Prepositions are words like in, at, to, or for that we use before a nounNo definition set for nounLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. to show how that noun is related to the rest of the sentence. For example, the preposition can help you decide if a noun is the location of an object, the time of an event, the reason for the action, the direction of movement, or something else.
prepositionnoun
→ The table is the location of an object.
→ 12:00 is the time of an event.
She brought an umbrella because of the rain.
→ The rain is the reason for an action.
We walked towards my house.
→ My house is the direction of movement.
In this post, we’ll talk about what a prepositional phrase is and how to use them with verbsNo definition set for verbsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. and nouns. Then, we’ll introduce you to the most important types of prepositional phrases. Along the way, we’ll give you some tips about where you can learn more about English prepositions and their uses.
Let’s jump in and get started!
What do prepositions look like in English?
Did you know that there are about 150 prepositions in English!? We won’t cover all of them in this post, but here is some basic information about prepositions:
✅Most prepositions are single words, and they’re usually short. Here are some of the most common prepositions in English: in, at, to, of, from, by, about, with, before, after, and into.
✅Some prepositions are more than one word! Here are a few of the most common multi-word prepositions: in front of, next to, on top of, close to, across from, ahead of, due to, along with, and in regard to.
✅Some English participles like given, regarding, including, and following, can also be used as prepositions, especially in formal writing.
What is a prepositional phrase?
A prepositional phrase is a group of words that is made of a preposition followed by a noun phraseNo definition set for noun phraseLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. or a pronounNo definition set for pronounLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.:
prepositionnoun phrasepronoun
The dog is hiding under the kitchen table.
We walked across the crowded street.
The girl behind me is talking on her phone.
The car next to mine looks new.
The noun phrase or pronoun that follows a preposition is called the object of the preposition. If the object of the preposition is a personal pronoun, then you use the object pronounNo definition set for object pronounLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.:
✅ The person behind me is wearing strong perfume.
❌ The person behind I is wearing strong perfume.
Using prepositional phrases
A prepositional phrase can act as an adjectiveNo definition set for adjectiveLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. and modify a noun:
nounprepositional phrase
The girl behind me is talking on her phone.
→ Behind me tells us more about the girl — she’s not the one in front of me or by my side.
The meeting at 1:00pm is in the conference room.
→ This prepositional phrase gives more information to make the meeting schedule clear.
A prepositional phrase can also act as an adverbNo definition set for adverbLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. and modify a verbNo definition set for verbLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum..
verbprepositional phrase
The dog is hiding under the kitchen table.
→ The prepositional phrase gives more information about where the dog is hiding.
We walked across the crowded street.
→ The prepositional phrase gives more detail about where we walked.
Some verbs require prepositional phrases in order to be complete.
In English phrasal verbs, the preposition you use after the verb changes the meaning of the action:
Can you pick up the kids from school?
I picked out an outfit for the wedding.
Verbs like give, show, or tell can either have two objectsNo definition set for objectsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., or one object and a prepositional phrase:
objectprepositional phrase
✅The magician showed Mark a trick.
✅The magician showed a trick to Mark.
Some verbs just don’t give enough information on their own, like put:
✅He put the orange on the table.
We can also use a prepositional phrase as the subject in a sentence (like a noun), but this is a less common way to use prepositional phrases:
Under the bed is where I store my winter clothes.
Before the movie is the best time to buy snacks.
Where to put prepositional phrases in a sentence?
Usually prepositional phrases go after the word or phrase they’re modifying:
modified wordprepositional phrase
The dog is hiding under the kitchen table.
We walked across the crowded street.
The girl behind me is talking on her phone.
The meeting at 1:00pm is in the conference room.
However, the prepositional phrase doesn’t always go directly after the verb or noun:
If the verb has an object, the prepositional phrase will follow the verb and the object, not just the verb:
verbobjectprepositional phrase
❌Marie practiced for an hour the violin.
✅Marie practiced the violin for an hour.
