Questions tagged [prepositional-phrases]
Questions about prepositional phrases.
420
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20 views
THAT noun clause as Object of Preposition
The farmers didn't end agitation. That became a convenient tool for
the opposition.
[That the farmers didn't end agitation] became a convenient tool
for the opposition.
In the sentence 2 above, '...
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0answers
22 views
Prepostion at vs in, which is correct, "I am at my house" or "I am in my house"? [migrated]
Prepostion "at" vs "in", which is correct, "I am at my house" or "I am in my house"?
I tend to use "I am at my house" if for example I am calling a ...
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0answers
30 views
"Desperate to" or "for"? [closed]
It stands in a book:
And in the faces of the kids - alternately bad-tempered, unable to listen and desperate to change - I can see my younger self.
Is it correct? Why is it not desperate for a ...
1
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1answer
29 views
How to understand what preposition is associated with what meaning
I have difficulty in understanding what preposition, after a verb, is associated with what meaning, and how interchangeable prepositions are.
For example, Merriam-Webster reports the following meaning ...
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1answer
29 views
Adverb phrase or prepositional phrase? [duplicate]
If I have the following sentence:
"In mid-August, Gignac flew with Soffer on his private jet to Aspen to discuss the hotel purchase."
Focusing in on the "In mid-August," part in ...
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2answers
51 views
using preposition 'of' to mean 'possess'
Is using the preposition 'of' in places where you want to say that the subject is possessing the 'something' which follows 'of' (basically an adjective) a common practice and correct?
example:
My ...
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0answers
20 views
Pull on/at (heave on/at)
Harry heaved on the rope.
MY RESEARCH: "heave on" means "pull on" --
What is the difference between:
Pull a rope, pull on a rope, pull at a rope?
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1answer
28 views
As witnessed below (as=?) [closed]
My research: Often in legal papers, above the space for the witness to sign happens to be written:
As witnessed below ...
Now, according to my extent of English I would expect something like "...
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2answers
25 views
Placing comma before ambiguous prepositional phrase
But when I'm not writing code, I'll be spending time with friends and family, in the pursuit of happiness.
Is the comma placement before "in the pursuit of happiness" correct? Most of the ...
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1answer
24 views
What the answer of preposition in this sentence [duplicate]
The investigator asked the witness where he was __ the night of the murder
Is the answer
at
of
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2answers
53 views
Where should "on [date]" be put in a sentence?
Which order is best, A, B, or C? I'm not sure if the date can be used in this manner.
A. John was admitted into the University on 5 August 2013.
B. On 5 August 2013, John was admitted into the ...
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2answers
78 views
Which part of speech is "as" in each example of mine?
I've come across something that has stumped me a bit.
I think that the following usage of "as" is conjunctive. Am I correct?
He is the same as the dog is.
Is the following usage of "...
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1answer
41 views
"Two cars are luxury" or "Two cars is luxury" [duplicate]
Here is the sentence,
I'm getting rid of one of my cars, because two cars are/is luxury
I think the latter is correct, because two cars together constitutes to luxury. In case of,
Cars are luxury
...
-1
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1answer
35 views
Adverb in a prepositional phrase and what it modifies
I am with arguably the best basketball player in the nation.
Would this sentence above be correct, and if so, what does “arguably” modify?
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2answers
68 views
She ended up (being??) a rich woman
Somehow they all ended up at my house. ("end up" + prepositional phrase)
Well, grades ended up to be unimportant after all as my first job after graduating ended up in a private school with ...
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1answer
26 views
Meaning of 'with' [closed]
What is the meaning of 'with' in the below sentence? What relationship does it indicate?
The story begins with the meeting of two businesswomen.
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0answers
35 views
Participle phrases that don't follow the main clause
The book was boring, and as stupid as the last one, punctuated by silly mistakes.
Is it unambiguous? Is it grammatical?
I'm asking if it's grammatical because I want to know whether you can offset a ...
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0answers
27 views
Can you ever place a comma ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀ the word "which"? [duplicate]
Is there any scenario in which a comma is used right after the word which?
For example, is this sentence correctly written as is — or not?
The sensitivity to material AAA, which, in fact, is ...
1
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1answer
80 views
what does "back up" mean in this context:
At some point, once you've established the habit and you're showing up each day, you can combine the two-minute rule with a technique we call habit shaping to scale your habit back up toward your ...
4
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1answer
103 views
What licenses the omission of an article in a countable or singular noun phrase?
Specifically, the term market in the following sentence is often referred to as "the market". But here the article has been omitted. What licenses such usage?
The difference between prices ...
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0answers
47 views
Prepositional phrase modifying a subject at the end of a sentence
I want to express I was sitting on the couch watching TV. I heard that “I was watching TV on the couch” makes sense. I think a prepositional phrase at the end of a sentence can act as a subject ...
0
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1answer
73 views
The missing "to" in the phrase "subject to"
I learned that when referring one thing is subject to another thing, a "to" should always be there next to "subject" or before a which/that, etc. However, in the below language, ...
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0answers
109 views
Structure and usage of the construction - BE of
I have seen various sentences like this:
The availability of two reasonably complete mammalian genomes is of great help to gene finders. - The New York Times
I do my utmost to dress the actors very ...
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0answers
20 views
Using "to" as a function word to indicate the result of an action or a process
I encountered a sentence as follows:
To the audience's consternation, the corpse began to speak.
A bit of googling, brought about this result for the definitions of to from Merriam-Webster:
b—used ...
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0answers
14 views
Prepositional phrase and main clause subject agreement
I know it would be ungrammatical to say:
After standing up, his cheeks were covered in tears.
Because the subject for "after standing up" should be "he", while the subject in the ...
