Prepositional Phrases in English

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Língua Inglesa - estrutura sintática I
Aula 03: Frases Preposicionais
Apresentação
Hello everybody! In this lesson, we will consider the occurrences of Prepositional Phrases.
The woman in the blue coat is looking for her dog.
The above sentence contains two prepositional phrases: "in the blue coat" and "for her dog."
Objetivos
Learn the de�nition of Prepositional Phrases;
Analyze the meaning of some prepositional phrases;
Analyze the particularities of some prepositional phrases.
Prepositional Phrases
Initial considerations.
Prepositions are words which begin prepositional phrases. A prepositional phrase is a group of words containing a preposition,
a noun or pronoun object of the preposition, and any modi�ers of the object. A preposition sits in front of (is “pre-positioned”
before) its object. The bolded phrases are examples of prepositional phrases in English:
Example
She is on the computer. 
He could hear her across the room. 
Sarah walked down the ramp. 
They walked to their school. 
Garrett ate in the kitchen.
The prepositional phrase in this sentence is composed of two parts: a preposition and a noun phrase.
The preposition is in the head position, and the noun phrase is in the complement position.
Example
After several minutes, we located the key for the door. 
after several minutes = prepositional phrase 
after = preposition 
several minutes = object of preposition
 
The �ock of tiny swallows �ew over the trees near the lake
a) of tiny swallows = prepositional phraseof = prepositiontiny swallows = object of preposition
b) over the trees = prepositional phraseover = prepositionthe trees = object of preposition
c) near the lake = prepositional phrasenear = prepositionthe lake = object of preposition
Do not confound object of preposition and direct object:
Compare:
We drove to the store.
To the store is a prepositional phrase. Store is the object of the preposition to, not the direct object of the verb drove.
We drove our car to the grocery store.
Car is the direct object of the verb drove.
To the grocery store is a prepositional phrase.
 
Attention
Some verbs need a preposition before an object or another verb. The preposition is only grammatical, it doesn't change the
meaning of the verb.  
 Undrey (Fonte: Shutterstock).
Particle
A prepositional phrase should not be confused with the sequence formed by the particle and the direct object of a phrasal verb,
as in turn on the light. This sequence is structurally distinct from a prepositional phrase. In this case, "on" and "the light" do not
form a unit; they combine independently with the verb "turn".
A word that looks like a preposition but is actually part of a verb is called a
Particle.
Four armed men held up the bank. (Held up is a verb meaning “to rob.”)Therefore, up is not a preposition, and bank is not the
object of a preposition. Instead, bank is the direct object of the verb held up .
In order to avoid confusing prepositions with particles, test by moving the word (up) and words following it to the front of the
sentence:
 
Up the bank four armed men held.
 
If the resulting sentence does not make sense, then the word belongs with the verb and is a particle, not a preposition. Note the
difference:
We ran up the hill.
Test: Up the hill we ran.
The resulting sentence makes sense. Therefore, up is a preposition.
We ran up the bill. (to run up = to accumulate indebtedness)
Test: Up the bill we ran.
The resulting sentence does not make sense. Therefore, up is a particle in this sentence. 
 
Other examples:
1. He came by the o�ce in a hurry (by = preposition)
He came by his fortune honestly (by = particle) 
2. She turned up that street (up = preposition)
She turned up her nose (up = particle) 
3. Tom lived down the street (down = preposition)
We �nally lived down that accident (down = particle)
Prepositions and Their Respective Nouns, Adjectives and Verbs
VERBS AND PREPOSITIONS
arrive at / in somewhere Apologize to someone for something or for someone
belong to somebody ask about something, ask for something
borrow something from somebody agree to a proposal, with a person, on a price, in principle
concentrate on something / doing
something
aargue about a matter, with a person, for or against a proposition
depend on something / somebody correspond to a thing, with a person
explain something to somebody differ from an unlike thing, with a person
listen to something / somebody differ from an unlike thing, with a person
pay somebody for something live at an address, in a house or city, on a street, with other people
wait for somebody / something care for someone
explain something to somebody give up something or someone
worry about somebody / something talk to someone about someone or something
think about somebody / something dream about something or someone (during sleep), dream of something (mental picture of
the future)
explain something to somebody differ from an unlike thing, with a person
Learn more
See more Prepositions and Their Respective Nouns, Adjectives and Verbs.
Made of / Made from
"Paper is made from
trees.“
"Wine is made from
grapes."
"This cake is made from
all natural ingredients."
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You can notice that there's a common theme - a common pattern. The cotton in the shirt is still cotton – it hasn't changed its
form and become something else. In the same way, the bricks in the walls of the house – they're still bricks. They didn't stop
being bricks when the house was made. And the plastic in my computer keyboard is still plastic.
 
On the other hand, the trees in the example where we say:
"The paper is made from trees." - These trees are not trees anymore – they stopped being trees when they became paper.
"Wine is made from grapes." - The grapes are no longer grapes – they've been changed into a different type of stuff – a different
type of substance - in this case, wine.
"This cake is made from all natural ingredients." - And the �our and the eggs and the sugar in the example about the cake;
these have all changed their forms as well when they became cake.
Attention
So this is the rule:
 
If something keeps its form, we use 'made of'.
But if the form is changed during the process of making, then we use 'made from'.
If there is a list of ingredients, we use ‘made with’.
 
