3 Simple Ways to Spot Prepositional Phrases in Sentences

One of the trickiest parts of speech is preposition because they are confusing to use in sentences, whether verbal or written. Prepositions are part of the English grammar; thus, they are also part of our English learning process.

Prepositions play an important role in sentences because they give more emphasis and add a clearer meaning to the sentence. We know that prepositions complete the sentence to make it meaningful.

A preposition is a tiny element in the sentence that indicates the relationship between words and other parts of speech. It can tell us the location of something; how something is done; or when something is going to happen.

We don’t limit our learning in prepositions alone. There are also words and phrases that contribute to it which are formed from prepositions. These are called prepositional phrases. If you are not yet familiar with prepositional phrases in the English grammar, this article will help you know more about them and give you examples for reference.

What are prepositional phrases?

On, in, under, behind, at, and other prepositions are common prepositions that we see in many sentences. If we add a word or phrase to them, they form a prepositional phrase.

Prepositional phrases are phrases that modify nouns or verbs. Basically, prepositional phrases are formed through a combination of a preposition and the words that follow it. These words that follow a preposition are called complements. These words can be a noun, noun phrase, pronoun, an adverb, adverb phrase, and -ing clause.

Examples of prepositional phrases

at the station
in the library
to her
before sunset
during the wedding
almost done
at what you said
about what happened

What to remember about prepositional phrases

Prepositional phrases are important aspects of sentences. Below are some of the things you should remember about them.

A sentence would require prepositions to form prepositional phrases.
Using an incorrect preposition can change the meaning of a sentence and would sometimes result in a senseless sentence.
Prepositional phrases always have prepositions so it’s easy to distinguish them from other types of phrases.

How to spot prepositional phrases in sentences

It’s easy to spot prepositional phrases in sentences. If you are familiar with prepositions, you can easily identify the prepositional phrases in one or more sentences. There are three ways to spot them: at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end.

Prepositional phrases at the beginning of sentences

- During the conference, the speakers shared some inspiring stories.
- Before you come here, make sure to bring your documents.
- According to the weather report, there is a typhoon outside the country.
- Despite several reminders, the old man crossed the bridge on his own.
- After the meeting, my boss told me to check his schedule.
- From the café, we went to the park and had a quick stroll.
- Although he is busy, my father always finds time to call us every day.

Prepositional phrases in the middle of sentences

- Jane was talking about the incident when her mom called.
- The man sitting beside the water dispenser is my father.
- My phone was lost in the hotel room where I spent my night last weekend.
- I ate breakfast at a roadside barbecue on my holiday.
- The books in the library are ready for borrowing.
- There were two dogs on the couch when I left the house.
- The laptop near the window belongs to my mother.

Prepositional phrases at the end of sentences

- I saw Mr. Phillips behind the tree.
- Let your baby sit between you and me.
- Make sure to smile and be confident during your interview.
- Please don’t give up without trying.
- My mom allowed me to sleep with my friends.
- We will try to give you the tickets before the concert starts.
- Are you going to meet your friend at the restaurant?

Additional Insights

Prepositional phrases can function as either adjectival or adverbial phrases.

Adjectival prepositional phrases are phrases that modify a noun or pronoun. They contain adjectives and prepositions. They answer the questions which one, what kind, how much, or how many.

Look at the examples below:

Did John show you a picture of his new pet dog? (picture – noun; of his new pet dog – prepositional phrase – adjectival phrase)
The boy from our English class performed on stage. (boy – noun; from our English class – prepositional phrase – adjectival phrase
The book on my bedside table is the one I read every night. (book – noun; on my bedside table – adjectival phrase
I really like the song about the little prince. (song – noun; about the little price – adjectival phrase)
She did a beautiful painting of the house near the lake. (house – noun; near the lake – adjectival phrase)

Take note that prepositional phrases function as adjectives and become adjectival phrases when they modify a noun in the sentence.

Moreover, adverbial prepositional phrases are phrases that modify a verb, an adjective, or an adverb. They answer the questions when, where, how, why, or to what extent (how many, how much, how long, or how far), and under what condition.

Look at the examples below:

Mark took the eggs with extreme caution. (took – verb; with extreme caution – adverbial phrase)
Let us all meet at the canteen. (meet – verb; at the canteen – adverbial phrase)
I noticed that my step-brother is always nice to me. (always nice – adjective; to me – prepositional phrase)
I always get up early on the weekends. (early – adverb; prepositional phrase)
You look stressed from all the tasks. (stressed – adjective; from all the tasks – adverbial phrase)

Be careful with prepositional phrases

Take note that when using prepositional phrases, you have to make sure that they are placed correctly in sentences. If they are misplaced, they can create an ambiguous sentence, making it incomprehensible and meaningless.

Look at the example below:

Wendy and Steff were talking about their recent Singapore trip in the bedroom.

At first glance, the sentence is correct; but when you analyze it, Wendy and Steff cannot literally have a Singapore trip in their bedroom. This means that the prepositional phrase, in the bedroom, is not placed correctly.

To make it more correct, you can change it or add something to it.

While in the bedroom, Wendy and Steff were talking about their recent Singapore trip.

The sentence is even better and not ambiguous because it was emphasized that Wendy and Steff were in the bedroom talking about their recent trip to Singapore.

Here are few more examples of this common error.

Vanessa is standing beside the table with headphones on. (Is it the table with headphones on? It’s not, it’s Vanessa). – Vanessa, with her headphones one, is standing beside the table.
She put the pizza in the fridge that was left by their visitors. (Is the fridge the one that was left by their visitors?) – She put the pizza that was left by their visitors in the fridge.
The man wrote a special note with a good handwriting to his friend. (Who has a good handwriting? Is it the note? Of course the note can’t write.) – The man with a good handwriting wrote a special note to his friend.