A prepositional phrase is a group of words that begins with a preposition and ends with a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase, which is called the object of the preposition. It includes the preposition, its object, and any modifiers of the object. Prepositional phrases function primarily to modify other words in a sentence and can act either adjectivally (modifying nouns) or adverbially (modifying verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs). They often provide information about time, location, direction, or relationships between elements in the sentence. For example:
- In the phrase "on the table," "on" is the preposition and "the table" is the object.
- If a prepositional phrase modifies a noun, it is adjectival, as in "the cat in the hat" (where "in the hat" describes which cat).
- If it modifies a verb, it is adverbial, as in "He arrived in time" (where "in time" describes when he arrived).
Common prepositions that start these phrases include words like in, on, at, by, with, about, before, after, during, under, over, and many more.
