CINXE.COM

<html> <head> <meta charset="utf-8"> <title>Understanding Prepositional Phrases (Definition, Examples, Exercises) | GrammarBrain</title> <meta content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" name="viewport"> <meta content="Webflow" name="generator"> <link href="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/themes/grammarbrain/css/normalize.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"> <link href="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/themes/grammarbrain/css/webflow.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"> <link href="https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/62dacc9b448304522b6aefa0/css/legalbrain-org.webflow.addccb560.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"> <link href="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/themes/grammarbrain/css/add-five.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css">  <script type="text/javascript">!function(o,c){var n=c.documentElement,t=" w-mod-";n.className+=t+"js",("ontouchstart"in o||o.DocumentTouch&&c instanceof DocumentTouch)&&(n.className+=t+"touch")}(window,document);</script> <link href="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/themes/grammarbrain/images/favicon.ico" rel="shortcut icon" type="image/x-icon"> <link href="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/themes/grammarbrain/images/webclip.png" rel="apple-touch-icon"> <meta name="fo-verify" content="024656b7-67d2-438c-9f74-04ef134ef82e"> <meta name='robots' content='index, follow, max-image-preview:large, max-snippet:-1, max-video-preview:-1' /> <style>img:is([sizes="auto" i], [sizes^="auto," i]) { contain-intrinsic-size: 3000px 1500px }</style>  <meta name="description" content="What are prepositional phrases? And how do they work? How do they work with various types of writing tones? Learn more in this grammar guide and worksheet." /> <link rel="canonical" href="https://grammarbrain.com/prepositional-phrases/" /> <meta property="og:locale" content="en_US" /> <meta property="og:type" content="article" /> <meta property="og:title" content="Understanding Prepositional Phrases (Definition, Examples, Exercises) | GrammarBrain" /> <meta property="og:description" content="What are prepositional phrases? And how do they work? How do they work with various types of writing tones? Learn more in this grammar guide and worksheet." /> <meta property="og:url" content="https://grammarbrain.com/prepositional-phrases/" /> <meta property="og:site_name" content="GrammarBrain" /> <meta property="article:published_time" content="2022-09-28T18:26:47+00:00" /> <meta property="article:modified_time" content="2022-10-25T16:53:16+00:00" /> <meta property="og:image" content="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/stock-21-5.jpeg" /> <meta property="og:image:width" content="1600" /> <meta property="og:image:height" content="1067" /> <meta property="og:image:type" content="image/jpeg" /> <meta name="author" content="Dalia" /> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" /> <meta name="twitter:creator" content="@Grammar_Brain" /> <meta name="twitter:site" content="@Grammar_Brain" /> <meta name="twitter:label1" content="Written by" /> <meta name="twitter:data1" content="Dalia" /> <meta name="twitter:label2" content="Est. reading time" /> <meta name="twitter:data2" content="11 minutes" /> <script type="application/ld+json" class="yoast-schema-graph">{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https://grammarbrain.com/prepositional-phrases/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://grammarbrain.com/prepositional-phrases/"},"author":{"name":"Dalia","@id":"https://grammarbrain.com/#/schema/person/d0f84a2ff18314c1b784625f1908c47c"},"headline":"Understanding Prepositional Phrases (Definition, Examples, Exercises)","datePublished":"2022-09-28T18:26:47+00:00","dateModified":"2022-10-25T16:53:16+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https://grammarbrain.com/prepositional-phrases/"},"wordCount":2155,"publisher":{"@id":"https://grammarbrain.com/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https://grammarbrain.com/prepositional-phrases/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/stock-21-5.jpeg","keywords":["Prepositions"],"articleSection":["English"],"inLanguage":"en-US","editor":"Patrick David"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://grammarbrain.com/prepositional-phrases/","url":"https://grammarbrain.com/prepositional-phrases/","name":"Understanding Prepositional Phrases (Definition, Examples, Exercises) | GrammarBrain","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://grammarbrain.com/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https://grammarbrain.com/prepositional-phrases/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https://grammarbrain.com/prepositional-phrases/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/stock-21-5.jpeg","datePublished":"2022-09-28T18:26:47+00:00","dateModified":"2022-10-25T16:53:16+00:00","description":"What are prepositional phrases? And how do they work? How do they work with various types of writing tones? Learn more in this grammar guide and worksheet.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://grammarbrain.com/prepositional-phrases/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https://grammarbrain.com/prepositional-phrases/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https://grammarbrain.com/prepositional-phrases/#primaryimage","url":"https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/stock-21-5.jpeg","contentUrl":"https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/stock-21-5.jpeg","width":1600,"height":1067,"caption":"prepositional phrases"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://grammarbrain.com/prepositional-phrases/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://grammarbrain.com/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Understanding Prepositional Phrases (Definition, Examples, Exercises)"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://grammarbrain.com/#website","url":"https://grammarbrain.com/","name":"GrammarBrain","description":"Learn the English language","publisher":{"@id":"https://grammarbrain.com/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://grammarbrain.com/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://grammarbrain.com/#organization","name":"GrammarBrain","url":"https://grammarbrain.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https://grammarbrain.com/#/schema/logo/image/","url":"https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/grammar-logo.png","contentUrl":"https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/grammar-logo.png","width":44,"height":64,"caption":"GrammarBrain"},"image":{"@id":"https://grammarbrain.com/#/schema/logo/image/"},"sameAs":["https://x.com/Grammar_Brain"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https://grammarbrain.com/#/schema/person/d0f84a2ff18314c1b784625f1908c47c","name":"Dalia","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https://grammarbrain.com/#/schema/person/image/","url":"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/02704d9ecaab8ff2fc5bb422d8f4e7cf?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/02704d9ecaab8ff2fc5bb422d8f4e7cf?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Dalia"},"url":"https://grammarbrain.com/author/dalia/"}]}</script>  <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//scripts.scriptwrapper.com' /> <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//maxcdn.bootstrapcdn.com' /> <script type="text/javascript"> /* <![CDATA[ */ window._wpemojiSettings = {"baseUrl":"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/15.0.3\/72x72\/","ext":".png","svgUrl":"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/15.0.3\/svg\/","svgExt":".svg","source":{"concatemoji":"https:\/\/grammarbrain.com\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-emoji-release.min.js?ver=6.7.2"}}; /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(i,n){var o,s,e;function c(e){try{var t={supportTests:e,timestamp:(new Date).valueOf()};sessionStorage.setItem(o,JSON.stringify(t))}catch(e){}}function p(e,t,n){e.clearRect(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height),e.fillText(t,0,0);var t=new Uint32Array(e.getImageData(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height).data),r=(e.clearRect(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height),e.fillText(n,0,0),new Uint32Array(e.getImageData(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height).data));return t.every(function(e,t){return e===r[t]})}function u(e,t,n){switch(t){case"flag":return n(e,"\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f","\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200b\u26a7\ufe0f")?!1:!n(e,"\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf3","\ud83c\uddfa\u200b\ud83c\uddf3")&&!n(e,"\ud83c\udff4\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc62\udb40\udc65\udb40\udc6e\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc7f","\ud83c\udff4\u200b\udb40\udc67\u200b\udb40\udc62\u200b\udb40\udc65\u200b\udb40\udc6e\u200b\udb40\udc67\u200b\udb40\udc7f");case"emoji":return!n(e,"\ud83d\udc26\u200d\u2b1b","\ud83d\udc26\u200b\u2b1b")}return!1}function f(e,t,n){var r="undefined"!=typeof WorkerGlobalScope&&self instanceof WorkerGlobalScope?new OffscreenCanvas(300,150):i.createElement("canvas"),a=r.getContext("2d",{willReadFrequently:!0}),o=(a.textBaseline="top",a.font="600 32px Arial",{});return e.forEach(function(e){o[e]=t(a,e,n)}),o}function t(e){var t=i.createElement("script");t.src=e,t.defer=!0,i.head.appendChild(t)}"undefined"!=typeof Promise&&(o="wpEmojiSettingsSupports",s=["flag","emoji"],n.supports={everything:!0,everythingExceptFlag:!0},e=new Promise(function(e){i.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",e,{once:!0})}),new Promise(function(t){var n=function(){try{var e=JSON.parse(sessionStorage.getItem(o));if("object"==typeof e&&"number"==typeof e.timestamp&&(new Date).valueOf()<e.timestamp+604800&&"object"==typeof e.supportTests)return e.supportTests}catch(e){}return null}();if(!n){if("undefined"!=typeof Worker&&"undefined"!=typeof OffscreenCanvas&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&URL.createObjectURL&&"undefined"!=typeof Blob)try{var e="postMessage("+f.toString()+"("+[JSON.stringify(s),u.toString(),p.toString()].join(",")+"));",r=new Blob([e],{type:"text/javascript"}),a=new Worker(URL.createObjectURL(r),{name:"wpTestEmojiSupports"});return void(a.onmessage=function(e){c(n=e.data),a.terminate(),t(n)})}catch(e){}c(n=f(s,u,p))}t(n)}).then(function(e){for(var t in e)n.supports[t]=e[t],n.supports.everything=n.supports.everything&&n.supports[t],"flag"!