The table is made of wood. (It is still recognizably wood).
Wine is made from grapes. (We cannot see the grapes in the wine).
The cake was made with �our, butter, eggs, sugar and fruit. (a number of different ingredients).
 pathdoc (Fonte: Shutterstock).
Home at Home
Compare these sentences:
A: Is Mr. Jones in (the house)?
B: No, I am afraid he is out. 
A: Is Mr. Jones at home?
B: No, I am afraid he is not at home.
At is the only preposition used with home. No preposition is used with verbs
of movement.
A: What time did he arrive home? (What time did he arrive at his house?).
B: He got home at ten o’clock (He got to his house at ten o’clock).
Position of a Preposition
Misconception: A sentence must not end in a preposition.
Mignon Fogarty ("Grammar Girl") says,
"nearly all grammarians agree that it's �ne to end sentences
with prepositions, at least in some cases."
- Mignon Fogarty ("Grammar Girl").
Fowler's Modern English Usage says that "One of the most persistent myths about prepositions in English is that they properly
belong before the word or words they govern and should not be placed at the end of a clause or sentence. Preposition stranding
was in use long before any English speakers considered it to be incorrect. This idea probably began in the 17th century, owing to
an essay by the poet John Dryden, and it is still taught in schools today.
But, "every major grammarian for more than a century has tried to debunk" this idea; "it's perfectly natural to put a preposition at
the end of a sentence, and it has been since Anglo-Saxon times." "Great literature from Chaucer to Milton, to Shakespeare, to theKing James version of the Bible was full of so called terminal prepositions." Winston Churchill is said to have written, "This is the
sort of nonsense up with which I will not put, illustrating the awkwardness that could result from a rule prohibiting sentence-
ending prepositions.
When Can a Sentence End with a Preposition?
English has a type of verb called a phrasal verb. These are verbs made up of multiple words, and one is always a preposition.
“Cheer up,” “run over,” “log on,” and “leave off” are all examples of phrasal verbs, and often sentences that use phrasal verbs end
with a preposition:
Example
I wish he would cheer up.
You should leave it off.
It’s also OK to end a sentence with a preposition sometimes even when you aren’t using a phrasal verb. For example, although
you could rewrite the following sentences to avoid ending them with a preposition, you don’t need to.
She displayed the good humor she’s known for. (Could be rewritten as “She displayed the good humor for which she’s
known.”)
I want to know where he came from. (Could be rewritten as “I want to know fromwhere he came.”)
What's this about (Could be rewritten as “About what is this?”)
Which book are you referring to? (Could be rewritten as “To which book are you referring?”)
What did you step on (Could be rewritten as “On what did you step?”)
 When Can't You End a Sentence with a Preposition?  
But, you can't always end sentences with prepositions. When you could leave off the preposition and it wouldn't change the
meaning, you should leave it off. Here is a cell phone commercial: 
 Rido (Fonte: Shutterstock).
The problem is that “Where are you at?” doesn't need the preposition at the end. If you say “Where are you?” it means the same
thing. So the "at" is unnecessary. You should leave it off. 
Other positions:
01 Some prepositions can appear on either side of their complement; these can be called ambipositions: He slept{through the whole night}/{the whole night through}.
02 Another preposition surrounds its complement, called a circumposition. A circumposition has two parts, whichsurround the complement to form a circumpositional phrase. English: from now on.
03 Interposition is used for prepositions in the structures such as the following: word for word, page upon page.
Classi�cation by Complement
Prepositional phrases generally act as complements and adjuncts of noun phrases (adjectives) and verb phrases (indirect
object, prepositional object or adverbs).
Example
The man from China was enjoying his noodles. (Adjunct of a noun phrase - adjective).
She ran under him. (Adjunct of a verb phrase - adverb).
A student of physics. (Complement of a noun phrase - adjective).
She argued with him. (Complement of a verb phrase – prepositional object).
She handed the money to me. (Complement of a verb phrase – indirect object).
Give this man your name. (Complement of a verb phrase – indirect object with preposition understood).
Let’s analyze:  
The boy from the shop is waiting at the corner.
at the corner: The head of this prepositional phrase is the preposition at. The function of the phrase is adverbial - it does the
work of an adverb by modifying the verb waiting. It answers the question: where is he waiting?
Notas
Título modal 1
Lorem Ipsum é simplesmente uma simulação de texto da indústria tipográ�ca e de impressos. Lorem Ipsum é simplesmente
uma simulação de texto da indústria tipográ�ca e de impressos. Lorem Ipsum é simplesmente uma simulação de texto da
indústria tipográ�ca e de impressos.
Título modal 1
Lorem Ipsum é simplesmente uma simulação de texto da indústria tipográ�ca e de impressos. Lorem Ipsum é simplesmente
uma simulação de texto da indústria tipográ�ca e de impressos. Lorem Ipsum é simplesmente uma simulação de texto da
indústria tipográ�ca e de impressos.
Referências
QUIRK, R. & GREENBAUM, S.. A University Grammar of English. London: Longman, 1973.
CELCE-MURCIA, Marianne & FREEMAN, Diane Larsen. The Grammar book, 2ª ed., Editora Thomson Heinle, 2008.
LANE, Janet & LANGUE, Ellen. Wrinting clearly. Editora Thomson Heinle, 2008.
Bibliogra�a complementar
COLLIE, J.. Double take. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996.
GILBERT, J. B.. Clear Speech the start. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999.
Próxima aula
The de�nition and particularities of adjectives;
The order of adjectives.
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