Here are the summaries of the key points about prepositional phrases from the document: 1. A prepositional phrase consists of a preposition and its complement, which is typically a noun phrase. It can optionally be preceded by a modifier. 2. Prepositional phrases can function as subjects, objects, adjectival complements, adjuncts, and other syntactic roles. 3. The internal structure of a prepositional phrase includes the preposition as the head, followed by a complement which can be a noun, noun phrase, adjective, adverb, or clause. 4. Prepositional phrases are widely used to express time, location, accompaniment and other relationships involving place, direction and instrumental meanings.

2. Prepositional
PhrasesGroup 4: Ngo Van Duong, S.J.
Nguyen Phi Long, S.J.
Le Pham Tien Minh, S.J.

3. Structure
Internal Structure of the Prepositional Phrase
Preposition + complement
Prepositional Phrase
m prep c
Right into the policeman’s arms
Optional Obligatory Obligatory
N.B The modifier intensifies the preposition by adding something specific to its meaning, such as exactness
– straight along this road or exclusiveness – only by concentrating hard

5. Eg
T: What’s this about?
B: Oh, animals.
T: Oh, yes. People are obsessed in this country with being kind to animals, aren’t
they?
B: Alison and her cat…!
T: Don’t talk to us about Alison’s cat.
C: That cat is definitely not popular in our house!
B: That cat moults constantly all over our carpet and sofa!
T: But is it true, though? See what I mean? She hates cats! A: Just for that silly
reason?
T: No, but there seem to be more cases of animal cruelty going on here than
anywhere else.
A: Yeah. I get the impression from the little I know they’re just as crazy about dogs
in Belgium and Holland and France and Italy as they are over here.

6. Eg
T: What’s this about?
B: Oh, animals.
T: Oh, yes. People are obsessed in this country with being kind to animals, aren’t
they?
B: Alison and her cat…!
T: Don’t talk to us about Alison’s cat.
C: That cat is definitely not popular in our house!
B: That cat moults constantly all over our carpet and sofa!
T: But is it true, though? See what I mean? She hates cats! A: Just for that silly
reason?
T: No, but there seem to be more cases of animal cruelty going on here than
anywhere else.
A: Yeah. I get the impression from the little I know they’re just as crazy about
dogs in Belgium and Holland and France and Italy as they are over here.

7. Modifier element
• Adverbs
Intensifying
absolutely on top of the world
almost at the same level
badly in need of your authenticated respond
Directional
down to the basement
out on the other side of town
Focusing
Just for the sake of learning
Quite near the main argument

8. Complement element
• N/NP : at home; after which, on account of his age, on Wednesday
Eg: He is at home
He goes to class on Wednesday
• Adj : in private, at last, for good (for ever)
Eg: Do this in private
I will remember you for good

9. Complement element
• Adv : for ever, since when…, until quite recently
Eg: He publishes it until quite recently.
• PP : except for the fact…, from out of the forest
Eg: This is true except for the fact that it is a fallcy.
He get it from out of the forest.

10. Complement element
• Wh-cl :
Eg: Have you decided on when we have breaktime?
I consider on what is good for us.
• Wh+ to-inf cl :
Eg: Pull him away from where to stay
• -ing cl :
Eg: for thinking of my friend

11. • The computer is next to the book on the table.
• Hung sits on the chair near the wall.

12. Practice
A: It’s really making a come-back all of a sudden.
B: Seems to come in and out of fashion.
A: Yeah.
B: We had elections at school and the ‘Green’ party did win, actually.
A: So did we. It was a big surprise to everyone, so many anti-
establishment adherents amongst us.
T: I get the impression that it’s a non-vote, just a comfortable way of
not having to take a decision.
B: Yeah, a pressure vote, so that you don’t have to vote either for the
Conservatives or for the Labour Party. People just can’t be bothered
with comparing programmes and thinking about who to vote for.

13. T: And you think this has a signifcant impact on the way the other parties have
formed their policies?
B: Yeah, but it’s . . . it’s just waffle, just an excuse for getting votes.
T: Do you feel very cynical about them, then?
B: Suppose I do, a bit.
T: One of the things people say about, well, at least some of the younger
generation, not all of them, but on the whole is, there’s no radicalism among
people today who are in their late teens and twenties. It’s what the forty-year-
olds say about the twenty-year-olds. They think back to when they were
young20 and what they were like then and say that the younger generation
don’t have any radical or controversial views any more.
A: I don’t think radicalism has disappeared. Maybe it has been channelled into
that ‘green’ area.
B: Yeah. A lot of former ideas have been ditched in favour of moving towards a
position much closer to the centre than before.