==t&&(n.supports.everythingExceptFlag=n.supports.everythingExceptFlag&&n.supports[t]);n.supports.everythingExceptFlag=n.supports.everythingExceptFlag&&!n.supports.flag,n.DOMReady=!1,n.readyCallback=function(){n.DOMReady=!0}}).then(function(){return e}).then(function(){var e;n.supports.everything||(n.readyCallback(),(e=n.source||{}).concatemoji?t(e.concatemoji):e.wpemoji&&e.twemoji&&(t(e.twemoji),t(e.wpemoji)))}))}((window,document),window._wpemojiSettings); /* ]]> */ </script> <style id='wp-emoji-styles-inline-css' type='text/css'> img.wp-smiley, img.emoji { display: inline !important; border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; height: 1em !important; width: 1em !important; margin: 0 0.07em !important; vertical-align: -0.1em !important; background: none !important; padding: 0 !important; } </style> <link rel='stylesheet' id='wp-block-library-css' href='https://grammarbrain.com/wp-includes/css/dist/block-library/style.min.css?ver=6.7.2' type='text/css' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='coblocks-frontend-css' href='https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/plugins/coblocks/dist/style-coblocks-1.css?ver=3.1.14' type='text/css' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='coblocks-extensions-css' href='https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/plugins/coblocks/dist/style-coblocks-extensions.css?ver=3.1.14' type='text/css' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='coblocks-animation-css' href='https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/plugins/coblocks/dist/style-coblocks-animation.css?ver=2677611078ee87eb3b1c' type='text/css' media='all' /> <style id='classic-theme-styles-inline-css' type='text/css'> /*! This file is auto-generated */ .wp-block-button__link{color:#fff;background-color:#32373c;border-radius:9999px;box-shadow:none;text-decoration:none;padding:calc(.667em + 2px) calc(1.333em + 2px);font-size:1.125em}.wp-block-file__button{background:#32373c;color:#fff;text-decoration:none} </style> <style id='global-styles-inline-css' type='text/css'> :root{--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--square: 1;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--4-3: 4/3;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--3-4: 3/4;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--3-2: 3/2;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--2-3: 2/3;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--16-9: 16/9;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--9-16: 9/16;--wp--preset--color--black: #000000;--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray: #abb8c3;--wp--preset--color--white: #ffffff;--wp--preset--color--pale-pink: #f78da7;--wp--preset--color--vivid-red: #cf2e2e;--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange: #ff6900;--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber: #fcb900;--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan: #7bdcb5;--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan: #00d084;--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue: #8ed1fc;--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue: #0693e3;--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple: #9b51e0;--wp--preset--gradient--vivid-cyan-blue-to-vivid-purple: linear-gradient(135deg,rgba(6,147,227,1) 0%,rgb(155,81,224) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--light-green-cyan-to-vivid-green-cyan: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(122,220,180) 0%,rgb(0,208,130) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-amber-to-luminous-vivid-orange: linear-gradient(135deg,rgba(252,185,0,1) 0%,rgba(255,105,0,1) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-orange-to-vivid-red: linear-gradient(135deg,rgba(255,105,0,1) 0%,rgb(207,46,46) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(238,238,238) 0%,rgb(169,184,195) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--cool-to-warm-spectrum: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(74,234,220) 0%,rgb(151,120,209) 20%,rgb(207,42,186) 40%,rgb(238,44,130) 60%,rgb(251,105,98) 80%,rgb(254,248,76) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--blush-light-purple: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(255,206,236) 0%,rgb(152,150,240) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--blush-bordeaux: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(254,205,165) 0%,rgb(254,45,45) 50%,rgb(107,0,62) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-dusk: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(255,203,112) 0%,rgb(199,81,192) 50%,rgb(65,88,208) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--pale-ocean: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(255,245,203) 0%,rgb(182,227,212) 50%,rgb(51,167,181) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--electric-grass: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(202,248,128) 0%,rgb(113,206,126) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--midnight: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(2,3,129) 0%,rgb(40,116,252) 100%);--wp--preset--font-size--small: 13px;--wp--preset--font-size--medium: 20px;--wp--preset--font-size--large: 36px;--wp--preset--font-size--x-large: 42px;--wp--preset--spacing--20: 0.44rem;--wp--preset--spacing--30: 0.67rem;--wp--preset--spacing--40: 1rem;--wp--preset--spacing--50: 1.5rem;--wp--preset--spacing--60: 2.25rem;--wp--preset--spacing--70: 3.38rem;--wp--preset--spacing--80: 5.06rem;--wp--preset--shadow--natural: 6px 6px 9px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);--wp--preset--shadow--deep: 12px 12px 50px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4);--wp--preset--shadow--sharp: 6px 6px 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);--wp--preset--shadow--outlined: 6px 6px 0px -3px rgba(255, 255, 255, 1), 6px 6px rgba(0, 0, 0, 1);--wp--preset--shadow--crisp: 6px 6px 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 1);}:where(.is-layout-flex){gap: 0.5em;}:where(.is-layout-grid){gap: 0.5em;}body .is-layout-flex{display: flex;}.is-layout-flex{flex-wrap: wrap;align-items: center;}.is-layout-flex > :is(*, div){margin: 0;}body .is-layout-grid{display: grid;}.is-layout-grid > :is(*, div){margin: 0;}:where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-flex){gap: 2em;}:where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-grid){gap: 2em;}:where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-flex){gap: 1.25em;}:where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-grid){gap: 1.25em;}.has-black-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--black) !important;}.has-cyan-bluish-gray-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-white-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--white) !important;}.has-pale-pink-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-pink) !important;}.has-vivid-red-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-red) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan) !important;}.has-vivid-green-cyan-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-pale-cyan-blue-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-purple-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple) !important;}.has-black-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--black) !important;}.has-cyan-bluish-gray-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-white-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--white) !important;}.has-pale-pink-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-pink) !important;}.has-vivid-red-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-red) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan) !important;}.has-vivid-green-cyan-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-pale-cyan-blue-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-purple-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple) !important;}.has-black-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--black) !important;}.has-cyan-bluish-gray-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-white-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--white) !important;}.has-pale-pink-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-pink) !important;}.has-vivid-red-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-red) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan) !important;}.has-vivid-green-cyan-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-pale-cyan-blue-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-purple-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-to-vivid-purple-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--vivid-cyan-blue-to-vivid-purple) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-to-vivid-green-cyan-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--light-green-cyan-to-vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-to-luminous-vivid-orange-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-amber-to-luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-to-vivid-red-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-orange-to-vivid-red) !important;}.has-very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-cool-to-warm-spectrum-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--cool-to-warm-spectrum) !important;}.has-blush-light-purple-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--blush-light-purple) !important;}.has-blush-bordeaux-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--blush-bordeaux) !important;}.has-luminous-dusk-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-dusk) !important;}.has-pale-ocean-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--pale-ocean) !important;}.has-electric-grass-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--electric-grass) !important;}.has-midnight-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--midnight) !important;}.has-small-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--small) !important;}.has-medium-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--medium) !important;}.has-large-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--large) !important;}.has-x-large-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--x-large) !important;} :where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-flex){gap: 1.25em;}:where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-grid){gap: 1.25em;} :where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-flex){gap: 2em;}:where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-grid){gap: 2em;} :root :where(.wp-block-pullquote){font-size: 1.5em;line-height: 1.6;} </style> <link rel='stylesheet' id='wp-components-css' href='https://grammarbrain.com/wp-includes/css/dist/components/style.min.css?ver=6.7.2' type='text/css' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='godaddy-styles-css' href='https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/mu-plugins/vendor/wpex/godaddy-launch/includes/Dependencies/GoDaddy/Styles/build/latest.css?ver=2.0.2' type='text/css' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='ez-toc-css' href='https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/plugins/easy-table-of-contents/assets/css/screen.min.css?ver=2.0.72' type='text/css' media='all' /> <style id='ez-toc-inline-css' type='text/css'> div#ez-toc-container .ez-toc-title {font-size: 100%;}div#ez-toc-container .ez-toc-title {font-weight: 400;}div#ez-toc-container ul li {font-size: 95%;}div#ez-toc-container ul li {font-weight: 500;}div#ez-toc-container nav ul ul li {font-size: 90%;}div#ez-toc-container {background: #f7f9fc;border: 1px solid #edf1f6;width: 100%;}div#ez-toc-container p.ez-toc-title , #ez-toc-container .ez_toc_custom_title_icon , #ez-toc-container .ez_toc_custom_toc_icon {color: #212121;}div#ez-toc-container ul.ez-toc-list a {color: #1269be;}div#ez-toc-container