Phrases

Prepositional Phrases: Adjective and Adverb Phrases

What is a Phrase?

A phrase is a group of related words that is used as a single part of speech and that does not contain both a verb and its subject.

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What is a Prepositional Phrase?

A prepositional phrase includes a preposition, a noun, or a pronoun called the object of the preposition, and any modifiers of that object.

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Prepositional Phrase Functions

There are 2 kinds of prepositional phrases:

Adjective Phrases: An adjective phrase is a prepositional phrase that describes a noun or a pronoun.

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Adverb Phrases: A prepositional phrase used as an adverb is called an adverb phrase. An adverb phrase is a prepositional phrase that describes a verb, adjective, or another adverb.

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Adjective Phrases

An adjective phrase is a prepositional phrase that describes a noun or a pronoun.

How to identify it:

• Find the noun:
• Locate the words describing the noun:
• Check if it acts like an adjective:
• Check for a preposition:

Adjective Phrases

An adjective phrase is a prepositional phrase that describes a noun or a pronoun.

-The store with the neon sign is open.

In the sentence, "The store with the neon sign is open," the adjective phrase is "with the neon sign" because it modifies the noun "store" by describing which store is being referred to. Adjective phrases function as a single adjective, providing more information about a noun or pronoun, and often begin with a preposition.

How to identify it:

• Find the noun: In this sentence, the noun being described is "store".
• Locate the words describing the noun: The phrase "with the neon sign" provides more information about the "store".
• Check if it acts like an adjective: The phrase tells us which store, just as a single adjective like "the red store" or "the large store" would.
• Check for a preposition: The phrase begins with the preposition "with," which is a common characteristic of adjective phrases.

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Adjective Phrases

An adjective phrase is a prepositional phrase that describes a noun or a pronoun.

-We bought boat with a inboard engine.

The adjective phrase in the sentence "We bought a boat with an inboard engine" is "with an inboard engine".

Here's another way to see why:

• An adjective phrase is a group of words that modifies a noun or pronoun.
• In this sentence, the phrase with an inboard engine modifies the noun boat, describing what kind of boat was purchased.
• It is an example of a prepositional phrase functioning as an adjective.

Adjective Phrase Practice

• The car with the tinted windows blared its stereo.
• The horse with a white stripe on its nose ran off.
• The dish with raw carrots and celery is an appetizer.

Adjective Phrase Practice

How to identify it:

• Find the noun:
• Locate the words describing the noun:
• Check if it acts like an adjective:
• Check for a preposition:

Adjective Phrase Practice

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The car with the tinted windows blared its stereo.

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The horse with a white stripe on its nose ran off.

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The dish with raw carrots and celery is an appetizer.

What is an Adverb Phrase?

A prepositional phrase used as an adverb is called an adverb phrase. An adverb phrase is a prepositional phrase that describes a verb, adjective, or another adverb.

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What is an Adverb Phrase?

ADVERB PHRASE: The cavalry will reach the fort by noon.

The adverb phrase in the sentence "The cavalry will reach the fort by noon" is by noon.

Here's why:

• An adverb phrase is a group of words that functions as an adverb.
• It modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb by answering questions like when, where, why, or how.
• In this sentence, the phrase by noon modifies the verb will reach by specifying the time. It tells us when the cavalry will reach the fort.

Adverb Phrases

Adverb phrases answer the same questions that single-word adverbs answer:

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Adverb Phrase Practice

1. We got our new puppy at the animal shelter

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• A puppy is always ready for a game

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• He barks loudly for a treat

Adverb Phrase Practice

• We got our new puppy at the animal shelter

The adverb phrase in the sentence "We got our new puppy at the animal shelter" is at the animal shelter.

• What it does: The phrase modifies the verb "got," telling us where the action occurred.
• How to identify it: It answers the question "Where did we get our new puppy?" The answer is "at the animal shelter."

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Adverb Phrase Practice

2. A puppy is always ready for a game.

GOT YOU!

In the sentence "A puppy is always ready for a game," there is no adverb phrase. Instead, it contains a single adverb, "always".

Breakdown of the sentence

• Always: This is a single adverb, not a phrase. It is an adverb of frequency, modifying the adjective "ready" to tell us how often the puppy is prepared.
• Ready for a game: This is an adjective phrase, not an adverbial one. The adjective "ready" is being modified by the prepositional phrase "for a game". The entire phrase functions as a complement to the verb "is."

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Adverb Phrase Practice

3. He barks loudly for a treat.

In the sentence, "for a treat" is the adverb phrase.

• What it does: It modifies the verb "barks," explaining why he is barking.
• What it is: This specific type of adverb phrase is a prepositional phrase that functions as an adverb.

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