects.

a. Preposition

As mentioned earlier, prepositions are used to specify when, where, how, and why. It is also the word that begins a prepositional phrase. A preposition links one part of a sentence with another.
Examples:
to, for, with, by, at, on, in, of, etcetera…
  • on the table
  • with cinnamon on top
  • in the microwave

b. Objects

The second part of a prepositional phrase is called the object of a preposition. It has an object which can be one word, but is usually longer. An object of a preposition is also a word or phrase which gives a preposition its meaning. It tells us something about the time, place, manner, or intention of the idea or phrase it modifies (or modified phrase). The modified phrase is usually placed right before the preposition.
Consider the following sentence:
She went to the bank.
The full prepositional phrase is “to the bank.” The preposition in this sentence is to, the object of the preposition is the bank, and the modified phrase is she went.
When the object of a preposition is a pronoun, it is always in the objective case:
She gave it to me. (correct)
NOT
She gave it to I. (incorrect)

c. Multiple Prepositions

Sometimes a prepositional phrase begins with more than one preposition. A combination of two or more prepositions expresses a different meaning than its individual parts. Here are some examples:
Examples
  • The toy is made out of plastic.
  • I tore a piece off of the loaf.
  • They appeared out of nowhere.
  • She climbed down out of the tree.
Prepositional phrases may also include more than one preposition separated by a conjunction:
Examples
  • He bumps his head going up and down the stairs.
  • It’s hard to transition into or out of a habit.
  • Your last book report went above and beyond expectations.
In the above cases, each preposition applies separately to its object, but each keeps its original meaning. Therefore, the first sentence can be rewritten as follows without changing its meaning:
He bumps his head going up the stairs. He bumps his head going down the stairs.

4. Types of Prepositional Phrases

Prepositional phrases can be used to provide all sorts of information about a noun, pronoun, or verb. But most prepositional phrases fall into one of the following categories.

a. Who?

Some prepositional phrases tell us who did something or who received something.
Examples
  • Mitch was scared by the dog. Who did it.
  • Mom gave the present to my sister. Who received it.

b. With..?

Other prepositional phrases tell us what is used to complete an action.
Examples
  • Megan washed her car with a hose. What was used.
  • Samantha bought the tickets with her phone. What was used.
When someone does something with another person, a prepositional phrase is sometimes used.
  • The baker prepared the desserts with her assistant. With whom

d. When?

One way of expressing when an event happens is with a prepositional phrase.
Examples
  • My match will start after the lunch break. When (in relation to an event).
  • .The play will begin at exactly six o’clock. When exactly
  • We can discuss it in the morning. When generally.
However, not every expression of time is a prepositional phrase. Sometimes adverbs are used to tell when something happens.
Examples
  • We’ll be studying compound adjectives tomorrow. Adverb
  • Dad bought the milk yesterday morning. Adverbial phrase

e. Where?

When we specify exactly where something is, we almost always use prepositional phrases.
Examples
  • The sugar is in the top left cupboard.
  • You’ll get your receipt at the register.
  • The spare key is hidden under the doormat.
Additionally, action verbs often use prepositional phrases to indicate precise directions.
Examples
  • Mary decided to go to the market.
  • The lights turn on when you walk into the room.
  • To win the race, runners have to jump over every hurdle.
Examples

f. Why?

Reasons for activities can also be expressed with prepositional phrases.
Examples
  • I went to the supermarket for milk and cereal. What for.
  • Steven studied all night for the big test. Why.

g. Others

Among the many other relationships which prepositional phrases can express, below are just a few examples.
Examples
  • Tomorrow we’ll play the first game of the 2016 season. Possession
  • Except when I fell as a baby, I’ve never broken a bone. Qualification
  • It’s very difficult to write in Shakespeare’s style. Specification
  • The cup is full of tea. Containment
  • My car is made out of carbon fiber. Composition
Common to all of the many uses of prepositional phrases is this: a preposition expresses how its object relates to the rest of the sentence. Therefore, prepositions are some of the most common words in English.

