Prepositional Phrases Reading Comprehension Lesson

What Is a Prepositional Phrase?

A preposition is a word that shows a relationship between two things — often a relationship involving location, direction, or time. Words like in, on, under, above, beside, through, during, and before are all prepositions. One helpful way to think about prepositions is to imagine an airplane and a cloud. A preposition describes where the airplane is in relation to the cloud: the airplane flies above the cloud, through the cloud, beside the cloud, and so on.

A prepositional phrase is made up of a preposition and its object — the noun or pronoun that follows it. For example, in the sentence “They wandered in the city,” the prepositional phrase is in the city. The preposition is in, and its object is city. In the sentence “He liked building houses with brick and mortar,” the prepositional phrase is with brick and mortar. Prepositional phrases add specific detail to sentences that would otherwise be vague.

Prepositional phrases function either like adjectives or like adverbs. When a prepositional phrase modifies a noun or pronoun, it acts like an adjective — for example, “The girl with the red hat smiled.” The phrase with the red hat tells us more about the girl. When a prepositional phrase modifies a verb, adjective, or adverb, it acts like an adverb — for example, “She smiled at the camera.” The phrase at the camera tells where she smiled.

Using Prepositional Phrases in Writing

Prepositional phrases make writing more precise and more interesting. They help readers picture exactly where something is happening, when it occurs, or how something is being done. Without prepositional phrases, writing can feel flat and unclear. Compare these two sentences: “The dog slept.” and “The dog slept on the porch in the afternoon sun.” The second version gives the reader a vivid picture because the prepositional phrases fill in the details.

Writers must choose prepositions carefully because different prepositions signal different relationships. For example, above and on are similar but not the same: “The picture hangs above the fireplace” means the picture is higher than the fireplace, while “The picture hangs on the fireplace” suggests it is attached to it. Similarly, during refers to something that happens within a period of time, while for refers to a duration.

One common error writers make is ending a sentence with a preposition when it sounds awkward — for example, “That is the chair she sat on.” While this is acceptable in informal writing and speech, formal writing often restructures the sentence: “That is the chair on which she sat.” Another error is adding extra prepositional phrases that do not add meaning. Good writers use prepositional phrases purposefully — each one should add information that helps the reader understand the sentence more clearly.

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