1
vote
2answers
114 views
Multi-layer prepositional phrase
I am having trouble picturing the structure of this preposition phrase
from the point of view of generative syntax (PP)
My attempt to run it down goes like this:
from (preposition) + the point of ...
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0answers
49 views
How can I tell if a prepositional phrase is a complement to a noun or a modifier? And how are these two different?
In the NP "mines in wartime", "in wartime" modifies the head "mines".
that nice tall man from Canada whom you met
"from Canada" modifies "man".
But ...
1
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0answers
48 views
What determines what can be pied-piped and what not in wh-movement?
A wh-expression without wh-movement, where the wh-word is the object of the preposition “about”:
You are talking about what?
A sentence that has undergone wh-movement:
What are you talking about?
⸺...
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2answers
58 views
Is this a verb phrase or simply an adjective?
The quote is usually attributed to him.
In the following sentence, does 'is...attributed' count as a verb phrase, or is 'attributed' simply a subject complement (as in '[t]he quote is usually ...
3
votes
2answers
65 views
How do 'within' and 'which' form a relative pronoun clause?
Routines offer a structure within which to prepare for performance.
I'm having trouble untangling the relative pronoun clause into a sentence of its own. At first glance, the two sentences combined ...
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0answers
46 views
How to identify whether commas is required to separate prepositional phrases at the end of sentence? Why commas hve been used here?
Skims benefited from a well-timed introduction of pajamas and loungewear, [commas]with product lines such as the “cozy collection” bolstering sales as women have traded form-fitting styles for ...
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2answers
97 views
A "conjecture on" or a "conjecture about"?
As a non-English scientist, the question bothers me. Maybe the answer depends on the context? Allow me to give a few examples. These are titles of a short text:
Is it better to say "A conjecture ...
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1answer
131 views
Difficulty understanding sentence in The Economist
I was reading an article in the latest issue of The Economist and was stumped by the opening of the last paragraph:
That leaves two reasons for passports at home. One is to enforce vaccination when ...
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0answers
24 views
Problems in something vs Problems with something? [closed]
May I know what is the difference between problems in doing something and problems with doing something?
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45 views
How do we tell the difference between a prepositional phrase and a particle phrase?
From the Farlex Grammar Book, their main difference is that particles cannot introduce a prepositional phrase-a preposition + its object-while a preposition always does.
Please look over these ...
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0answers
18 views
efficient with or in?
I wonder if the following sentences make sense or have any difference:
I am more efficient with single-tasking than multi-tasking.
I am more efficient in single-tasking than multi-tasking.
I work ...
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0answers
182 views
Sentence beginning with "Between [year] and [year] "
I’ve just been told it is wrong to put a comma after an “introductory time period”, for example:
“Between 1990 and 2003, diligent seekers found hundreds of incorrectly placed commas in all manner of ...
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0answers
30 views
a + adjective + "many" + of the + plural noun
(Countable noun) [a + adjective + ~ + of the + plural noun] a large number of persons
or things:
A good many of the beggars were blind.
https://www.wordreference.com/definition/many
Is the plural ...
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1answer
396 views
Have difficulty/difficulties (in) doing something
What is syntactically the -ing-phrase in both the versions with and without the preposition? For example in He has trouble [in] keeping things in perspective right now.
Secondly, does the latter ...
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0answers
34 views
Can I say that "unremarkable transverse peculiar velocity" is "vernacularly dissonant"? Is there a better description?
In the Astronomy SE question What does “unremarkable transverse peculiar velocity” mean exactly, and how is it calculated here? I made the following comment:
The peculiar phrase "unremarkable ...
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0answers
26 views
Using the gerund to express causation [duplicate]
Is the following phrase grammatically correct:
Suffering from anxiety and depression, life has been a tremendous challenge for him ever since he was a young boy.
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2k views
On a mission vs in a mission
I know the correct term is "man on a mission", but in any instance "man in a mission" is correct?
Thanks in advance
Best regards
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2answers
70 views
Of anyone I know
The American Heritage Dictionary reads
Anyone is often used in place of the more logical everyone in sentences
like
She is the most intelligent person of anyone I know.
In our 2017 ballot, the ...
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0answers
107 views
Agree with/on/about/to the book - In what scenarios are these correct?
Is my current use of these correct:
We agreed on that book. - Eg.: When in a book club you are choosing the book for the next session.
We agreed about that book. -Eg.: When two friends discussed a ...
0
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1answer
58 views
Why do I need two commas around the "however" in the following sentence?
In this following sentence, I'm particularly confused with why you would need to have the comma between "out" and "however".
"He found out, however, that the public preferred ...
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2answers
66 views
She stole her best friend’s boyfriend (from her)
She stole her best friend’s boyfriend (from her)
What is the reason for adding the redundant phrase from her after mentioning that it's her best friend?
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1answer
235 views
Do I need a comma to separate multiple prepositional phrases?
The mother shall have visitation for 2 consecutive weeks during the summer in Texas.
Do I need any commas for the multiple prepositional phrases?
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2answers
82 views
I graduated in the top or as a top [closed]
what is the right way to say
I graduated in the top 10 percent of my class with a cum laude honor or
I graduated as a top 10 percent of my class with a cum laude honor
Thanks
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77 views
"Series" – a noun of multitude similar to "lot", "majority", "percentage", "proportion"– verb agreement
According to Garner's fourth edition
Though serving as a plural when the need arises, series is ordinarily
a singular noun. But it is also a noun of
multitude, so that phrases such as a series of ...
0
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1answer
136 views
"No one of" + plural noun phrase
The Collins English Usage reads
Don't use ‘of’ after ‘no one’ or ‘nobody’; Say ‘None of the
children could speak French’.
However in the Cambridge Grammar of the English Language on can find : No ...