Prepositional Phrases

The Meanings of Prepositional Phrases

At this point, it should be obvious that that meaning is attached more to the phrase level than to the individual word level when it comes to prepositions.  As we look closely at the kinds of questions prepositional phrases answer and at the information they add to sentences, we should notice something familiar; prepositional phrases can modify nouns. As noun modifiers, they answer the same questions that adjectives answer: what kind, which one, and what is it like.  Prepositional phrases can provide other kinds of information than this, however.  They can also provide answers to the questions where, when, why, and how, like the adverbs do.  This means that they can also function as verb modifiers, and as such they can answer all the same questions adverbs answer: where, when, why, how, under what conditions, and in what situation.

Prepositional phrases can therefore function in multiple ways in sentences.  This fact should make us very wary; noun phrases and their multiple functions create difficulty for comprehension, and prepositional phrases may create a similar kind of confusion.  One difficulty with multiple noun phrases in a sentence is knowing where one stops and the next begins.  A second difficulty is determining which noun phrase is playing which grammatical role.  The same difficulties attach to prepositional phrases for the same reasons.  A sentence with multiple prepositional phrases in it can be difficult to understand because it can be difficult to determine where one stops and the next begins.  It can also be difficult to determine the role each one plays in relationship to the other information in the sentence.

To help learners understand prepositional phrases, it can actually help to dig deeper into them rather than refocus attention elsewhere.

Activity 11.3: The Meanings of Prepositions 2

Click on a word to select all the components of each propositional phrase. As you complete the selection of each phrase, a text box will appear above the phrase. Type in or copy/paste into the text box a word or phrase selected from the list at the top. 

When you have found all the phrases in a sentence, click on the Check button to assess your answer. When there are errors, they will be underscored in red and a Solution button will appear. If needed, make changes, then recheck with the Check button. If you get frustrated, click the Solution button for the correct answers.

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