ul.ez-toc-list a:hover {color: #2a6496;}div#ez-toc-container ul.ez-toc-list a:visited {color: #428bca;} .ez-toc-container-direction {direction: ltr;}.ez-toc-counter ul {direction: ltr;counter-reset: item ;}.ez-toc-counter nav ul li a::before {content: counter(item, disc) ' ';margin-right: .2em; counter-increment: item;flex-grow: 0;flex-shrink: 0;float: left; }.ez-toc-widget-direction {direction: ltr;}.ez-toc-widget-container ul {direction: ltr;counter-reset: item ;}.ez-toc-widget-container nav ul li a::before {content: counter(item, disc) ' ';margin-right: .2em; counter-increment: item;flex-grow: 0;flex-shrink: 0;float: left; } </style> <link rel='stylesheet' id='wp-pagenavi-css' href='https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-pagenavi/pagenavi-css.css?ver=2.70' type='text/css' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='font-awesome-css' href='//maxcdn.bootstrapcdn.com/font-awesome/4.3.0/css/font-awesome.min.css?ver=4.3.0' type='text/css' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='dkpdf-frontend-css' href='https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/plugins/dk-pdf/assets/css/frontend.css?ver=1.9.7' type='text/css' media='all' /> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-includes/js/jquery/jquery.min.js?ver=3.7.1" id="jquery-core-js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-includes/js/jquery/jquery-migrate.min.js?ver=3.4.1" id="jquery-migrate-js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" async="async" data-noptimize="1" data-cfasync="false" src="https://scripts.scriptwrapper.com/tags/3b6c1e6d-e5b3-422b-9cde-2fdc34033640.js" id="mv-script-wrapper-js"></script> <link rel="https://api.w.org/" href="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-json/" /><link rel="alternate" title="JSON" type="application/json" href="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/1151" /><link rel="EditURI" type="application/rsd+xml" title="RSD" href="https://grammarbrain.com/xmlrpc.php?rsd" /> <link rel='shortlink' href='https://grammarbrain.com/?p=1151' /> <link rel="alternate" title="oEmbed (JSON)" type="application/json+oembed" href="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-json/oembed/1.0/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgrammarbrain.com%2Fprepositional-phrases%2F" /> <link rel="alternate" title="oEmbed (XML)" type="text/xml+oembed" href="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-json/oembed/1.0/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgrammarbrain.com%2Fprepositional-phrases%2F&format=xml" /> </head> <body class="body"> <div bind="61ccf9f4-02b4-034c-a7c5-f249187107c4" class="navigation wf-section"> <div bind="e66fdfcb-7ce6-973f-6b66-afd7420cb230" data-animation="default" data-collapse="medium" data-duration="400" data-easing="ease" data-easing2="ease" role="banner" class="navbar navigation w-nav nav-green"> <div class="super-big-wrap w-clearfix"> <div bind="e66fdfcb-7ce6-973f-6b66-afd7420cb23f" class="menu-button w-nav-button"> <div bind="e66fdfcb-7ce6-973f-6b66-afd7420cb240" class="icon w-icon-nav-menu"></div> </div> <nav role="navigation" bind="e66fdfcb-7ce6-973f-6b66-afd7420cb234" class="nav-menu w-nav-menu"> <a href="/category/examples/" bind="e66fdfcb-7ce6-973f-6b66-afd7420cb235" class="nav-link w-nav-link">Examples</a> <a href="/category/grammar/" bind="e66fdfcb-7ce6-973f-6b66-afd7420cb237" class="nav-link w-nav-link">Grammar</a> <a href="/category/abbreviations/" bind="e66fdfcb-7ce6-973f-6b66-afd7420cb239" class="nav-link-3 w-nav-link">Abbreviations</a> <a href="/category/english/" bind="e66fdfcb-7ce6-973f-6b66-afd7420cb23b" class="nav-link-4 w-nav-link">English</a> </nav> <a href="/" bind="e66fdfcb-7ce6-973f-6b66-afd7420cb232" class="brand large w-nav-brand"><img src="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/themes/grammarbrain/images/grammarbrain-black.png" loading="lazy" width="25" bind="e66fdfcb-7ce6-973f-6b66-afd7420cb233" alt="" class="image-4"></a> <a href="/" bind="e66fdfcb-7ce6-973f-6b66-afd7420cb232" class="brand w-nav-brand"><img src="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/themes/grammarbrain/images/grammar-brain-mark-black.png" loading="lazy" width="25" bind="e66fdfcb-7ce6-973f-6b66-afd7420cb233" alt="" class="image-4 small-logo"></a> </div> </div> </div> <br/><br/><br/> <div bind="4ed9caa8-33b1-e729-3e27-6e80e5f2e821" class="headline wf-section"> <div bind="ae1442c7-1287-9788-d377-7e80f373539e" class="container w-container"> <div bind="64588acb-2f54-645e-ea7f-210cceaa7e54"> <div bind="8f7e1dc3-1ce5-2270-8f83-388a6574eb47" class="meta"><a href="/">Home</a> <span bind="44955286-94e1-f0df-3fe9-3d8d0adc68b2" class="text-span-2">/ <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/category/english/">English</a></span><strong bind="21d1c0e0-3af2-7c85-cceb-9c05afc39ac9"></strong> <span bind="4e987073-f907-d2b6-3330-25e851cfc3a1" class="text-span">/ </span><time datetime="2022-09-28T13:26:47-05:00" itemprop="datePublished">September 28, 2022</time> </div> </div> <h1 bind="1cf8a8c4-0bfe-3c6e-04d1-2930cc854146" class="article-h1">Understanding Prepositional Phrases (Definition, Examples, Exercises)</h1> <div bind="b4d36f25-3a5e-8c0b-ebc8-a80567a94714" class="featured-image-wrap"> <img src="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/stock-21-5-1024x683.jpeg" height="auto" style="-moz-border-radius:10px;-webkit-border-radius:10px;border-radius:10px;margin-bottom:40px;" alt="prepositional phrases" /> </div> </div> </div> <div bind="80e03a2d-a20f-6efc-c0d9-14bc49b22dd9" class="article-body wf-section"> <div bind="bc878838-ab40-9492-e3bd-2479e727ee0e" class="article-body"> <div bind="bc0209be-976e-1d43-38b0-3a9a8847699c" class="container w-container"> <div bind="085bf5dc-f87e-1752-2b64-0aa48fd35121" class="w-richtext"> <p>What is a prepositional phrase, and how do <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/personal-pronouns/">you</a> use one in writing? How can you avoid <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/a-vs-the/">the</a> mistakes that are commonly made with prepositional phrases? The answer <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/to-vs-too/">to</a> each of these questions can seem daunting at first. However, once you learn what a prepositional phrase is, it becomes very simple to use them in your writing.</p> <p>You need to know everything about prepositional phrases, including prepositional phrase examples, what constitutes these phrases, and much more.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter"><img decoding="async" src="https://images.surferseo.art/29beafea-4977-4462-9d16-ad763c514fa4.png" alt="Prepositional phrase example"/><figcaption>Prepositional phrase example</figcaption></figure></div> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><span class="ez-toc-section" id="what-is-a-prepositional-phrase"></span>What is a prepositional phrase?<span class="ez-toc-section-end"></span></h2> <p>The prepositional phrase definition is “a group of words consisting of a preposition and its object.”</p> <p><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/farther-vs-further/">Further</a>, these phrases can consist of other terms that modify the object of the preposition.</p> <p>Often, <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/grammar-rules/">grammar rules</a> note that these prepositional phrases will modify verbs or <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/noun/">nouns</a>.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><span class="ez-toc-section" id="what-is-a-preposition"></span>What is a preposition?<span class="ez-toc-section-end"></span></h2> <p>A preposition is a word that indicates the position, relationship, or direction.</p> <p>These words <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/may-vs-can/">may</a> seem little and unimportant, but they provide <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/alot-vs-a-lot/">a lot</a> of meaning in a statement.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><span class="ez-toc-section" id="with-that-some-examples-of-prepositions-that-express-physical-position-include"></span>With that, some examples of prepositions that express physical position include:<span class="ez-toc-section-end"></span></h3> <ul class="wp-block-list"><li>On</li><li>In</li><li>Over</li><li>Between</li><li>Under</li></ul> <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><span class="ez-toc-section" id="prepositions-that-express-a-position-in-time-include-modifiers-like"></span>Prepositions that express a position in time include modifiers like:<span class="ez-toc-section-end"></span></h3> <ul class="wp-block-list"><li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/till-vs-until/">Until</a></li><li>After</li><li>During</li><li>Till</li></ul> <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><span class="ez-toc-section" id="lastly-some-examples-of-prepositions-that-show-a-relationship-with-another-thing-or-person-include"></span>Lastly, some examples of prepositions that show a relationship with another thing or person include:<span class="ez-toc-section-end"></span></h3> <ul class="wp-block-list"><li>For</li><li>With</li><li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/beside-vs-besides/">Beside</a></li><li>Near</li></ul> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><span class="ez-toc-section" id="prepositions-vs-prepositional-phrases"></span>Prepositions vs. prepositional phrases<span class="ez-toc-section-end"></span></h2> <p>What’s the difference between a preposition and a prepositional phrase?</p> <p>A preposition is a single word <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/used-to/">used to</a> describe a position in time, physical position, or any other relationship with another person or thing.</p> <p>Essentially, these are one word.</p> <p>In comparison, a prepositional phrase starts with a preposition and ends with either a noun or a pronoun.</p> <p>So, while “between” and “in” are examples of <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/prepositions/">prepositions</a>, “between friends” and “in his car” are prepositional phrases.</p> <p>A better way to <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/past-tense-of-think/">think</a> about it is that prepositional phrases are a group of words.</p> <p>Prepositions are simply <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/a-part-or-apart/">a part</a> of that group.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="795" height="795" src="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Screen-Shot-2022-10-25-at-11.52.48-AM.png" alt="Prepositional phrase" class="wp-image-3248" srcset="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Screen-Shot-2022-10-25-at-11.52.48-AM.png 795w, https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Screen-Shot-2022-10-25-at-11.52.48-AM-300x300.png 300w, https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Screen-Shot-2022-10-25-at-11.52.48-AM-768x768.png 768w, https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Screen-Shot-2022-10-25-at-11.52.48-AM-550x550.png 550w" sizes="(max-width: 795px) 100vw, 795px" /><figcaption>Prepositional phrase</figcaption></figure></div> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><span class="ez-toc-section" id="how-do-you-identify-a-prepositional-phrase"></span>How do you identify a prepositional phrase?