5. How to Write with Prepositional Phrases

a. Sentence Structure

In ordinary sentences, prepositional phrases come after the main verb. Consider the following:
To the bank she went.
In Standard English grammar, this sentence is incorrect; it must be rewritten as
She went to the bank.
However, prepositional phrases that indicate general conditions are not always placed at the end of a clause. In certain cases, they can also be placed at the beginning of a sentence. In these cases, they are separated from the main clause by a comma.
Examples
  • At home, I eat in my kitchen. Place
  • In the morning, I like to wake up slowly. Time
  • Between you and me, I really don’t like his attitude. Circumstances
  • After everything you’ve been through, I don’t blame you. Circumstances
When talking about a specific instance, however, prepositional phrases cannot begin sentences.
Examples
  • She likes him for his personality. Reason why
  • We’re going to the city. Where to
  • They cook dinner with their parents. With whom
In these sentences, placing the prepositional phrase at the beginning of the sentence would be grammatically incorrect.

b. Combining Phrases

Prepositional phrases can be placed one after another to provide additional information. For example:
She went to the bank with the paycheck.
Usually, when prepositional phrases are combined in this way, each can apply to the main clause independently. In these cases, the sentence can be rewritten as two sentences without affecting the meaning:
She went to the bank. She went with the paycheck.
Sometimes, however, one prepositional phrase is embedded in another:
She left with the paycheck for her brother.
In this case, the paycheck for her brother is a single noun phrase. This sentence cannot be rewritten as two separate sentences without affecting meaning:
She left with the paycheck. She left for her brother.
In the latter case, separating the noun phrase into two parts changes the meaning. It’s important to identify when a prepositional phrase (like for her brother) is an integral part of a larger noun phrase.

c. Split Prepositional Phrases

When a preposition is used in a question, or when the object of a preposition is a question word (what, where, when, how, why), the preposition will sometimes come at the end of the sentence.
What did you do that for?
It depends on what you mix the flour with.
There is a long history in English of prepositions ending sentences. Over the years, some people have tried to change the way English grammar works by saying that prepositions should never end sentences. However, there is no real rule against this; as long as the meaning of a sentence is clear, splitting a preposition from its object is totally acceptable.

6. How to Avoid Mistakes with Prepositional Phrases

a. Infinitives are not Prepositional Phrases

Infinitives and prepositional phrases often appear to be identical. However, an infinitive is the basic form of a verb which is not connected to the subject of a sentence. In English, infinitives are formed by combining the word to and the stem of a verb. For example:
It’s easy to bake a cake.
In this example, to bake does not have a subject. Generally, an infinitive is an activity or process—in this case, baking. So, although there is a preposition (to), there is no prepositional phrase.
Examples
  • I like to swim in my pool in the summer.
  • Let us know when you’re ready to leave.
  • She wants to make her dad a cake for his birthday.
Like many other words, to can be used in different situations as different parts of speech. Although to is often used as a preposition (as in, She went to the bank), it is also used to form infinitives.

b. Phrasal Verbs are not Prepositional Phrases

Some verbs have a specific meaning when combined with a certain preposition. These multi-word verbs are called phrasal verbs. Although the two are similar, phrasal verbs should not be confused with prepositional phrases. Below are some examples of phrasal verbs:
  • She and I get along very well.
  • It’s better to say you don’t know than to make up an answer.
  • The business partners entered into an agreement.
But sometimes the line between a phrasal verb and a prepositional phrase is unclear:
  • Even before it cooled down, she bit into the pizza.
  • I changed into new clothes when I got home.
  • Dan walked along the street and whistled.
  • A burglar broke into the vacant building.
As is true for many grammatical categories, there is overlap between phrasal verbs and prepositional phrases which sometimes makes it impossible to tell them apart. In general, if a verb changes its meaning completely when it’s combined with a certain preposition, it’s probably a phrasal verb. When a verb and a preposition both maintain their original meaning, the combination is probably a prepositional phrase.

