- English Grammar A1 Level - https://open.books4languages.com/english-a1-grammar -

Prepositional Phrases

Introduction

Prepositional phrases are the result of the combination of a preposition and other elements of the sentence (nouns, pronouns, gerunds…).

Form

A prepositional phrase consists of a preposition with another element (noun, pronoun, gerund…) of the sentence.

Prepositional phrases have these structures:

  • Preposition + noun: at, on and under;
  • Preposition + pronoun: from, to and with;
  • Preposition + gerund: afterbefore and without.

Example

  • She works at home.
  • The meeting is about to start, I hope that she arrives on time.
  • The shop is under the bridge.
  • I received the information from him.
  • I am telling this to everybody.
  • You can come to the supermarket with me.
  • I always go to work after watching television.
  • I usually eat breakfast before going to school.
  • He left the house without listening to his mum.

Use

We use prepositional phrases in several different ways:

  • as an adjective (will answer the question Which one?);
  • an adverb of time or place (will answer questions such as How? When? or Where?);
  • as a noun phrase;
  • with double object verbs.

Summary

Prepositional phrases are the combination of the prepositions and other elements of the sentence. We use them as an adjective, adverb of time or place, noun phrase or with double object verbs.

For example:
— Prepositions with nouns: “I never arrive on time.”
— Prepositions with pronouns: “She took an interesting book with her.”
— Prepositions with gerunds: “Before buying some tomatoes we talked to the seller.”

Let’s revise this content within the {Form} section. Take a look at the {Example} section that shows its use within a context.