<span class="ez-toc-section-end"></span></h2> <p>Before identifying any types of prepositional phrases, it is essential to understand what a preposition is (<a href="https://grammarbrain.com/past-tense-of-see/">see</a> below).</p> <p>Second, it helps to know what nouns and pronouns are.</p> <p>With that, a noun is any person, place, or thing.</p> <p>A pronoun is a word that is used instead of a noun (he, she, they, etc.).</p> <p>Pronouns refer to things that were already mentioned or are understood <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/bye-vs-by/">by</a> the reader.</p> <p>Remember, prepositional phrases contain a preposition usually placed before nouns or pronouns.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter"><img decoding="async" src="https://images.surferseo.art/2f6b9ee2-1807-4de9-bdf6-f9265448aff7.png" alt="Prepositional phrase example"/><figcaption>Prepositional phrase example</figcaption></figure></div> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><span class="ez-toc-section" id="common-prepositional-phrases"></span>Common prepositional phrases<span class="ez-toc-section-end"></span></h2> <p>The minimum requirement for a prepositional phrase is a phrase that contains at least one preposition and the object it governs.</p> <p>That said, the object in question can be a noun, <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/gerund/">gerund</a>, or a clause.</p> <p>A gerund is a <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/what-is-a-verb/">verb</a> ending in “-ing” that acts as a noun.</p> <p>For example, “studying” acts as a gerund in the following <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/what-is-a-sentence/">sentence</a>:</p> <p><em>“I needed to get to a quiet area so I could focus on </em><strong><em>studying</em></strong><em>.”</em></p> <p>As you can see, “studying” acts as a noun phrase (person, place, or thing) in the previous statement, but it can also act as a verb in a different statement, <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/comma-before-such-as/">such as</a>:</p> <p><em>“I am studying right now.”</em></p> <p>Some of the most common prepositions that are placed at the beginning of prepositional phrases include:</p> <ul class="wp-block-list"><li><em>To</em></li><li><em>Of</em></li><li><em>About</em></li><li><em>At</em></li><li><em>Before</em></li><li><em>After</em></li><li><em>By</em></li><li><em>Behind</em></li><li><em>During</em></li><li><em>For</em></li><li><em>From</em></li><li><em>In</em></li><li><em>Over</em></li><li><em>With</em></li><li><em>Under</em></li></ul> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><span class="ez-toc-section" id="a-prepositional-phrase-modifies%e2%80%a6"></span>A prepositional phrase modifies…<span class="ez-toc-section-end"></span></h2> <p>Prepositional phrases can be used for modifying nouns or modifying verbs.</p> <p>With that, it is important to recognize the differences between these types of prepositional phrases, so you understand how to use them correctly.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><span class="ez-toc-section" id="prepositional-phrases-that-modify-nouns"></span>Prepositional phrases that modify nouns<span class="ez-toc-section-end"></span></h3> <p>A prepositional phrase acts adjectivally when it acts upon a noun.</p> <p>That said, adjectives modify nouns.</p> <p>Essentially, the <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/adjectival-participle/">adjectival</a> phrases provide more information about the noun in question to provide more under</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter"><img decoding="async" src="https://images.surferseo.art/d78a55a5-3c82-4692-b68d-9680803dfdb3.png" alt="Prepositional phrase example"/><figcaption>Prepositional phrase example</figcaption></figure></div> <p>standing for the reader.</p> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">examples</h4> <p>“JoAnn thought the watermelon <strong>in the middle</strong> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/was-vs-were/">was</a> the biggest.”</p> <p>In the previous sentence, “in the middle” behaves adverbially <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/is-because-a-conjunction/">because</a> it describes <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/comma-before-which/">which</a> watermelon JoAnn thinks is the biggest.</p> <p>“My friends always <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/what-is-the-past-participle-of-go/">go</a> the club <strong>on 27th street</strong>.”</p> <p>This time, “on 27th street” is the prepositional phrase because it tells the reader more about the club the <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/subject-of-a-sentence/">subject</a> is describing.</p> <p>“My brother wants to look at the house <strong>by the river</strong>.”</p> <p>In this sentence, “by the river” is the prepositional phrase, as it tells the reader what kind of house “my brother” wants to look at.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><span class="ez-toc-section" id="prepositional-phrases-that-modify-verbs"></span>Prepositional phrases that modify verbs<span class="ez-toc-section-end"></span></h3> <p>If a prepositional phrase acts upon a verb, it behaves adverbially.</p> <p>That said, <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/adverbs/">adverbs</a> modify verbs.</p> <p>Further, examples of prepositional phrases acting adverbially offer more information to the reader.</p> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">examples</h4> <p>“If you want to find <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/capitalize-cardinal-directions/">directions</a> to the school, <strong>look behind you.</strong>“</p> <p>In this sentence, the words “look behind you” act as the adverbial phrase because it answers the question “look <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/where-vs-were/">where</a> for directions.”</p> <ul class="wp-block-list"><li>“He <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/past-tense-of-run/">ran</a> up the court with intensity.”</li></ul> <p>“With intensity” describes how the subject traveled up the court.</p> <p>Of course, one could write the statement as “He ran up the court.”</p> <p>However, the “with intensity” portion gives the reader a better picture of how “he” traveled.</p> <p>Take the following example for better context:</p> <ul class="wp-block-list"><li>“Katie answered the question truthfully.”</li></ul> <p>In this instance, “truthfully” describes <em>how</em> “Katie” answered the question.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter"><img decoding="async" src="https://images.surferseo.art/c81f9063-0ce1-4eed-ba9e-6a6cb078f3a0.png" alt="Prepositional phrase example"/><figcaption>Prepositional phrase example</figcaption></figure></div> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><span class="ez-toc-section" id="prepositional-phrases-acting-as-nouns"></span>Prepositional phrases acting as nouns<span class="ez-toc-section-end"></span></h2> <p>Sometimes, a prepositional phrase can act as a noun.</p> <p>However, these circumstances are fairly rare.</p> <p>Typically, these noun prepositional phrases act as the subject of the sentence or as the complement.</p> <p>Take these sentences for example:</p> <ul class="wp-block-list"><li>“<strong>In back of the room</strong> is the best place to be.”</li></ul> <p>In this case, “In back of the room” is the subject of the sentence.</p> <p>However, one can rewrite this statement so the same phrase can function as the complement, such as:</p> <ul class="wp-block-list"><li>“The best place for <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/me-vs-myself/">me</a> is the <strong>in the back of the room</strong>.”</li></ul> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><span class="ez-toc-section" id="kinds-of-prepositional-phrases"></span>Kinds of prepositional phrases<span class="ez-toc-section-end"></span></h2> <p>As previously mentioned, prepositional phrases can modify nouns or verbs.</p> <p>With that, <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/there-their-theyre/">there</a> are two kinds of prepositional phrases; adverbial and adjectival phrases.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><span class="ez-toc-section" id="what-is-an-adjectival-phrase"></span>What is an adjectival phrase?<span class="ez-toc-section-end"></span></h3> <p><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/a-or-an/">An</a> adjectival phrase is one that is used to describe adjectives.</p> <p>In terms of prepositional phrases, an adjectival phrase is used when it acts upon a noun.</p> <p>Essentially, these phrases provide more information about the nouns.</p> <p>Although this information isn’t necessary to make the statement fit English <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/what-is-grammar/">grammar</a> rules, it helps paint a clearer picture.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><span class="ez-toc-section" id="what-is-an-adverbial-phrase"></span>What is an adverbial phrase?<span class="ez-toc-section-end"></span></h3> <p>Sentences with adverbial phrases see the prepositional phrase act on a verb.</p> <p>With these types of prepositional phrases, the adverb will modify the verb.</p> <p>Overall, adverbial phrases offer more information for the reader, even though said information isn’t necessary to meet proper English grammar rules.</p> <p>This sentence is one example of adverbs that modify verbs:</p> <p>“We’re climbing the highest mountain tomorrow with care.”</p> <p>In the previous example, “with care” answers the question, “How did they climb the mountain?”</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><span class="ez-toc-section" id="adjective-vs-adverb"></span>Adjective vs. adverb<span class="ez-toc-section-end"></span></h2> <p>There is often confusion about the distinction between adverbs and adjectives.</p> <p>An <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/adjective/">adjective</a> is a <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/modifier/">modifier</a> of nouns and pronouns.</p> <p>Further, an adjective provides the reader with more information about a certain object.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><span class="ez-toc-section" id="take-the-following-example"></span>Take the following example:<span class="ez-toc-section-end"></span></h3> <ul class="wp-block-list"><li>“The <strong>hungry</strong> kids <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/past-tense-of-eat/">ate</a> the <strong>savory</strong> food.”</li></ul> <p>In this instance, the adjective “hungry” describes the state of the kids, while “savory” is the adjective used to express the food more in-depth.</p> <p>In comparison, an adverb modifies an adjective, verb, clause, or another adverb.</p> <p>Typically, adverbs provide information that answers questions like “When?,” “How?,” and “Why?”</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><span class="ez-toc-section" id="take-the-following-example-2"></span>Take the following example:<span class="ez-toc-section-end"></span></h3> <ul class="wp-block-list"><li>“Jon took the exam <strong>quietly</strong>.”