In English, we never put the prepositional phrase between the verb and its object!
You can put adverbs between a verb and the prepositional phrase:
magentaadverbprepositional phrase
✅We walked quickly across the crowded street.
Just like an adjective, sometimes a prepositional phrase that describes the subject can follow the verb be:
nounprepositional phrase
✅The meeting is in the conference room.
But prepositional phrases do not usually follow other linking verbs like seem or look:
❌The meeting seems at 2 p.m.
❌Marianne looks with her friend.
Some kinds of prepositional phrases can be moved to the beginning of a sentence. Here, the prepositional phrase is followed by a comma:
Behind me, a girl was talking on her phone.
You can do this to avoid repetitive sentence structures, to sound more literary, or sometimes to emphasize the prepositional phrase.
What are the different kinds of prepositional phrases?
The main kinds of prepositional phrases in English are:
Prepositional phrases of time describe when something happened:
I like to take walks at night.
Sarah has a dentist appointment on Tuesday.
My parents were born in the 1950s.
Can you meet next Wednesday?
Prepositions used to create prepositional phrases of time are called the English prepositions of time. Some common ones include: in, at, on, from, to, until, since, next, last, during, for, before, over, and by.
Prepositional phrases of duration are a special type of time phrase that describes how long an action happens:
Prepositional phrases of direction or movement describe the destination, goal, or source of movement:
I put the books in the box.
Michael likes to walk along the river.
The car drove through the tunnel.
Let’s walk through the park.
She threw the ball over the fence.
He put the box under the table.
Can you put your coat inside the closet?
Uh oh, I think we just drove past the exit.
Prepositions used to create prepositional phrases of direction are called English prepositions of direction or sometimes prepositions of movement. Some common ones are: in, along, through, to, over, under, inside, past, and from.
Prepositional phrases of place describe where something is or where it happens:
Let’s meet at the library.
My house is on River Street.
My garage is behind my house.
I hung a painting above the couch.
The apples are inside the house.
Prepositions used to create prepositional phrases of place are called English prepositions of place. Some common ones include: in, on, at, behind, above, over, inside, outside, in front of, under, and more!
Prepositional phrases of manner describe how something happened:
The boy saw the moon using a telescope.
Sandra gave the instructions in English.
Marcus traveled by train.
The kids greeted their aunt with excitement.
Prepositions used to create prepositional phrases of manner are called prepositions of manner. Some common ones include: with, using, by, by means of, or in.
But there are also a couple of smaller groups of prepositions, including:
Prepositional phrases of purpose introduce the goal or beneficiary of an action:
I made cookies for Paul’s party.
Follow the link to learn more about prepositions of purpose in English!
Prepositional phrases of reason introduce something that caused the action:
We went home because of the rain.
Follow the link to learn more about prepositions of reason in English!
By-phrases introduce the agent (do-er) of a passive verbNo definition set for passive verbLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.:
The mouse was caught by the cat.
To learn more about by-phrases, have a look at our post on passive verbs in English!
Of-phrases are used in possessive constructions, phrases that describe a part of a whole, or the object of an action (though there are some other uses as well!):
→ possessive construction
→ object of the action “drive”
Here are four great articles to read if you’re interested in learning more about of-phrases in English!
Summary
In this post, we’ve taken a look at prepositions and prepositional phrases in English. Here are the main points to remember:
Use a preposition before a noun, noun phrase, or pronoun to form a prepositional phrase. Use object pronouns after prepositions.
Prepositional phrases can describe nouns or verbs. Usually the prepositional phrase comes after the word it describes, but there are some exceptions:
Prepositional phrases come after the object of a verb.
Adverbs can come between the prepositional phrase and the verb.
Prepositional phrases can follow the verb be when they describe the subject.
Some prepositional phrases can go to the beginning of a sentence for emphasis.
Finally, we went over some of the the most important kinds of prepositional phrases: time, direction, and location.
Now, have a look at these activities to practice using prepositions and prepositional phrases in English! Happy learning!
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