Prepositional phrases 4

Prepositional Phrases

🔧Prepositional Phrases

1️⃣What is a Prepositional Phrase?

📝A prepositional phrase = preposition + object (noun/pronoun/gerund).

👉Together, they give extra information about time, place, cause, manner, or condition.

Examples:

  • 🏫at school
  • 🌅in the morning
  • 🚗by car
  • because of the rain

2️⃣Structure

🏗️Preposition + Object

  • Preposition = small word (in, on, at, by, with, for, etc.)
  • Object = noun / pronoun / gerund
  • in + the park = in the park
  • without + eating = without eating

3️⃣Uses of Prepositional Phrases

a) Adverbial Function (modifies verbs: tells where/when/how)
  • 🚌She is waiting at the bus stop. (place)
  • 🕐We met in the afternoon. (time)
  • 🚌He went to school by bus. (manner)
b) Adjectival Function (modifies nouns: tells more about the noun)
  • 📖The book on the table is mine.
  • 👩The girl with long hair is my sister.

4️⃣Common Prepositional Phrases by Category

  • 🕐Time: in the morning, at night, on Monday, for two weeks, since yesterday
  • 📍Place/Direction: at home, in the city, on the street, under the bed, into the room
  • Cause/Reason: because of, due to, thanks to
  • 🛠️Manner/Instrument: by car, on foot, with a pen, in a hurry
  • ⚖️Condition/Concession: in case of, in spite of, instead of, according to

5️⃣Common Mistakes ❌✅

  • She arrived to the airport at 8:00.
    She arrived at the airport at 8:00.
  • I'm married with him.
    I'm married to him.
  • We discussed about the problem.
    We discussed the problem. (⚠️ some verbs don't need a preposition)

Quick Tips

  • 🔧Prepositional phrases = preposition + object.
  • 🎭They act like adjectives (describe nouns) or adverbs (describe verbs).
  • 🇧🇷Be careful: Portuguese prepositions don't always match English ones!