14. Answer
A: It’s really making a come-back all of a sudden.
B: Seems to come in and out of fashion.
A: Yeah.
B: We had elections at school and the ‘Green’ party did win, actually.
A: So did we. It was a big surprise to everyone, so many anti-
establishment adherents amongst us.
T: I get the impression that it’s a non-vote, just a comfortable way of
not having to take a decision.
B: Yeah, a pressure vote, so that you don’t have to vote either for the
Conservatives or for the Labour Party. People just can’t be bothered
with comparing programmes and thinking about who to vote for.

15. T: And you think this has a signifcant impact on the way the other parties have
formed their policies?
B: Yeah, but it’s . . . it’s just waffle, just an excuse for getting votes.
T: Do you feel very cynical about them, then?
B: Suppose I do, a bit.
T: One of the things people say about, well, at least some of the younger
generation, not all of them, but on the whole is, there’s no radicalism among
people today who are in their late teens and twenties. It’s what the forty-year-
olds say about the twenty-year-olds. They think back to when they were
young20 and what they were like then and say that the younger generation
don’t have any radical or controversial views any more.
A: I don’t think radicalism has disappeared. Maybe it has been channelled into
that ‘green’ area.
B: Yeah. A lot of former ideas have been ditched in favour of moving towards
a position much closer to the center than before.

16. SUMMARY
1. The prepositional phrase consists of a preposition together with
its
complement, typically NP, as under the bed, in the offce.
2. The preposition may optionally be preceded by a modifer: right
through the window.
3. Not only a noun (in town) or NP (on the floor) may function
as complement of a preposition: an adverb (until now), an
adjective (at last) or a clause (because of what happened, instead
of waiting) may also fulfill this function.

17. Syntactic functions
of prepositional phrases

18. Prepositional phrases may function as:
• Subject
• Object / Complement of verb (= prepositional
object)
• Adjectival complement
• Object of preposition (rare)
• Adjunct
• Disjunct
• Conjunct
• Subject complement
• Object complement (about quality, state or mood of
the object)
• Post-modifier in the NP

19. Subject
Over the fence is out.
At six o’clock is O.K.

20. Object / Complement of verb
(= prepositional object)
We are listening to jazz music.
He accused his book-keeper of falsifying
the records.

21. Adjectival complement
(post-modifier of an adjective)
He is envious of his brother.
The floor is dirty under the table

22. Object of preposition (rare)
I cannot see you until after Christmas.
The dog emerged from under the bush.

23. Adjunct
Peter can play football with great skill.
My brother works in an insurance company
She sings in the morning.

24. Disjunct
Nobody, in fact, believes that he will repay the loan.
To my surprise, the doctor phoned.
In my opinion, learning about grammar is not fun.

25. Conjunct
On the other hand, he made no attempt to help the
victim or apprehend her attacker.
In addition, I made friends with some of the
international students at my university.

26. Subject complement
The worst time to call is before ten.
•The book is on the counter.

27. Object complement
(about quality, state or mood of the object)
• Students declare the best time of year
•during the summer.
The reviewer named the most organized
classrooms in the English building.

28. Post-modifier in the NP
We bought a house in the country.
The boy with a red hair.
He’s observing the man at the table in the corner.

29. Tree
Diagram

30. The woman in the small mask
N(H)Pre-
mod
N’Art
NPP
PP
N(H)Art
NP
NP

31. The nuclear scientist from Germany
PropNP
PP
NA
Art
NP
NP
AP

32. The girl laughed at the monkey
NArt
NPPrep
PPV
N(H)Art
NP VP
S

33. The crisis effected airport from Washington to Pakistan
NP
PP
PPN(H)Art
NP
S
NP
PP
NV
VP
VP

34. Exercise 1
Please draw a tree diagram for below
sentences/NP
- An expedition to the pub
- The singer from the city in the big country
from Northern Asian

35. An expedition to the
pub
NArt
NPP
PPNArt
NP PP
NP

36. The singer from the city in the big country from Northern Asian
P NP
PP
N
AArt
APDet
NP
NPP
PP
Det N
NPP
PP
NP
Det N

37. Summarize
1. How many function are
there in Preposition
Pharses?
A. 7
C. 9
B. 8
D. 10

38. Summarize
2. What is the different
of preposition phrases
from Noun, Adj and Adv
Phrases?
A. Have no a head
C. Pre+head+Prep+Post
B. A group of Prep
D. A prep+ Adj

39. Summarize
3. What is Preposition
Pharse?
A. A prep + ADJ
C. Prep+Post-Mod
B. A prep+ NP
D. A prep+ a clause

40. Summarize
4. What does Preposition
Pharse most express?
A. Time and space,
accompaniment
C. Similarity and instrument
B. Topic and Purpose
D. All of them