Prepositional Phrases
At the minimum, a prepositional phrase will begin with a preposition and end with its object; the object of a preposition may be
1.
a noun, Ex.: The squirrel is in the tree. In what?
2.
a pronoun, Ex.: The squirrel is in it. In what?
3.
a gerund (looks like a verb because it ends in –ing, but it is used as a noun),
Ex. :The squirrel hurt himself by running. By what?
4.
or a noun clause (a subject and verb together that are used to answer the question “prepostion+what?”).
After the food arrived, the grumpy drama students brightened noticeably.
After what?
*We’ll go over this last one some more in class.
So… Basically, the object must be a noun (or gerund [which acts like a noun] or noun clause [a subject and predicate that act like a
noun]) or a pronoun.
You may find the object of a preposition by asking yourself
PREPOSTION+WHAT?=OBJECT or…
PREPOSITION+WHOM?=OBJECT
The object of the preposition will often have one or more modifiers to describe it.
Examples of prepositional phrases with optional modifiers added to modify the object:
in the tree
with barely anything
by running quickly
after the cold food arrived late
Here is a list of some common prepositions:
*Please note, however, that these words CANNOT be prepositions if they do not have an object.
Use commas after introductory prepositional phrases.
Examples:
Do: During the class, Michael took notes.
Don’t: Michael took notes, during the class. The comma is unnecessary here.
Do: Behind the podium, you will find your lost items.
Don’t: You will find your lost items, behind the podium. The comma is unnecessary here.
Practice: Underline the prepositional phrase. Circle the preposition. On the line following the sentence, write the
object of the preposition.
1.
Kevin draws fantastic cartoons in his spare time. _______________________
2.
I really like those glasses on her. _________________________
3.
Before I go home, I will need to copy down my homework. ______________________