</li></ul> <p>In this case, the object of the adverb “quietly” is to depict how Jon completed his exam.</p> <p>Further, “quietly” answers the question, “How did Jon take the exam?”</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><span class="ez-toc-section" id="prepositional-phrases-in-active-voice"></span>Prepositional phrases in active voice<span class="ez-toc-section-end"></span></h2> <p>In writing, <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/active-voice/">active voice</a> means that the sentence’s subject is doing the action.</p> <p>So, “I ran the same way as my dog” is active.</p> <p>An active voice is typically used in writing more often because it is more precise and efficient.</p> <p>The following is an example of a prepositional phrase written in active voice:</p> <ul class="wp-block-list"><li>“Kyle <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/threw-vs-through/">threw</a> the ball with focus.”</li></ul> <p>In this statement, “with focus” offers an understanding to the reader of how Kyle threw the ball.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter"><img decoding="async" src="https://images.surferseo.art/5e4011cb-7d7c-4f31-b22f-4414336800f7.png" alt="Prepositional phrase example"/><figcaption>Prepositional phrase example</figcaption></figure></div> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><span class="ez-toc-section" id="prepositional-phrases-in-passive-voice"></span>Prepositional phrases in passive voice<span class="ez-toc-section-end"></span></h2> <p><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/passive-voice/">Passive voice</a> means that the object of the sentence behind a preposition is doing the action.</p> <p>This rule applies even if there is no prepositional phrase present.</p> <p>Here is an example of passive voice in context:</p> <p>“The ball was thrown by Hilda.”</p> <p>If you are unsure <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/weather-whether-wether/">whether</a> a sentence is written in passive voice, use these indicators:</p> <ul class="wp-block-list"><li>The subject of the sentence is doing the action</li><li>Passive verbs use the third form of the verb (ending in -ed) or a helper verb</li><li>When the object after the word “by” or “to” does the action, the statement is passive</li></ul> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><span class="ez-toc-section" id="prepositional-phrase-examples"></span>Prepositional phrase examples<span class="ez-toc-section-end"></span></h2> <p>It can be tricky to identify a prepositional phrase in daily writing.</p> <p>So, here are some prepositional phrase examples in a variety of sentences.</p> <ul class="wp-block-list"><li>“<strong>During the concert</strong> is the most inconvenient time to go to the bathroom.”</li><li>“<strong>After our class</strong> there won’t be any time to stretch before practice.”</li><li>“Michael ran his workout class <strong>with intensity</strong>.”</li><li>“To locate the person who can help you, look <strong>to your right</strong>.”</li><li>“The child <strong>furthest left</strong> is the best at sports.”</li><li>“He always plays soccer at the field <strong>next to Kim’s grocery store</strong>.”</li><li>“Jaden’s dream house <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/has-vs-have/">has</a> always been the green house <strong>by the lake</strong>.”</li></ul> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><span class="ez-toc-section" id="avoiding-excessive-prepositional-phrases"></span>Avoiding excessive prepositional phrases<span class="ez-toc-section-end"></span></h2> <p>It is easy to get carried away and use more than one preposition or prepositional phrase in writing.</p> <p>If you become aware of more than one preposition for every ten words, it is best to remove some prepositions.</p> <p>Fortunately, there are several ways to edit your writing, so there aren’t as many prepositions.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter"><img decoding="async" src="https://images.surferseo.art/9e1e9021-df65-4754-a735-41dbe7e41db8.png" alt="Prepositional phrase example"/><figcaption>Prepositional phrase example</figcaption></figure></div> <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><span class="ez-toc-section" id="replacing-prepositional-phrases"></span>Replacing prepositional phrases<span class="ez-toc-section-end"></span></h3> <p><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/lets-or-lets/">Let’s</a> use this first sentence as a base:</p> <p>“It is best to act <strong>with</strong> confidence when working <strong>with</strong> a best friend <strong>in</strong> the presence <strong>of</strong> the teacher.”</p> <p>As you can see, there are several prepositional phrases in this example, including two “with” phrases, an “of,” and an “in” phrase.</p> <p>Even though this statement is wrong, it can be written more efficiently.</p> <p>For instance, the statement can still function the same when it is written like this:</p> <ul class="wp-block-list"><li>“<strong>In</strong> the teacher’s presence, act confidently when working <strong>with</strong> a best friend.”</li></ul> <p>Now, the only two examples of prepositional phrases are “in” and “with.”</p> <p>Even when you write a statement like this, you still refer to and express the same thing as the original statement.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><span class="ez-toc-section" id="writing-in-active-tone"></span>Writing in active tone<span class="ez-toc-section-end"></span></h3> <p>Another way to reduce prepositional phrases is to write in an active tone (one of the many <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/tones-in-writing/">tones</a> in writing).</p> <p>Using this type of speech, you can reduce the number of words in the statement.</p> <p>Take this sentence, for example, which is written in a passive tone:</p> <ul class="wp-block-list"><li>“The ball was thrown by Tim.”</li></ul> <p>Here, the prepositional phrase is “by Tim.”</p> <p>Although this statement is grammatically correct, it reads awkwardly.</p> <p>Instead, the active tone <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/would-vs-will/">would</a> change the statement to this:</p> <ul class="wp-block-list"><li>“Time threw the ball.”</li></ul> <p>Even with a simple statement like this, <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/less-vs-fewer/">fewer</a> words made it easier to <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/past-tense-of-read/">read</a> while making it much more clear for the reader.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><span class="ez-toc-section" id="can-you-start-sentences-with-a-prepositional-phrase"></span>Can you start sentences with a prepositional phrase?<span class="ez-toc-section-end"></span></h2> <p>No grammatical rules in English say one <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/cannot-or-can-not/">cannot</a> start a statement with a prepositional phrase.</p> <p>Recall that some of the most common of these prepositions (which start a prepositional phrase) include words like:</p> <ul class="wp-block-list"><li>To</li><li>At</li><li>From</li><li>With</li><li>By</li></ul> <p>Unfortunately, the only way to identify a preposition is to memorize them.</p> <p>So, how can one use a prepositional phrase at the start of a statement?</p> <p>One way to use a prepositional phrase at the start of a statement is like this:</p> <ul class="wp-block-list"><li>“In general, the school allows kids to wear whatever they want.”</li></ul> <p>In the previous example, “in general” is the prepositional phrase.</p> <p>As you can see, there are no grammar mistakes in the sentence.</p> <p>The misconception that prepositional phrases acting as an introduction are incorrect is outdated.</p> <p>A hanging or dangling preposition was often taught to be a writing mistake.</p> <p>In the <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/passed-vs-past/">past</a>, it was considered informal to end a sentence with a dangling preposition or start one with a hanging preposition.</p> <p>However, today, writing experts do not consider these two things mistakes.</p> <p>Many people are unaware of this and are therefore unsure whether or not they can write a clause with a preposition at the start of a statement.</p> <p>Still, no matter where a prepositional phrase is placed, one must be aware not to overuse these modifiers in a single statement.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><span class="ez-toc-section" id="sources"></span>Sources<span class="ez-toc-section-end"></span></h2> <ol class="wp-block-list"><li><a target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.grammarly.com/blog/gerund/"><em>What Is a Gerund? – Grammarly</em></a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.grammarly.com/blog/prepositional-phrase/"><em>What Is a Prepositional Phrase? – Grammarly</em></a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.grammarly.com/blog/adjective-phrase/"><em>What Is an Adjective Phrase? – Grammarly</em></a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.oxfordinternationalenglish.com/what-is-an-adverbial-phrase/#:~:text=Adverbial%20phrases%20are%20a%20type,as%20replacements%20for%20adverbs%20themselves."><em>What Is An Adverbial Phrase? – Oxford Dictionary</em></a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.englishgrammar101.com/module-7/prepositions/lesson-6/prepositional-phrases-as-nouns#:~:text=Once%20in%20a%20while%2C%20a,or%20as%20a%20subject%20complement.&text=In%20these%20cases%2C%20there%20is,or%20understood%2C%20but%20not%20written."><em>Prepositional Phrases as Nouns – English Grammar 101</em></a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.thesaurus.com/e/grammar/adjective-vs-adverb/"><em>Adjectives vs. Adverbs: What’s The Difference? – Thesaurus.com</em></a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://prowritingaid.com/can-you-start-a-sentence-with-a-preposition"><em>Can You Start a Sentence With a Presposition? – Pro Writing Aid</em></a></li></ol> <div id="ez-toc-container" class="ez-toc-v2_0_72 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction"> <div class="ez-toc-title-container"> <p class="ez-toc-title" style="cursor:inherit">Inside this article</p> <span class="ez-toc-title-toggle"></span></div> <nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class="ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1" href="#what-is-a-prepositional-phrase" title="What is a prepositional phrase?">What is a prepositional phrase?</a></li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class="ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2" href="#what-is-a-preposition" title="What is a preposition?">What is a preposition?