PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE

DEFINITION:
A PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE IS A PREPOSITION AND THE NOUN FOLLOWING IT. THE PREPOSITION IS IN THE HEAD POSITION AND THE NOUN IS IN THE COMPLEMENT POSITION.

PLEASE NOTE THAT PREPOSITIONS ARE WORDS SUCH AS IN, FROM, TO, etc. USED BEFORE A NOUN OR A PRONOUN TO SHOW A PLACE, A POSITION, TIME OR A METHOD.

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 PATTERN FOR A PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE:

PREPOSITION + NOUN/PRONOUN/GERUND/CLAUSE

PREPOSITION + MODIFIER(S) + NOUN/PRONOUN/GERUND/CLAUSE

Here are some example of the most basic prepositional Phrase :

AT HOME

AT= PREPOSITION; HOME = NOUN

IN TIME

IN= PREPOSITION; TIME = NOUN

FROM RICHI

FROM= PREPOSITION; RICHI = 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 = MODIFIER; BLANKET = NOUN

IN THE WEEDY, OVERGROWN GARDEN

IN= PREPOSITION; THE WEEDY OVERGROWN = MODIFIER; GARDEN = NOUN

ALONG THE BUSY, SIX-LANE HIGHWAY

ALONG= PREPOSITION; THE BUSY, SIX-LANE = MODIFIER; HIGHWAY = NOUN

BY WRITING FURIOUSLY

BY= PREPOSITION; WRITING = GERUND; FURIOUSLY = MODIFIER.

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!




The following words are the most commonly used prepositions:

about
above 

across 

after

against 

along

among 

around

at

because of

before

behind

below

beneath

beside(s)

between

beyond

but

by

concerning

despite

down

during

except

excepting

for

from

in

in front of

in spite of

inside

instead of

into

like

near

of

off

on 

onto

out

outside

over

past

regarding

since

through

throughout

to

toward

under

underneath

until

up

up to

upon

with

with regard to

with respect to

within

without