Prepositional and Appositive Phrases Lesson

Lesson Overview

• What is a Preposition?
• What is a Prepositional Phrase?
• What is an Appositive?
• Prepositional vs. Appositive Phrases: Key Differences
• Common Challenges and Tips

Have you ever wondered how sentences become more interesting and detailed? That's where prepositional phrases and appositive phrases come in! 

Prepositional phrases help us describe where, when, or how something happens, while appositive phrases rename or explain a noun in a sentence.

What is a Preposition?

A preposition is a word that links a noun or pronoun to another part of the sentence and usually shows location, direction, or time​. One easy trick: "A preposition is anywhere a cat can go."​

For example, a cat can go under the couch, behind the couch, or on the couch. Words like under, behind, on, in, near, to, and with are all common prepositions.

Prepositions often answer questions like where? when? or how? For instance:

• The cat walked across the couch – (answers where the cat walked).
• We will meet after lunch – (answers when we will meet).

Each preposition in these examples (across, after) connects to a noun to add detail:

• across links the action (walked) to the couch (place).
• after links the action (meet) to lunch (time).

What is a Prepositional Phrase?

A prepositional phrase is a group of words that begins with a preposition and ends with a noun or pronoun (the object of the preposition)​. It includes the preposition, the object, and any modifiers of that object.

Prepositional phrases act like modifiers in a sentence – they add description or details such as where, when, or which one​.

For example:

• "The puppy hid under the table." – under the table is a prepositional phrase. It starts with the preposition under and ends with the noun table (object of the preposition). This phrase tells us where the puppy hid​.
• "We study in the morning." – in the morning is a prepositional phrase (in = preposition, morning = object). It tells us when we study.
• "They walked to the park." – to the park is a prepositional phrase (to = preposition, park = object). It shows where they walked.

Notice how each prepositional phrase adds extra information. Prepositional phrases can function like adjectives (describing a noun) or adverbs (describing a verb). 

For example, in "The girl with the red scarf is my sister," the phrase with the red scarf describes which girl (like an adjective). In "He sang in the shower," in the shower describes where he sang (like an adverb)​.

Note: A prepositional phrase will never have a new subject or verb inside it. If you see a verb right after a word like before or after, then that word is acting as a conjunction (starting a clause), not a preposition.

For example, "Before we eat" has eat (a verb) after before, so "before" in that case is not introducing a prepositional phrase.

Take This Quiz:

Mastering Prepositional Phrases: A Fun & Engaging Quiz

How to Identify a Prepositional Phrase

1. Find the preposition: Look for a common preposition (for example, in, on, at, by, to, with, under, etc.).
2. Find the object: Identify the noun or pronoun right after the preposition. That is the object of the preposition (include any describing words with it).
3. Mark the phrase: The prepositional phrase goes from the preposition up to the end of that object. The whole phrase will answer a question like where? when? or which one?
4. Check for verbs: Make sure the group of words you marked doesn't include a new verb. If it does, you might have gone too far, or the "preposition" is part of a different structure (like a subordinate clause).

For example, in the sentence "The bird on the branch sang a song," the words on the branch form a prepositional phrase. On is the preposition, and branch is the object (with the as a modifier). This phrase tells us where the bird sang.

Take This Quiz:

Preposition and Appositive Phrase Quiz

Examples of Prepositional Phrases

Here's a quick chart with examples:

By practicing with examples like these, you will start to recognize prepositional phrases and understand the information they add. Remember, prepositional phrases are great for adding detail – they often answer questions such as when something happened, where it happened, or which one​.

What is an Appositive?

An appositive is a noun or noun phrase that immediately follows another noun to explain or rename it​. In simpler terms, an appositive gives more information about a noun by identifying or describing it in another way.

For example:

• "My brother, Michael, is coming home." – Michael is an appositive because it renames my brother (it gives the brother's name).
• "The insect, a large cockroach, scared the children." – a large cockroach is an appositive phrase describing what the insect is.

In these sentences, the appositive (or appositive phrase) gives extra information about the noun:

• Michael tells us who "my brother" is.
• a large cockroach tells us more about "the insect."