</a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class="ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3" href="#with-that-some-examples-of-prepositions-that-express-physical-position-include" title="With that, some examples of prepositions that express physical position include">With that, some examples of prepositions that express physical position include</a></li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class="ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4" href="#prepositions-that-express-a-position-in-time-include-modifiers-like" title="Prepositions that express a position in time include modifiers like">Prepositions that express a position in time include modifiers like</a></li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class="ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5" href="#lastly-some-examples-of-prepositions-that-show-a-relationship-with-another-thing-or-person-include" title="Lastly, some examples of prepositions that show a relationship with another thing or person include">Lastly, some examples of prepositions that show a relationship with another thing or person include</a></li></ul></li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class="ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6" href="#prepositions-vs-prepositional-phrases" title="Prepositions vs. prepositional phrases">Prepositions vs. prepositional phrases</a></li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class="ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7" href="#how-do-you-identify-a-prepositional-phrase" title="How do you identify a prepositional phrase?">How do you identify a prepositional phrase?</a></li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class="ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8" href="#common-prepositional-phrases" title="Common prepositional phrases">Common prepositional phrases</a></li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class="ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9" href="#a-prepositional-phrase-modifies%e2%80%a6" title="A prepositional phrase modifies…">A prepositional phrase modifies…</a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class="ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10" href="#prepositional-phrases-that-modify-nouns" title="Prepositional phrases that modify nouns">Prepositional phrases that modify nouns</a></li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class="ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11" href="#prepositional-phrases-that-modify-verbs" title="Prepositional phrases that modify verbs">Prepositional phrases that modify verbs</a></li></ul></li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class="ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12" href="#prepositional-phrases-acting-as-nouns" title="Prepositional phrases acting as nouns">Prepositional phrases acting as nouns</a></li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class="ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13" href="#kinds-of-prepositional-phrases" title="Kinds of prepositional phrases">Kinds of prepositional phrases</a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class="ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14" href="#what-is-an-adjectival-phrase" title="What is an adjectival phrase?">What is an adjectival phrase?</a></li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class="ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-15" href="#what-is-an-adverbial-phrase" title="What is an adverbial phrase?">What is an adverbial phrase?</a></li></ul></li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class="ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-16" href="#adjective-vs-adverb" title="Adjective vs. adverb">Adjective vs. adverb</a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class="ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-17" href="#take-the-following-example" title="Take the following example">Take the following example</a></li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class="ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-18" href="#take-the-following-example-2" title="Take the following example">Take the following example</a></li></ul></li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class="ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-19" href="#prepositional-phrases-in-active-voice" title="Prepositional phrases in active voice">Prepositional phrases in active voice</a></li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class="ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-20" href="#prepositional-phrases-in-passive-voice" title="Prepositional phrases in passive voice">Prepositional phrases in passive voice</a></li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class="ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-21" href="#prepositional-phrase-examples" title="Prepositional phrase examples">Prepositional phrase examples</a></li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class="ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-22" href="#avoiding-excessive-prepositional-phrases" title="Avoiding excessive prepositional phrases">Avoiding excessive prepositional phrases</a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class="ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-23" href="#replacing-prepositional-phrases" title="Replacing prepositional phrases">Replacing prepositional phrases</a></li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class="ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-24" href="#writing-in-active-tone" title="Writing in active tone">Writing in active tone</a></li></ul></li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class="ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-25" href="#can-you-start-sentences-with-a-prepositional-phrase" title="Can you start sentences with a prepositional phrase?">Can you start sentences with a prepositional phrase?</a></li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class="ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-26" href="#sources" title="Sources">Sources</a></li></ul></nav></div> </div> <div bind="a45688e5-b9eb-987e-b87a-877b363b714a" class="tags w-clearfix"> <div bind="3c46d1e8-cfca-93f8-1f0b-132651db81b5"><span bind="e3af2ae6-d86a-f810-ba70-8a062949eb9d" class="text-span-3">Tags:</span></div> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/tag/prepositions/" class="bold-text-4"><strong bind="9bd9671a-c4c5-f296-a149-d2e552ddbe4f" class="bold-text-5">Prepositions</strong></a> </div>  <div class="fact-checked w-clearfix"><img src="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/themes/grammarbrain/images/correct.png" loading="lazy" width="35" srcset="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/themes/grammarbrain/images/correct-p-500.png 500w, https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/themes/grammarbrain/images/correct.png 512w" sizes="(max-width: 479px) 27vw, 35px" alt="" class="image-6" style="margin-right:20px;"> <p bind="a6b1dcf4-d86a-ecf2-05e3-b91db5a16e6e" class="fact"><strong bind="a6b1dcf4-d86a-ecf2-05e3-b91db5a16e6f">Fact checked:</strong><br>Content is rigorously reviewed by a team of qualified and experienced fact checkers. Fact checkers review articles for factual accuracy, relevance, and timeliness. <a href="/editorial-policy/" bind="a6b1dcf4-d86a-ecf2-05e3-b91db5a16e73"><strong bind="a6b1dcf4-d86a-ecf2-05e3-b91db5a16e74">Learn more.</strong></a> </p> </div>   <div bind="a6b1dcf4-d86a-ecf2-05e3-b91db5a16e64" class="author"> <div bind="a6b1dcf4-d86a-ecf2-05e3-b91db5a16e65" class="author-image w-row"> <div bind="a6b1dcf4-d86a-ecf2-05e3-b91db5a16e66" class="column-3 w-col w-col-3"><img src="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/themes/grammarbrain/images/Screen-Shot-2022-09-10-at-4.07.48-PM.png" loading="lazy" bind="a6b1dcf4-d86a-ecf2-05e3-b91db5a16e67" alt="" class="image-3" style="-webkit-border-radius:200px;border-radius:200px;-moz-border-radius:200px;"></div> <div bind="a6b1dcf4-d86a-ecf2-05e3-b91db5a16e68" class="column-2 w-col w-col-9"> <p bind="3eab4726-5f41-ff61-2881-dd7370ae1a47" class="author-p"><strong>About the author</strong> <a href="#" bind="3eab4726-5f41-ff61-2881-dd7370ae1a4c"><strong bind="3eab4726-5f41-ff61-2881-dd7370ae1a4d"></strong></a> </p> <p bind="3eab4726-5f41-ff61-2881-dd7370ae1a47" class="author-p"> <a href="/about/" bind="a4a5a123-eef4-a277-5d08-7dfd48482052"><strong bind="16ba8aa2-6a9a-8a55-c24f-7e0b2e7391c4">Dalia Y.:</strong></a> Dalia is an English Major and linguistics expert with an additional degree in Psychology. Dalia has featured articles on Forbes, Inc, Fast Company, Grammarly, and many more. She covers English, ESL, and all things grammar on GrammarBrain. </p> </div> </div> </div>  <div class="other-articles"> <h3 class="abbv-h3">Core lessons</h3> <div class="w-row"> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/apostrophe/">Apostrophe</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/ellipsis/">Ellipsis</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/semicolon/">Semicolon</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/hyphen/">Hyphen</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/et-al/">Et. Al.</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/exclamation-mark/">Exclamation Mark</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/capitalization-rules/">Capitalization Rules</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/oxford-comma-serial-comma/">Comma</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/parts-of-speech/">Parts of Speech</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/subjunctive/">Subjunctive</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/adjectives/">Adjectives</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/adjectives-describing-personality/">Personality Adjectives</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/compound-words/">Compound Words</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/subordinating-conjunction/">Subordinating Conjunction</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/adverbs/">Adverbs</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/adverbial-clause/">Adverbial Clause</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/irregular-verbs/">Irregular Verbs</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/common-verbs/">Common Verbs</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/intransitive-verbs/">Intransitive Verbs</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/phrasal-verbs/">Phrasal Verbs</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/prepositions/">Prepositions</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/gerund/">Gerund</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/active-voice/">Active Voice</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/passive-voice/">Passive Voice</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/conjunctions/">Conjunctions</a> </div>  <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/present-perfect-tense/">Present Perfect</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/present-perfect-simple/">Present Perfect Simple</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/present-simple-tense/">Present Simple</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/present-continuous/">Present Continuous</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/present-perfect-continuous/">Present Perfect Continuous</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/simple-future-tense/">Simple Future</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/past-continuous-tense/">Past Continuous</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/past-simple-tense/">Past