Understanding Prepositional Phrases

In English grammar, prepositional phrases are groups of words that begin with a preposition and end with a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase. They provide additional information about location, time, direction, manner, or relationships between ideas.

What Is a Prepositional Phrase?

A prepositional phrase consists of two main parts:

Preposition: A word that shows a relationship, such as in, on, at, by, with, or under.
Object of the Preposition: The noun or pronoun that follows the preposition.

Structure:

Preposition + Object

Examples:

in the room
on the table
after the meeting
with my friend

Examples of Prepositional Phrases in Sentences

The book is on the desk.
She arrived after the class.
We traveled by train.
He lives near the school.

Types of Prepositional Phrases

Type	Purpose	Examples
Prepositional Phrases of Place	Show where something happens	in the house, under the bed, near the park
Prepositional Phrases of Time	Show when something happens	at night, in the morning, after lunch
Prepositional Phrases of Direction	Show movement or destination	to the airport, from the city, into the room
Prepositional Phrases of Manner	Show how something happens	with confidence, by accident, in silence

Prepositional Phrases of Place

These phrases describe the location or position of something.

The keys are under the chair.
She works in an office.
The restaurant is next to the hotel.

Prepositional Phrases of Time

These phrases describe when an action happens.

I study English in the evening.
We arrived at midnight.
She started working after breakfast.

Prepositional Phrases as Adjectives

Some prepositional phrases act like adjectives because they describe a noun.

Examples:

The man in the blue shirt is my teacher.
The book on the table is mine.
The house near the river is beautiful.

Prepositional Phrases as Adverbs

Some prepositional phrases act like adverbs because they describe a verb and provide information about time, place, or manner.

She arrived in the morning.
They played football in the park.
He completed the work with great care.

Common Prepositional Phrases

Phrase	Meaning
at home	In one's house
in front of	Before something
next to	Beside something
because of	Due to something
according to	Based on information from
instead of	As a replacement for

Common Mistakes With Prepositional Phrases

Incorrect	Correct
She is interested on music.	She is interested in music.
He arrived to the station.	He arrived at the station.
I am good in English.	I am good at English.

Exercises and Practice

Identify the prepositional phrase in each sentence:

The cat is under the table.
She arrived after the meeting.
We stayed in a small hotel.
He walked to the bus station.

Complete the sentences with the correct prepositional phrase:

The keys are _____ the drawer.
We meet _____ the morning.
She traveled _____ her family.

Understanding prepositional phrases helps learners build more detailed sentences and describe places, times, movements, and relationships more accurately in English.