A prepositional phrase will begin with a preposition and end with a noun, pronoun, gerund, or clause – the “object” of the preposition. The object of the preposition might have one or more modifiers to describe it.
Here are some examples of prepositional phrases (with prepositions underlined):
- … along the ten mile highway…
- … with a cozy blanket…
- … without worrying…
- … about what he likes…
A prepositional phrase can function as an adjective or an adverb. As an adjective, it answers the question, “Which one?” while as an adverb it can answer the questions, “How?” “When?” or “Where?”.
For example:
- The book under the table belongs to my mom. Here, the prepositional phrase acts as an adjective and tells us “which one” of the books belongs to my mom.
- We tried the double cheeseburger at the new burger joint. Here, the prepositional phrase acts as an adverb and tells us “where” we tried the cheeseburger.
Like other modifiers, a prepositional modifier should be placed as close as possible to the thing it is modifying.
Let’s take a look at a couple of official GMAT questions to see how understanding prepositional phrases can help us on this exam:
The nephew of Pliny the Elder wrote the only eyewitness account of the great eruption of Vesuvius in two letters to the historian Tacitus.
(A) The nephew of Pliny the Elder wrote the only eyewitness account of the great eruption of Vesuvius in two letters to the historian Tacitus.
(B) To the historian Tacitus, the nephew of Pliny the Elder wrote two letters, being the only eyewitness accounts of the great eruption of Vesuvius.
(C) The only eyewitness account is in two letters by the nephew of Pliny the Elder writing to the historian Tacitus an account of the great eruption of Vesuvius.
(D) In two letters to the historian Tacitus, the nephew of Pliny the Elder wrote the only eyewitness account of the great eruption of Vesuvius.
There are multiple prepositional phrases here:
- of the great eruption of Vesuvius (answers “Which eruption?”)
- in two letters (tells us “where” he wrote his account)
- to the historian Tacitus (answers “Which letters?”)
Therefore, the phrase “to the historian Tacitus” should be close to what it is describing, “letters,” which makes answer choices B and C incorrect.
Also, “in two letters to the historian Tacitus” should modify the verb “wrote.” In options A, “in two letters to the historian Tacitus” seems to be modifying “eruption,” which is incorrect. (There are other errors in answer choices B and C as well, but we will stick to the topic at hand.)
Option D corrects the prepositional phrase errors by putting the modifier close to the verb “wrote,” so therefore, E is our answer.
Let’s try one more:
Defense attorneys have occasionally argued that their clients’ misconduct stemmed from a reaction to something ingested, but in attributing criminal or delinquent behavior to some food allergy, the perpetrators are in effect told that they are not responsible for their actions.
(A) in attributing criminal or delinquent behavior to some food allergy
(B) if criminal or delinquent behavior is attributed to an allergy to some food
(C) in attributing behavior that is criminal or delinquent to an allergy to some food
(D) if some food allergy is attributed as the cause of criminal or delinquent behavior
This sentence has two clauses:
Clause 1: Defense attorneys have occasionally argued that their clients’ misconduct stemmed from a reaction to something ingested,
Clause 2: in attributing criminal or delinquent behavior to some food allergy, the perpetrators are in effect told that they are not responsible for their actions.
These two clauses are joined by the conjunction “but,” and the underlined part is a prepositional phrase in the second clause.
Answer choices A and C imply that the perpetrators are attributing their own behaviors to food allergies. That is not correct – their defense attorneys are attributing their behavior to food allergies, and hence, all three of these options have modifier errors.
This leaves us with B and D. Answer choice D uses the phrase “attributed as,” which is grammatically incorrect – the correct usage should be “X is attributed to Y,” rather than “X attributed as Y.” Therefore, option B is our answer.
As you can see, the proper placement of prepositional phrases is instrumental in creating a sentence with a clear, logical meaning. Since that type of clear, logical meaning is a primary emphasis of correct Sentence Correction answers, you should be prepared to look for prepositional phrases (here we go…).