Simple</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/clauses/">Clauses</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/object-pronouns/">Object Pronouns</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/personal-pronouns/">Personal Pronouns</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/possessive-pronouns/">Possessive Pronouns</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/common-noun/">Common Noun</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/concrete-nouns/">Concrete Noun</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/possessive-noun/">Possessive Noun</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/proper-noun/">Proper Noun</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/irregular-plural-nouns/">Irregular Plural Nouns</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/prepositional-phrases/">Prepositional Phrases</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/introductory-phrases/">Introductory Phrases</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/declarative-statement/">Declarative Statement</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/sentence-diagramming/">Sentence Diagramming</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/complete-subjects/">Complete Subjects</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/sentence-starters/">Sentence Starters</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/metaphor/">Metaphor</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/personification/">Personification</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/allegory/">Allegory</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/collective-noun/">Collective Nouns</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/tones-in-writing/">Tones in Writing</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/homophones/">Homophones</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/declarative-sentences/">Declarative Sentences</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/syntax/">Syntax</a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="other-articles"> <h3 class="abbv-h3">Glossary</h3> <div class="w-row"> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <strong>A:</strong> <ul> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/abstract-noun/">Abstract Noun</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/accusative-case/">Accusative Case</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/anecdote/">Anecdote</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/antonym/">Antonym</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/active-sentence/">Active Sentence</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/adverbs/">Adverb</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/adjective/">Adjective</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/allegory/">Allegory</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/alliteration/">Alliteration</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/adjective-clause/">Adjective Clause</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/adjective-phrase/">Adjective Phrase</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/ampersand/">Ampersand</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/anastrophe/">Anastrophe</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/adverbial-clause/">Adverbial Clause</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/appositive-phrase/">Appositive Phrase</a></li> </ul> <strong>B:</strong> <ul> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/base-form/">Base Form</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/body-paragraph/">Body Paragraph</a></li> </ul> <strong>C:</strong> <ul> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/clauses/">Clause</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/compound-adjective/">Compound Adjective</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/complex-sentence/">Complex Sentence</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/compound-words/">Compound Words</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/compound-predicate/">Compound Predicate</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/common-noun/">Common Noun</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/comparative-adjective/">Comparative Adjective</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/superlatives-and-comparatives/">Comparative and Superlative</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/compound-noun/">Compound Noun</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/compound-subject/">Compound Subject</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/compound-sentence/">Compound Sentence</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/copular-verb/">Copular Verb</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/collective-noun/">Collective Noun</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/colloquialism/">Colloquialism</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/conciseness/">Conciseness</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/consonance/">Consonance</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/conditionals/">Conditional</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/concrete-nouns/">Concrete Noun</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/conjunctions/">Conjunction</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/conjugation/">Conjugation</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/conditional-sentence-if-clause/">Conditional Sentence</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/comma-splice/">Comma Splice</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/correlative-conjunction/">Correlative Conjunction</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/coordinating-conjunction/">Coordinating Conjunction</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/coordinating-adjectives/">Coordinate Adjective</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/cumulative-adjective/">Cumulative Adjective</a></li> </ul> <strong>D:</strong> <ul> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/dative-case/">Dative Case</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/determiners/">Determiner</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/declarative-sentences/">Declarative Sentence</a> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/declarative-statement/">Declarative Statement</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/direct-object-pronouns/">Direct Object Pronoun</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/direct-object/">Direct Object</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/types-of-diction/">Diction</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/diphthong/">Diphthong</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/dangling-modifier/">Dangling Modifier</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/demonstrative-pronouns/">Demonstrative Pronoun</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/demonstrative-adjective/">Demonstrative Adjective</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/direct-characterization/">Direct Characterization</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/definite-article/">Definite Article</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/doublespeak/">Doublespeak</a></li> </ul> <strong>E:</strong> <ul> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/equivocation-fallacy/">Equivocation Fallacy</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/en-dash/">En Dash</a></li> </ul> <strong>F:</strong> <ul> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/false-dilemma-fallacy/">False Dilemma Fallacy</a> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/future-perfect-progressive/">Future Perfect Progressive</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/future-simple/">Future Simple</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/future-perfect-continuous/">Future Perfect Continuous</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/future-perfect/">Future Perfect</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/first-conditional/">First Conditional</a></li> </ul> <strong>G:</strong> <ul> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/gerund/">Gerund</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/gerund-phrase/">Gerund Phrase</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/genitive-case/">Genitive Case</a></li> </ul> <strong>H:</strong> <ul> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/homophones/">Homophone</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/homonym/">Homonym</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/helping-verbs/">Helping Verb</a></li> </ul> <strong>I:</strong> <ul> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/irregular-adjectives/">Irregular Adjective</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/irregular-verbs/">Irregular Verb</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/imperative-sentence/">Imperative Sentence</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/indefinite-article/">Indefinite Article</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/intransitive-verbs/">Intransitive Verb</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/introductory-phrases/">Introductory Phrase</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/indefinite-pronouns/">Indefinite Pronoun</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/indirect-characterization/">Indirect Characterization</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/interrogative-sentence/">Interrogative Sentence</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/intensive-pronoun/">Intensive Pronoun</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/inanimate-object/">Inanimate Object</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/indefinite-tense/">Indefinite Tense</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/infinitive-phrase/">Infinitive Phrase</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/interjection/">Interjection</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/intensifier/">Intensifier</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/inifitives/">Infinitive</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/indicative-mood/">Indicative Mood</a></li> </ul> <strong>J:</strong> <ul> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/juxtaposition/">Juxtaposition</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <strong>L:</strong> <ul> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/linking-verbs/">Linking Verb</a></li> </ul> <strong>M:</strong> <ul> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/modal-verb/">Modal Verb</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/modifier/">Modifier</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/misplaced-modifier/">Misplaced Modifier</a></li> </ul> <strong>N:</strong> <ul> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/nominative-case/">Nominative Case</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/noun/">Noun</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/adjective-as-noun/">Noun