Lesson 2: The Prepositional Phrase

Definition

A prepositional phrase includes a preposition, a noun or pronoun called the object of the preposition, and any modifiers of that object.

Explanation

Think of a prepositional phrase as a little group of words that adds extra information to your sentence! It always starts with a preposition (like in, on, around, with) and ends with a noun or pronoun, which is called the object of the preposition. Keep in mind that a single preposition can sometimes have more than one object, linking several ideas together.

Examples

• by the blue car [The preposition is by and the object of the preposition is car. The and blue modify car.]
• near them [The preposition is near and the object of the preposition is them.]
• for my brother and sister [Both brother and sister are objects of the preposition for.]

Definition

A prepositional phrase that modifies a noun or a pronoun is called an adjective phrase.
A prepositional phrase that modifies a verb, an adjective, or an adverb is called an adverb phrase.

Explanation

Prepositional phrases have special jobs! An adjective phrase acts like an adjective, describing a noun or pronoun. It answers the questions what kind or which one. An adverb phrase acts like an adverb, modifying a verb, adjective, or another adverb. It answers questions like how, when, where, or why.

Examples

Adjective Phrases

• The girl with the red hair won the race. [The phrase with the red hair is an adjective phrase telling which girl.]
• I read a book about dragons. [The phrase about dragons is an adjective phrase telling what kind of book.]

Adverb Phrases

• The dog ran across the yard. [The phrase across the yard is an adverb phrase telling where the dog ran.]
• Before school, I always eat breakfast. [The phrase before school is an adverb phrase telling when I eat breakfast.]