Prepositional Phrase — Definition, Examples, and Types
What is a prepositional phrase?
A prepositional phrase is a group of words that start with a preposition, end with an object (noun, pronoun, noun phrase, or gerund), and may contain words that modify (describe) the object.
Parts of a prepositional phrase:
Preposition: Indicates relationships between other words in a sentence
Object of the preposition: Person or thing that receives the action in a sentence
Modifier: Word, phrase, or clause that describes another word in a sentence
Through the use of these three parts, prepositional phrases are structured as follows:
preposition + object modifiers (optional) + noun/pronoun/noun phrase = prepositional phrase
Adding this structure to a sentence creates the prepositional phrase:
The teacher sat at her desk.
Preposition: at
Modifier: her
Object: desk
What does a prepositional phrase do?
Prepositional phrases can modify, complement, frame, or give additional information in a sentence:
Modify: Describe or define other words/phrases (optional)
The ground by the swings was wet due to the recent storm.
"By the swings" modifies the ground by describing its location.
Complement: Act to complete the meaning of words/phrases (required)
The pilot relies on his copilot.
Without "on his copilot," the sentence would make no sense.
Adjuncts: Frame an entire sentence (optional)
In my opinion, prepositional phrases are incredibly interesting.
"In my opinion" frames the sentence around the writer/speaker's opinion.
Adverbials: Provide additional information about an entire sentence using an adverb phrase relating to time, place, manner, condition, reason, or purpose (optional)
The robin flew onto the telephone wire.
"Onto the telephone wire" identifies the location of the robin.
Prepositional phrase examples
Many prepositional phrases start with the following common prepositions:
| about | after | at |
| before | behind | by |
| during | for | from |
| in | of | over |
| to | under | with |
Sentences with prepositional phrases
The following sentences use one or more prepositional phrases:
Trent was asking the teacher about the new assignment.
Christine wanted to leave the park before the fireworks started.
No one thought Xavier would walk out during the show.
Jeff wanted to build a new shed in the backyard.
Stephanie decided to go to the zoo, while Charles went to the museum.
Types of prepositional phrases
There are two primary types of prepositional phrases: adverbial and adjectival.
Adverbial: Adverbial prepositional phrases modify verbs.
Fred jumped up with excitement after opening his birthday present.
The prepositional phrase "with excitement" describes how Fred jumped, making it an adverbial phrase (an adverb modifying a verb).
The following examples include adverbial prepositional phrases:
Josh hopped into the car, ready to head out of town.
The kids ran out of school when the last bell rang.
The stunt plane flew circles around the spectators.
Adjectival: Adjectival prepositional phrases modify nouns.
Wanda wanted to stop at the store in the mall before heading home.
The prepositional phrase "in the mall" describes the store, acting as an adjectival phrase (adjective phrase describing a noun).
Additional examples of adjectival prepositional phrases include the following:
Denise showed her family a picture of her new house.
Chris told us his uncle with the boat invited everyone out to the lake.
Todd and Shaun went to see the movie about World War II.