The Prepositional Phrase

Recognize a prepositional phrase when you see one.

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.
The object of the preposition will often have one or more modifiers to describe it. These are the patterns for a prepositional phrase:
Preposition + Noun, Pronoun, Gerund, or Clause
Preposition + Modifier(s) + Noun, Pronoun, Gerund, or Clause
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.
Along the busy, six-lane highway
Along = preposition; the, busy, six-lane = modifiers; highway = noun.
Without excessively worrying
Without = preposition; excessively = modifier; worrying = gerund.

Understand what prepositional phrases do in a sentence.

A prepositional phrase will function as an adjective or adverb. As an adjective, the prepositional phrase will answer the question Which one?
Read these 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 one from Beverly!
As an adverb, a prepositional phrase will answer questions 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!

Remember that a prepositional phrase will never contain the subject of a sentence.

Sometimes a noun within the prepositional phrase seems the logical subject of averb. Don't fall for that trick! You will never find a subject in a prepositional phrase. Look at this example:
Neither of these cookbooks contains the recipe for Manhattan-style squid eyeball stew.
Cookbooks do indeed contain recipes. In this sentence, however, cookbooks is part of the prepositional phrase of these cookbooks. Neither—whatever a neither is—is the subject for the verb contains.
Neither is singular, so you need the singular form of the verb, contains. If you incorrectly identified cookbooks as the subject, you might write contain, the plural form, and thus commit a subject-verb agreement error.
Some prepositions—such as along with and in addition to—indicate "more to come." They will make you think that you have a plural subject when in fact you don't. Don't fall for that trick either! Read this example:
Tommy, along with the other students, breathed a sigh of relief when Mrs. Markham announced that she was postponing the due date for the research essay.
Logically, more than one student is happy with the news. But Tommy is the only subject of the verb breathed. His classmates count in the real world, but in the sentence, they don't matter, locked as they are in the prepositional phrase.

https://examples.yourdictionary.com/prepositional-phrases-examples.html

Prepositions are connectors. They link nouns (and pronouns) to verbs or adjectives. For example, "Matthew walked to the farmers' market."
In addition to being connectors, prepositions can also act as information-givers when they form prepositional phrases. An example of a prepositional phrase is, "With a reusable tote in hand, Matthew walked to the farmer's market."
Every prepositional phrase is a series of words consisting of a preposition and its object. In the example above, "with" is the preposition and "reusable tote" is the object. In a prepositional phrase, the object may be a noun, pronoun, gerund, or clause. A prepositional phrase can function as an adjective or adverb. Let's explore several prepositional phrase examples to see them shift into each of these roles.

Commonly Used Prepositional Phrases

There are certain prepositions that we use more often than others. They pop up in our daily speech and writing. Let's take a look at some of them in the context of prepositional phrases:
  • According to the weather forecast
  • Across many deserts
  • After many tries
  • Amid the confusion
  • Around the world
  • Before we start the meeting
  • Between a rock and a hard place
  • By the light of the moon
  • Like a beautiful swan
  • Near the ocean
  • Of my boss
  • Off the top
  • Out the door
  • Through the looking glass
  • Throughout the thick forest
  • To the amusement park
For more, enjoy this list of common prepositions.

Prepositional Phrases as Adjectives

Adjectives modify nouns, pronouns, and other adjectives. They can be simple words that provide more detail. For example, "The old book sounded so intriguing." However, prepositional phrases can also act as adjectives, providing additional detail about nouns. Take a look at the manner in which they can tell us more about the nearby noun (indicated in italics):
  • The book with the tattered cover has been read many times.
  • All the passengers aboard the runaway train were frightened.
  • The present inside the big box is mine.
  • Our boss put out a memo regarding the new rule.
  • The clues within the first few chapters will lead to the murderer.
  • His is only one voice among many, but it will be heard.
  • The extra blanket is in the box under the bed.
  • Saul, unlike many others, will remain there.
  • The car beside the red one is the one I want to buy.
  • The area outside the boundary is dangerous to cross.
  • All rooms below deck are for sleeping.
  • Tell me the story about the dragon slayer.

