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)