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Author:
Emily Duncan
If you’re learning English grammar, mastering prepositional phrases is a simple but important step. Prepositional phrases can help make a basic sentence more interesting and informative. But what exactly is a prepositional phrase?
In this guide, we’ll take a closer look at these useful little phrases, with tons of examples of prepositional phrases to help you recognize and use prepositional phrases in both written and spoken English.
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Tackle the hardest parts of English, like pronunciation and improvised writing and speaking, with AI-powered learning.The basics of prepositional phrases
A prepositional phrase is a phrase that starts with a preposition and ends with an object of that preposition – typically a noun, pronoun or gerund. Prepositional phrases are frequently used to add detail and color to a sentence.
Let’s look at some examples to make sure we’re all on the same page.
Preposition examples
To build prepositional phrases, you need to know your English prepositions
Common prepositions include
As
At
To
In
With
By
For
From
Like
Of
On
Above
Around
Over
Under
Below
Behind
Beside
Here’s an example of a preposition in a sentence:
The cat is on the couch.
In this sentence, on is the preposition and on the couch is the prepositional phrase.
Nouns, pronouns and gerunds
Prepositional phrases typically consist of a preposition and an object of that preposition – usually a noun, pronoun or gerund – with or without additional connecting words or descriptive words.
These are some of the basic elements of language. (Need a more in-depth refresher? Read this guide to the parts of speech.)
Here are a few examples of each.
Nouns:
Dog
Mouse
Cookie
Jessica
Prague
The teacher
An apple
Glass of milk
Example of a noun as the object of a preposition: “I went to the park with my dog.”
Pronouns:
Her
Them
It
Example of a pronoun as the object of a preposition: “The ghost was behind them.”
Gerunds:
Going
Arriving
Reading
Writing
Thinking
Running
Swimming
Example of a gerund as the object of a preposition: “She got good at music by practicing.”
Examples of prepositional phrases
And, before we get into the nitty gritty, let’s take a quick look at some more examples of prepositional phrases. In each example, the preposition is in bold.
Over the moon
Around the bend
After lunch
In class
With Karen
Under the bridge
Like a rock
With pleasure
A prepositional phrase is the preposition, its object and any extra details between the two. In other words, it’s the complete phrase started by the preposition.
Prepositional phrases FAQs
1. What defines a prepositional phrase?
A prepositional phrase starts with a preposition and ends with the object of that preposition.
You can have multiple prepositional phrases in a row. The sentence below has three prepositional phrases in a row. They are “at the store,” “by the old high school” and “with my dad.”
I was
at the store
by the old high school
with my dad
when it started raining.Prepositional phrases can also use compound prepositions, that is, prepositions that contain two or more words.
As of the last time I checked
Above and beyond the call of duty
From under the couch
Prepositional phrases may also include additional descriptive words:
After eating lunch
Under the old, mossy stone bridge
In Professor McGee’s English Literature class
What makes each of these a prepositional phrase is that it begins with a preposition and ends with the object on which the preposition is acting.
2. How do you identify a prepositional phrase?
By and large, if you see a preposition, it’ll be introducing a prepositional phrase. As a general rule, prepositions need an object to make sense.
The primary exception to this? Words like “but,” “as,” “since” or “until,” which can function as prepositions or conjunctions.
To make sure you’re looking at a prepositional phrase, simply look at the words that follow the preposition. Is the word connecting two thoughts or introducing a phrase?
If you see a word like “as” or “but” followed by a subject and verb, you have a conjunction. If the word is introducing a phrase that can’t work on its own as a complete sentence, it’s probably a prepositional phrase.
For example, “as your friend” in the sentence below is a prepositional phrase.
As your friend, I felt I had to tell you.
“Your friend” is a noun and can’t stand alone as a sentence. “As” is acting as a preposition here.
In the following sentence, though, “as” is used as a conjunction, so “as I walked to the bus” is not a prepositional phrase.
As I walked to the bus, I saw her.
“I walked to the bus” can be a complete sentence on its own, so “as” is acting as a subordinating conjunction here.
3. How do you use prepositional phrases in a sentence?
Prepositional phrases can be used at the beginning, in the middle or at the end of a sentence.
Here’s an example of each:
After dinner, we’ll get ice cream cones.
I went around the corner to buy apples.
There’s a great library by the train station.
As you can see, prepositional phrases have a wide range of uses. They can be used to express how, what, when, where, with whom or by whom, either in a physical or metaphorical sense.
4. Why are prepositional phrases useful?
Prepositional phrases are used to share more information and create more engaging sentences. They can add detail and interest to a basic sentence. Learning to use prepositional phrases is a necessary step towards speaking, writing and reading English fluently.
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Handy prepositional phrase list
| Preposition | Prepositional Phrase | Preposition | Prepositional Phrase |
|---|---|---|---|
| as | as your friend, as a member of the board, as the sole surviving heir | below | below ground, below zero, below expectations |
| at | at the store, at that time, at every baseball game, at my head | behind | behind this desk, behind the class, behind on your work |
| to | to the woods, to your wife, to his house | beside | beside the coffee shop, beside himself, beside a sleeping cat |
| in | in class, in a pickle, in ten years | about | about an hour, about the news, about two miles |
| with | with a banana, with verve, with the whole class | across | across town, across from me, across the country |
| by | by the sea, by Lisa Simpson, by my hand | since | since noon, since 1972, since the dog ran away |
| for | for glory, for my niece and nephew, for twenty minutes | through | through the river, through lunch hour, through his persuasive speech |
| from | from Spain, from your grandmother, from out of nowhere | near | near my house, near and dear to your heart, near Jupiter |
| like | like a whisper, like that place you like, like Ernest Hemingway | out | out of your mind, out of the apartment, out there in space |
| of | of all the gin joints, of six siblings, of mice and men | until | until dinner time, until then, until death |
| on | on the counter, on my life, on your mind, on December 20 | toward | toward Chicago, toward a better future, toward the bartender |
| above | above the fridge, above it all, above and beyond | without | without a thought, without his hat, without and within the building |
| around | around the corner, around midnight, around fifty cookies | instead | instead of crying, instead of the blue soda, instead of going to France |
| over | over the hill, over 70 degrees, over my dead body | along | along the Seine, along your street, along with me |
| under | under the stars, under your watch, under the minimum | despite | despite the warnings, despite myself, despite what Jane Austen wrote |
Practice
Using the examples of prepositional phrases above, choose or create your own prepositional phrase for these common prepositions, then use the prepositional phrase in a simple sentence. The first one is done for you to help get you started.
| Preposition | Prepositional Phrase | Used in a Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| To | To your wife | You sang to your wife on your anniversary. |
| To | ||
| Around | ||
| Of | ||
| Near | ||
| Under | ||
| At | ||
| Without | ||
| About |
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AUTHOR
Emily Duncan
Newlanguages