prepositional phrase
- noun
- /ˌprɛpəˈzɪʃənəl freɪz/
- Specialized
:
frase preposicional
- It was just "on the boat," a prepositional phrase standing in for a noun.
- prepositional phrase
Examples
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This particular prepositional phrase then is an adjunct in that reading.
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Try moving an adverb or prepositional phrase to the start.
Academic text (2011) -
One way to shorten sentence length is to remove prepositional phrases.
Academic text (2015) -
Instead, Banville adopts a more formal, almost biblical style, opening with a long prepositional phrase containing two clauses and holding off the main clause until the end of the sentence.
Academic text (2011) -
Passive writing, long sentences, multisyllabic words, and overusing prepositional phrases negatively affect reading ease (Flesch, 1974).
Academic text (2015) -
The teacher explained that a prepositional phrase includes a preposition followed by a noun, such as 'under the table.'
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In the sentence 'The cat slept on the mat,' 'on the mat' is a prepositional phrase showing the location.
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When analyzing sentences, identifying the prepositional phrase can help clarify the meaning of the sentence.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a phrase involving a preposition' is directly and compositionally derived from 'prepositional' (pertaining to prepositions) + 'phrase' (a group of words). This is regular morphological and semantic composition found in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Prepositional phrase is a name made from preposition (a small word that points to place or time, like 'in' or 'on') and phrase (a short group of words). So a prepositional phrase is a short group of words that starts with a preposition and tells 'where', 'when', or 'how' something is related in a sentence.
