English Literature Module: Prepositional Phrases
English Literature Module: Prepositional Phrases
English Literature Module: Prepositional Phrases
Prepositional Phrases
Conceptual Map
The use of
preposition
Preposition Function as
Phrases adjective
Function as
adverb
PREPOSITION PHRASES
Preposition
is a word that explains the time, space or logical relationship between the other parts of the
sentence. In other words, it links all the other words together, so the reader can understand how the
pieces of the sentence fit.
Prepositions are used in many different ways in English - perhaps that's why a lot of people have
problems with them.
on Monday
in the 20th century
at night
Prepositions of time - here's a list of the time words that need 'on', 'in', 'at' and some that don't need
any preposition. Be careful - many students of English use 'on' with months (it should be 'in'), or put
a preposition before 'next' when we don't need one.
times: at 8pm, at midnight, at 6:30
holiday periods: at Christmas, at Easter
at night
at
at the weekend
at lunchtime, at dinnertime, at breakfast time
years: in 1992, in 2006
months: in December, in June
decades: in the sixties, in the 1790s
in centuries: in the 19th century
seasons: in winter, in summer
in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening
Prepositions of place can be difficult - here's some help about using 'at', 'in' and 'on' when you're
talking about where things are.
Basics:
Here are some more common ones that don't really fit:
on TV
on the bus
on a train
on a plane
on the radio
at home
at work
She is good at tennis.
Scotland is famous for whisky
I'm worried about my new job.
Some adjectives need a preposition before their object. There doesn't seem to be a logical rule, I'm
afraid! We just need to learn them.
famous for
France is famous for its food.
proud of
He is very proud of his new car.
interested in
Julie is very interested in sport.
pleased with
John is very pleased with his new suit.
bad at
They are very bad at maths.
good at
Einstein was very good at physics.
married to
My mother has been married to my father for 20 years.
excited about
I'm very excited about my holiday.
different from / to
Coffee is different from tea.
afraid of
I'm afraid of spiders.
I'm listening to music.
She is waiting for her friend.
He borrows money from his sister.
Some verbs need a preposition before an object or another verb. The preposition is only
grammatical, so it doesn't change the meaning of the verb.
arrive at / in somewhere
We arrived at the airport.
We arrived in London.
belong to somebody
This book belongs to me.
borrow something from somebody
I borrowed a book from my classmate.
concentrate on something / doing something
I concentrated on studying at the weekend.
depend on something / somebody
It depends on the weather.
explain something to somebody
The teacher explained the exercise to the students.
listen to something / somebody
I listened to music.
pay somebody for something
I paid the waiter for the coffee.
wait for somebody / something
Wait for me!
worry about somebody / something
Don't worry about a thing!
Adjective prepositional phrases follow the nouns they modify, unlike adjectives which generally go
immediately before the nouns they modify. Like adjectives, they tell which one, what kind, how
much, or how many.
The show \on television tonight is about snow leopards \in Asia.
On television tells us which show. In Asia tells us which leopards.
Adverb prepositional phrases that modify adjectives and adverbs must go after the words they
modify. Like intensifiers, they tell to what extent. They can also tell why or in what way or in what
circumstances.
I am hungry \because of this diet. (Because of this diet tells why I'm hungry.)
You can run pretty quickly \in those high heels. (In those high heels tells when you
run quickly.)
Adverb prepositional phrases that modify verbs can move about the sentence, just as adverbs
do. Like adverbs they can tell where, when, how, and to what extent. Since they use more than
one word, they can also tell why.
We will go snowboarding \in the winter. (In the winter tells when we will go
snowboarding.)
\In the winter, we will go snowboarding.
We will, \in the winter, go snowboarding.
Hint:
Sometimes a prepositional phrase could make sense either as an adjective phrase modifying
the noun before it or as an adverb phrase modifying the verb. In this case, it is usually
considered an adjective phrase.
The plant \in the window gets lots of sunlight. (Tells which plant.)
\In the window, the plant gets lots of sunlight. (Tells where the plant gets lots of
sunlight.)
The plant gets lots of sunlight \in the window. (Tells where the plant gets lots of
sunlight.)
EXERCISE
LET’S TRY!
b. Mark the prepositional phrases in the following sentences as adjective or adverb phrases.
1. I bought the dress with the blue stripes for the party.
2. The man with the mustache raises horses on his farm.
3. Before the nect storm, we need to cut the damaged branches in that tree.
4. The snow on the trees turned the forest in a wonderland.
5. The little brick house between the skyscrapers was built in 1800s.
References