Lessons 185
Parts of the Sentence - Prepositional Phrases
A preposition is a word that begins a prepositional phrase and shows the relationship between its object and another word in the sentence. A preposition must always have an object. A prepositional phrase starts with a preposition, ends with an object, and may have modifiers between the preposition and the object of the preposition.
A prepositional phrase may be used as an adjectiveAdjectives modify or affect the meaning of nouns and pronouns and tell us which, whose, what kind, and how many about the nouns or pronouns they modify. They come before the noun or pronoun they modify except for the predicate adjective which comes after a linking verb and modifies the subject. Source: Lesson 151 telling which or what kind and modifying a noun or pronoun. An adjective prepositional phrase will come right after the noun or pronoun that it modifies. If there are two adjective prepositional phrases together, one will follow the other.
A prepositional phrase may be used as an adverbAdverbs are words that modify (1) verbs, (2) adjectives, and (3) other adverbs. They tell how (manner), when (time), where (place), how much (degree), and why (cause). Source: Lesson 161 telling how, when, where, how much, and why and modifying the verb and sometimes an adjective. Adverb prepositional phrases can come anywhere in the sentence and can be moved within the sentence without changing the meaning.
Only adjective prepositional phrases modify the object of the preposition in another prepositional phrase. Notice that some prepositional phrases may be adverbs or adjectives because of their location in the sentence.
Instructions: Pick out the prepositional phrases in these sentences, identify what they tell us, and what they modify.
1. Yesterday many people in Alaska suffered from the heat.
- in Alaska modifies people (telling which)
- from the heat modifies suffered (telling how)
2. During the morning the family drove through the lovely mountains.
- During the morning modifies drove (telling when)
- through the lovely mountains modifies drove (telling where)
3. At noon we ate our lunch at the summit with great excitement.
- At noon modifies ate (telling when)
- at the summit modifies ate (telling where)
- with great excitement modifies ate (telling how)
4. Later our friends and we strolled down the wooded path.
- down the wooded path modifies strolled (telling where)
5. The giant hole in the mountain is an unusual monument of our past.
- in the mountain modifies hole (telling what kind or which)
- of our past modifies monument (telling what kind)