Definition · Plain-language
Prepositional phrase
A prepositional phrase is a group of words made up of a preposition, its object, and any words that modify that object — for example, "in the morning".
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The parts of a prepositional phrase
Every prepositional phrase has two essential parts: a preposition and its object. The preposition is the starting word that shows a relationship — words such as in, on, at, by, with, under, before, between and through. The object is the noun or pronoun that the preposition relates to, and it ends the phrase. Between them, modifiers such as articles and adjectives can describe the object. So in "on the wooden bench", on is the preposition, bench is the object, and "the wooden" are modifiers. The object is always a noun or pronoun in the objective case, which is why we say "between you and me", not "between you and I".
How prepositional phrases work in a sentence
A prepositional phrase functions as a single part of speech — usually an adjective or an adverb. As an adjective, it follows a noun and describes it: "the book on the shelf" tells us which book. As an adverb, it modifies a verb, adjective or whole clause, answering questions like when, where, how or why: "she arrived after lunch" tells us when. Because the phrase acts as one unit, the noun inside it is never the subject of the sentence — a useful fact when checking subject–verb agreement, since a singular subject keeps its verb even if a plural noun sits in a following prepositional phrase.
Common prepositional phrases and a caution
Prepositional phrases are everywhere: of time (in the morning, on Monday, at noon), of place (under the table, beside the river, in London), and of manner or detail (with great care, by hand, for the team). They make writing precise, but stacking too many in a row can make a sentence hard to follow — "the report on the desk in the office at the end of the corridor" buries its meaning. Good writers vary phrase length and avoid long chains. When proofreading, identify the prepositional phrases first; what remains should still be a complete, grammatical sentence.
Key facts
At a glance
- Definition: a preposition plus its object and any modifiers, acting as one unit
- Starts with: a preposition (in, on, at, by, with, under, before, between…)
- Ends with: a noun or pronoun (the object of the preposition)
- Functions as: an adjective or an adverb
- Example: in the morning; under the old table; with great care
- Caution: its noun is never the sentence subject — watch verb agreement
Common misconceptions
What people often get wrong
Often heard: A prepositional phrase always describes a place or location.
Actually: Prepositional phrases can express time, manner, direction, possession and many other relationships, not only place. "In an hour" is time, "with care" is manner and "of the king" shows possession.
Often heard: The noun inside a prepositional phrase can be the subject of the sentence.
Actually: The object of a preposition is never the sentence subject. In "the box of chocolates is empty", the subject is box (singular), so the verb is "is", even though chocolates is plural.
Often heard: A prepositional phrase must contain a verb to be complete.
Actually: A prepositional phrase contains no verb acting as its predicate; it is a preposition plus a noun or pronoun object. A group of words with a subject and verb is a clause, which is something different.
Going deeper
