Final answer:
A prepositional phrase is a group of words that includes a preposition and a noun or pronoun, providing additional information about time, location, or direction in a sentence. It can function as an adverbial, adjectival, or a subject complement in sentences.
Step-by-step explanation:
What is a Prepositional Phrase?
A prepositional phrase is a group of words beginning with a preposition and ending with a noun or pronoun, which serves as the object of the preposition. These phrases function within a sentence to provide additional information about time, location, direction, or to introduce an object. For example, in the sentence “After swimming in the ocean, Marco jumped in the pool,” the phrase “in the ocean” is a prepositional phrase that provides more context about where Marco was swimming. Similarly, “in the pool” is a prepositional phrase that tells us where he jumped afterward.
Prepositional phrases can act as adverbials, adjectives, or subject complements. When acting as adjectives, they modify a noun or pronoun in the sentence. For instance, in “Our company now imports semiconductors from the Republic of China,” the phrase “from the Republic of China” modifies “semiconductors,” telling us their origin. Sometimes, as in idiomatic expressions, prepositional phrases can act as subject complements, following a linking verb and renaming or describing the subject.