Prepositional phrase
A prepositional phrase is a preposition together with the noun it governs and that noun's modifiers ('under the stairs', 'after the war', 'with both hands'), working as a single unit that locates, times or qualifies something else in the sentence.
She waited under the awning. The phrase begins with the preposition under, ends with the noun awning, and between them does one job: it says where. Swap it for after midnight and it says when. Swap it for without a coat and it says how. Prepositional phrases are the cheapest precision in English, which is exactly why they multiply.
A preposition is a small linking word (in, on, under, over, after, before, with, without, of, for, between) that shows how its object relates to the rest of the sentence. The object is usually a noun or pronoun, but it can be a gerund phrase: after leaving the station.
Prepositional phrase examples
- Describing a noun (adjective): The house on the corner burned down. It says which house.
- Describing a verb (adverb): She ran across the car park. It says where she ran.
- At the start: After the funeral, nobody spoke of him.
- Several together: She left the keys on the table by the door.
A prepositional phrase is never the subject. In A box of old letters was on the shelf, the subject is box, so the verb is was, not were.
The pile-up to watch for
The report on the effect of the delay in the delivery of the parts for the second wing was late.
Five phrases chained nose to tail, each one making the reader hold the last. Nothing in it is ungrammatical; it is simply hard to read. The cure is usually a verb: The parts for the second wing arrived late, and so did the report on what the delay cost. A stack of prepositional phrases is often a hidden verb in disguise.
Two rules of thumb
From the line edit desk: three in a row is a warning; four is a rewrite.
And position is a choice. A prepositional phrase moved to the front becomes an emphatic beat, as in Under the awning, she waited, so put it there only when the place or time deserves the weight.
Frequently asked questions
What is a prepositional phrase?
It is a preposition such as 'in', 'on', 'after' or 'with', followed by its object, which is usually a noun or pronoun, plus any words describing that object. 'Under the old stairs' is one prepositional phrase.
Do you need a comma after a prepositional phrase at the start of a sentence?
Not always. A short one such as 'In 1998' or 'After lunch' often goes without. A long one, or one that could be misread without a pause, takes a comma.
Can you end a sentence with a preposition?
Yes. 'Who are you waiting for?' is correct English. The old rule against it was never a real rule of the language, and following it often produces stiffer sentences.