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object of a preposition

object of a preposition

3.7
A noun or pronoun that comes after a preposition to complete its meaning
  • noun
  • /ˈɑbdʒɛkt əv ə ˌprɛpəˈzɪʃən/
  • Specialized
translation icon : objeto de una preposición
  • In the sentence 'This is the person to whom I gave the book', 'whom' serves as the object of a preposition.

Examples

  • A pronoun used as the object of a preposition should be in the objective case, like "me" or "him".

  • The object of a preposition is essential in grammar.

  • In the sentence "She sat beside the window", the phrase "the window" is the object of a preposition.

  • Understanding the object of a preposition can help you analyze sentence structure more effectively.

  • In the sentence, the object of a preposition clarifies the relationship.

  • When you say 'For whom is this letter?', 'whom' functions as the object of a preposition.

  • The words 'by whom' illustrate how a noun acts as the object of a preposition in a phrase.

Synonyms

object
vsobject of a preposition
  • Specialized
18 2.7

A word like a noun or pronoun that gets the action in a sentence

is instead the noun or phrase that follows a preposition, not the verb
prepositional object
vsobject of a preposition
  • Specialized
6.7

A noun or pronoun that comes after a preposition in a sentence

is the same but also covers noun phrases following a preposition

Surface Forms

Morphology

object + of + a + preposition

The term is a straightforward compositional grammatical label: 'object' (a noun/pronoun phrase receiving a relation) combined with 'of' + 'preposition' yields the meaning 'the noun or pronoun that follows and completes a preposition.' This is a transparent, cross-linguistically common grammar concept that a B1 learner who knows the constituents can readily infer.

Etymology

Object of a preposition names the noun or pronoun a small pointer word called a preposition points to, which is the object. So when you see a preposition like 'in' or 'on', look for the object that comes after it to complete the meaning.