Often, appositives are set off by commas if they are adding nonessential information (additional details not needed to identify the noun). If the appositive is essential (meaning it specifies which person or thing we're talking about), then we don't use commas​. 

For instance, my friend Alice (no commas) suggests you have many friends and Alice specifies which one, whereas Alice, my friend, (commas) would mean the appositive is just extra info.

For simplicity, we refer to the appositive plus its modifiers as an appositive phrase. Now, how do you spot one in a sentence? 

How to Identify an Appositive Phrase

1. Look for two nouns together: Find a noun that is immediately followed by another noun or noun phrase (sometimes set off with commas).
2. Check if the second noun renames the first: Ask yourself if that second noun phrase is another name or description for the first noun. If yes, it's an appositive. For example, in "My teacher, Ms. Carter, is funny," Ms. Carter is another way of identifying my teacher.
3. Notice commas: If the phrase is surrounded by commas (or a comma and a period at the end), it's likely a nonessential appositive adding extra info. Not all appositives have commas (essential ones won't), but many do, which is a helpful clue.
4. Remove it as a test: Read the sentence without the suspected appositive. Does it still make sense and refer to the same person or thing? If yes, then that phrase was an appositive giving extra detail. (Removing "a large cockroach" from the insect sentence still leaves "The insect scared the children," which makes sense.)

For example, in the sentence "Mr. Lee, our school principal, spoke at the assembly," our school principal is an appositive phrase. It renames Mr. Lee by telling us who he is. If we remove our school principal, the sentence "Mr. Lee spoke at the assembly" still makes sense. This confirms that our school principal was extra information describing Mr. Lee.

Take This Quiz:

Appositive Phrase Quiz Questions And Answers

Prepositional vs. Appositive Phrases: Key Differences

It's easy to tell these two types of phrases apart once you know what to look for.

Prepositional phrases always start with a preposition (like in, on, at, with, to, under), and they add context or detail (answering where? when? how? which one?)​. 

Appositive phrases start with a noun (or pronoun) and rename another noun, adding an identifying detail or explanation​.

In the sentence "The puppy, a golden retriever, slept under the blanket," we have both types. under the blanket begins with a preposition (under), so it's a prepositional phrase telling where the puppy slept. A golden retriever is a noun phrase giving another name for the puppy, so it's an appositive phrase.

Below is a quick reference table to summarize:

Common Challenges and Tips

• Memorizing prepositions: There are many prepositions, and it can be tough to recall them all​. Try memorizing a core list or use a mnemonic. Many students learn a "Preposition Song" to remember them​. Also, use the "anywhere a cat can go" trick for place prepositions (a cat can go under, on, behind, around, etc.)​.
  
• Preposition or conjunction?: Be careful with words like to, before, after, since. If a verb follows, then it's likely part of a clause, not a prepositional phrase (e.g., after we finished is a clause, but after dinner is a prepositional phrase).
  
• Getting the whole prepositional phrase: Students sometimes underline too much or too little of a prepositional phrase. Remember to stop at the object of the preposition. For example, in "She sat in the comfy chair," include in the comfy chair as the phrase (stop at the noun chair).
  
• Appositive vs. clause: Don't confuse an appositive phrase with a clause that starts with a word like who or that. If the group of words has its own verb (e.g., who lives next door), it's a relative clause, not an appositive. An appositive is just a noun or phrase (no new verb) giving a quick detail.
  
• Use of commas for appositives: If the extra information is not essential, use commas around an appositive. If the appositive is necessary to understand the sentence, do not use commas​.
  
• Practice by writing your own: Create your own sentences to test yourself. Add a prepositional phrase to a simple sentence (e.g., start with "The dog barked." → "The dog barked at the gate."). Next, try adding an appositive to a sentence (e.g., "Sofia is my cousin." → "Sofia, my cousin, is visiting."). Making your own examples helps reinforce the concepts.
  

Take This Quiz:

English Grammar Quiz: Preposition/Appositive Phrase