Adjective</a></li> </ul> <strong>O:</strong> <ul> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/oxymoron/">Oxymoron</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/object-pronouns/">Object Pronoun</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/object-complement/">Object Complement</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/order-of-adjectives/">Order of Adjectives</a></li> </ul> <strong>P:</strong> <ul> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/participle/">Participle</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/parallelism/">Parallelism</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/prepositional-phrases/">Prepositional Phrase</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/past-simple-tense/">Past Simple Tense</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/past-continuous-tense/">Past Continuous Tense</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/past-perfect-tense/">Past Perfect Tense</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/past-progressive-tense/">Past Progressive Tense</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/present-simple-tense/">Present Simple Tense</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/present-perfect-tense/">Present Perfect Tense</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/personal-pronouns/">Personal Pronoun</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/personification/">Personification</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/persuasive-writing/">Persuasive Writing</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/parallel-structure/">Parallel Structure</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/phrasal-verbs/">Phrasal Verb</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/predicate-adjective/">Predicate Adjective</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/predicate-nominative/">Predicate Nominative</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/phonetic-language/">Phonetic Language</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/plural-noun/">Plural Noun</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/punctuation/">Punctuation</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/punctuation-marks/">Punctuation Marks</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/prepositions/">Preposition</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/preposition-of-place/">Preposition of Place</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/parts-of-speech/">Parts of Speech</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/possessive-adjective/">Possessive Adjective</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/possessive-determiner/">Possessive Determiner</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/possessive-case/">Possessive Case</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/possessive-noun/">Possessive Noun</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/proper-adjective/">Proper Adjective</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/proper-noun/">Proper Noun</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/present-participle/">Present Participle</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/prefix/">Prefix</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/predicate/">Predicate</a></li> </ul> <strong>Q:</strong> <ul> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/quotation-marks/">Quotation Marks</a></li> </ul> <strong>R:</strong> <ul> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/relative-pronouns/">Relative Pronoun</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/reflexive-pronouns/">Reflexive Pronoun</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/reciprocal-pronouns/">Reciprocal Pronoun</a></li> </ul> <strong>S:</strong> <ul> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/subordinating-conjunction/">Subordinating Conjunction</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/simple-future-tense/">Simple Future Tense</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/syntax/">Syntax</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/stative-verbs/">Stative Verb</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/subjunctive/">Subjunctive</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/subject-complement/">Subject Complement</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/subject-of-a-sentence/">Subject of a Sentence</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/sentence-variety/">Sentence Variety</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/second-conditional/">Second Conditional</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/suffix/">Suffix</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/superlative-adjective/">Superlative Adjective</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/slash-symbol/">Slash Symbol</a></li> </ul> <strong>T:</strong> <ul> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/topic-sentence/">Topic Sentence</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/types-of-nouns/">Types of Nouns</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/types-of-sentences/">Types of Sentences</a></li> </ul> <strong>U:</strong> <ul> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/uncountable-noun/">Uncountable Noun</a></li> </ul> <strong>V:</strong> <ul> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/common-verbs/">Verb</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/verb-tenses/">Verb Tense</a></li> <li><a href="https://grammarbrain.com/vowels-and-consonants/">Vowels and Consonants</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="other-articles"> <h3 class="abbv-h3">Popular lessons</h3> <div class="w-row"> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/bare-with-me-or-bear-with-me/">Bare With Me</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/bosss-bosses-bosses/">Boss's, Bosses, or Bosses'</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/full-proof-or-foolproof/">Full Proof or Foolproof</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/is-or-are/">Is or Are</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/led-vs-lead/">Led or Lead</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/are-seasons-capitalized/">Are Seasons Capitalized</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/a-part-or-apart/">A Part vs. Apart</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/to-easy-or-too-easy/">Too Easy or To Easy</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/comma-before-or/">Comma Before "Or"</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/past-tenses/">Past Tenses</a> </div> </div> <div class="w-row"> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/payed-vs-paid/">Payed vs. Paid</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/lets-or-lets/">Let's or Lets</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/ok-vs-okay/">OK or Okay</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/plural-of-moose/">Plural of Moose</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/which-vs-that/">Which vs. That</a> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <a href="https://grammarbrain.com/less-vs-fewer/">Less vs. Fewer</a> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="newsletter-signup"> <div class="super-big-wrap"> <div class="w-row"> <div class="w-col w-col-6"><img src="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/themes/grammarbrain/images/SquareOverride-604x592.png" loading="lazy" width="285" srcset="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/themes/grammarbrain/images/SquareOverride-604x592-p-500.png 500w, https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/themes/grammarbrain/images/SquareOverride-604x592.png 604w" sizes="(max-width: 479px) 92vw, 285px" alt="" class="image-8"></div> <div class="w-col w-col-6"> <h2 class="heading-6 newsletter-h1">Stay awhile. Your weekly dose of grammar and English fun.</h2> <div class="w-form"> <form id="email-form" name="email-form" data-name="Email Form" method="get" class="form w-clearfix"><input type="email" class="text-field w-input" maxlength="256" name="email" data-name="Email" placeholder="" id="email" required=""><input type="submit" value="Sign up" data-wait="Please wait..." class="submit-button w-button"></form> <div class="w-form-done"> <div>Thank you! Your submission has been received!</div> </div> <div class="w-form-fail"> <div>Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.</div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div bind="0bba112f-eb10-3934-fd3f-fcf63e152304" class="footer wf-section"> <div class="super-big-wrap"> <div class="w-row"> <div class="w-col w-col-6"><img src="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/themes/grammarbrain/images/grammarbrain-logo-white.png" loading="lazy" alt="" class="image-7"> <p class="footer-p left-p">The world's best online resource for learning English. Understand words, phrases, slang terms, and all other variations of the English language.</p> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-3"> <p class="footer-p">Explore</p> <ul role="list" class="w-list-unstyled"> <li class="list-item-7"> <a href="/category/examples/" class="link-11">Examples</a> </li> <li class="list-item-7"> <a href="/category/grammar/" class="link-11">Grammar</a> </li> <li class="list-item-7"> <a href="/category/abbreviations/" class="link-11">Abbreviations</a> </li> <li class="list-item-7"> <a href="/category/english/" class="link-11">English</a> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="w-col w-col-3"> <p class="footer-p">Company</p> <ul role="list" class="w-list-unstyled"> <li class="list-item-7"> <a href="/about/" class="link-11">About</a> </li> <li class="list-item-7"> <a href="/editorial-policy/" class="link-11">Editorial Policy</a> </li> <li class="list-item-7"> <a href="/contact/" class="link-11">Contact</a> </li> <li class="list-item-7"> <a href="https://twitter.com/Grammar_Brain" class="link-11">Twitter</a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> <div bind="0bba112f-eb10-3934-fd3f-fcf63e152324" class="text-block-2">© Copyright 2022 GrammarBrain • All rights reserved • <a href="/privacy-policy/" class="footer-copy-link">Privacy Policy</a> • <a href="/terms-of-use/" class="footer-copy-link">Terms</a> </div> </div> </div> <script src="https://d3e54v103j8qbb.cloudfront.net/js/jquery-3.5.1.min.dc5e7f18c8.js?site=62dacc9b448304522b6aefa0" type="text/javascript" integrity="sha256-9/aliU8dGd2tb6OSsuzixeV4y/faTqgFtohetphbbj0=" crossorigin="anonymous"></script> <script src="https://grammarbrain.com/wp-content/themes/grammarbrain/js/webflow.js" type="text/javascript"></script>  <script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-YNKXE6NJ1J"></script> <script> window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'G-YNKXE6NJ1J'); </script> <script data-grow-initializer="">!(function(){window.growMe||((window.growMe=function(e){window.growMe._.push(e);}),(window.growMe._=[]));var e=document.createElement("script");(e.type="text/javascript"),(e.src="https://faves.grow.me/main.js"),(e.defer=!0),e.setAttribute("data-grow-faves-site-id","U2l0ZTozYjZjMWU2ZC1lNWIzLTQyMmItOWNkZS0yZmRjMzQwMzM2NDA=");var t=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];t.parentNode.insertBefore(e,t);})();</script> </body> </html>