Definition

• A prepositional phrase is a phrase that starts with a preposition and ends with a noun or pronoun. These phrases usually function as adjectives or adverbs.

           For example, in the sentence "I'm looking for a gift for my sister," the prepositional phrase "for my sister" is acting as an adjective, telling us more about what            kind of gift the speaker is looking for.

• Prepositional phrases can be made up of more than one word. For example, "in front of the school" and "by the time we finish" are both prepositional phrases.

• You can usually tell when a phrase is a prepositional phrase because it will start with a preposition (in, on, under, by, etc.) and end with a noun or pronoun. However, there are some exceptions to this rule. For example, the phrase "the day after tomorrow" is a prepositional phrase even though it does not start with a preposition.

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Types

There are many different types of prepositional phrases. Here are a few of the most common:

1. Adjective Phrase: A phrase that modifies a noun or pronoun. For example: "The dog in the garden is mine."

2. Adverb Phrase: A phrase that modifies a verb, adjective, or adverb. For example: "He runs quickly."

3. Noun Phrase: A phrase that acts as a noun. For example: "The cat in the hat is mine."

4. Verb Phrase: A phrase that acts as a verb. For example: "He is eating cake."

5. Gerund Phrase: A phrase that consists of a gerund (a verb form ending in -ing) plus any modifiers. For example: "Swimming is my favorite hobby."

6. Infinitive Phrase: A phrase that consists of an infinitive (a verb form that starts with "to") plus any modifiers. For example: "To swim is my favorite hobby."

7. Prepositional Phrase: A phrase that consists of a preposition plus a noun or pronoun. For example: "In the pool, he swims like a fish."

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Examples

1. The cat slept on the mat.

            In this sentence, "on the mat" is a prepositional phrase. The preposition is "on", the object is "mat", and there is no adjective or adverb.

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2. The ball was under the bed
3. The TV was damaged during the storm
4. We saw a squirrel between the two trees
5. Who was there behind the curtain?

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Conclusion

Prepositional phrases are present in a sentence that contains  prepositions and the object that is affected.

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