We’ve been talking about prepositional phrases for several days now. Hopefully, you are becoming more comfortable with the prepositional phrase.
We know that a prepositional phrase tells more about the position of an object.
That vase on the shelf was a gift from my mom.
A prepositional phrase can also tell more about what someone is doing and the position that they are in.
I walked up a big hill.
Sometimes, multiple prepositional phrases get placed together, all in a row. Take a look at this sentence:
I noticed a cool vintage truck driving on the bridge over the highway.
On the bridge is the first prepositional phrase. Over the highway is the second prepositional phrase.
See if you can spot the multiple prepositional phrases in each sentence below.
There was a story in the paper about the shortage of gasoline in some states.
I need to get on the highway to Dallas before lunchtime.
The first sentence has four prepositional phrases: in the paper, about the shortage, of gasoline, in some states.
The second sentence has three prepositional phrases: on the highway, to Dallas, before lunchtime
It’s interesting to see how many prepositional phrases can be added to a sentence.
Each little phrase gives more information and adds detail to the sentence.
Prepositional phrases can be placed right next to each other. No extra punctuation is needed.
Prepositional phrases add detail to our speech and writing. Keep your eyes and ears open, and you will notice how often we use prepositional phrases to show position. Remember, prepositional phrases sometimes appear all in a row.