object of a preposition
- noun
- /ˈɑbdʒɛkt əv ə ˌprɛpəˈzɪʃən/
- Specialized
- 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
A word like a noun or pronoun that gets the action in a sentence
A noun or pronoun that comes after a preposition in a sentence
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.