Prepositional Phrases as Adverbs

While adjectives modify nouns, adverbs modify verbs and other adverbs. They, too, can be simple words. For example, "She frantically raced for the door." Prepositional phrases can also act as adverbs, providing additional detail about verbs (indicated in italics). Here are some examples:
  • Racing toward the finish line, Sarah realized she just might win.
  • My shopping list needs to be put into my purse.
  • The balloon drifted up the stairs.
  • Put the fresh flowers on a high shelf.
  • Our team won against all odds.
  • The tiger crept over the grass.
  • We will order pizza during halftime.
  • I will climb up the highest mountain tomorrow.
  • I love to take my truck off the road.
  • The baby cried well into the night.

Powerful Prepositional Phrases

Prepositional phrases are built upon tiny little words like "of," "at," "to," and "in." And, yet, they take on so many roles. They provide us with more information, act as adjectives, and stand in as adverbs. Now that you're familiar with prepositional phrases, take a quick look through these Rules for Prepositions to make sure you always use them with precision. And, when you're ready, enjoy these Preposition Worksheets.

https://www.k12reader.com/term/prepositional-phrase/


Prepositional Phrase

What Is a Prepositional Phrase?

A preposition draws a relationship between a noun or pronoun and another word in a sentence. A prepositional phrase includes a preposition, its object, and any modifiers of the object. The preposition’s object is the noun or pronoun that follows the preposition. Prepositional phrases can function as either adjective phrases or adverb phrases to modify other words in a sentence.
Common prepositional phrase examples include about, after, at, before, behind, by, during, for, from, in, of, over, past, to, under, up, and with.

Prepositional Phrase Examples Functioning as Adjective Phrases:

What is a Prepositional Phrase?
(With is the preposition, and with him is the prepositional phrase. The prepositional phrase functions as an adjective phrase, modifying boy.)
The bracelet in the storefront window is the one I want.
(In is the preposition, and in the storefront window is the prepositional phrase. The prepositional phrase functions as an adjective phrase, modifying bracelet.)
We stayed at the cabin by the river.
(By is the preposition, and by the river is the prepositional phrase. The prepositional phrase functions as an adjective phrase, modifying cabin.)
The store at the corner sells sandwiches.
(At is the preposition, and at the corner is the prepositional phrase. The prepositional phrase functions as an adjective phrase, modifying store.)
Prepositional Phrase Examples
(Behind is the preposition, and behind you is the prepositional phrase. The prepositional phrase functions as an adjective phrase, modifying broom.)
I adopted a black cat with white paws.
(With is the preposition, and with white paws is the prepositional phrase. The prepositional phrase functions as an adjective phrase, modifying cat.)

Prepositional Phrase Examples Functioning as Adverb Phrases:

When you get to the sign, take a left.
(To is the preposition, and to the sign is the prepositional phrase. The prepositional phrase functions as an adverb phrase, modifying get.)
We climbed up the hill to see the view.
(Up is the preposition, and up the hill is the prepositional phrase. The prepositional phrase functions as an adverb phrase, modifying climbed.)
It annoys me when people talk during movies.
(During is the preposition, and during movies is the prepositional phrase. The prepositional phrase functions as an adverb phrase, modifying talk.)
Hannah looked under the bed to see if she could find her necklace.
(Under is the preposition, and under the bed is the prepositional phrase. The prepositional phrase functions as an adverb phrase, modifying looked.)
I’ll meet you after school.
(After is the preposition, and after school is the prepositional phrase. The prepositional phrase functions as an adverb phrase, modifying meet.)
The sun rose over the mountain.
(Over is the preposition, and over the mountain is the prepositional phrase. The prepositional phrase functions as an adverb phrase, modifying rose.)

Why is a Preposition and Prepositional Phrase Important?

Prepositions and prepositional phrases provide important details about the words they modify, such as by answering the following questions: Which one? What kind? How? Where? When? To what extent?
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