Questions tagged [prepositional-phrases]
Questions about prepositional phrases.
451
questions
1
vote
3
answers
4k
views
Ambiguity in prepositional phrases
"Nellie washed the dishes in the sink."
This sentence is ambiguous, and the prepositional phrase can be read two ways--either as 'Nellie washed (in the sink) the dishes', in which case it is an ...
- 76.8k
2
votes
1
answer
53
views
“Amid concerns” vs. “Among concerns”
I’ve always been taught that the word “amid(st)” should be used exclusively with singular, specifically singular and uncountable nouns, especially those which express an abstract idea, (e.g. “His ...
CommunityBot
- 1
0
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Using "to" twice in a list: "from..., to ... to..."
The five building blocks offers you privacy and data protection from tailored modules and dashboarding, to integrated access to XZ's full advisory capabilities.
Is the above sentence correct? Can 'to'...
CommunityBot
- 1
1
vote
0
answers
66
views
Is this prepositional phrase acting as an adjective?
The example
Create a referral to a specialist.
The question
Is that sentence grammatically correct?
I think it is because the prepositional phrase is acting as an adjective (modifying "referral&...
- 9,818
0
votes
1
answer
48
views
Is this a direct object or prepositional phrase?
Sorry if my question is not suitable for this forum. Although a native speaker, I am unfamiliar with grammatical rules in English (which consequently leads to a lack of comprehension in foreign ...
- 9,818
1
vote
0
answers
19
views
How do you draw the tree in generative grammar for phrasal prepositional verbs such as "put up with? [closed]
I have the structure for transitive phrasals and for prepositional verbs, but I am having some trouble when I have to draw the tree for a phrasal prepositional verb. I know for sure it must contain a ...
- 28.2k
3
votes
2
answers
26k
views
Correct usage of the phrase 'if any'
What is the best position for the phrase 'if any' for the sentence below? Please, explain the rationale behind your answers.
What could be, if any, the benefits or disadvantages of something?
What ...
- 149
2
votes
3
answers
3k
views
What does 'against' mean in the phrase 'Execute against a MySQL database'?
I've encountered this strange and rather odd (to me) usage of the preposition 'against', which I quite can't grasp as of now. I've tried to look it up in several dictionaries to no avail.
0
votes
1
answer
38
views
Do adjectival prepositional phrases introduced by "with" have a specific name/type (translation of "complément circonstanciel d'accompagnement")?
How do you analyze/translate a "complément circonstanciel d'accompagnement" or can you further specify the type of adjectival prepositional phrase introduced by with (or which has) this is? ...
CommunityBot
- 1
14
votes
6
answers
2k
views
What is the name of the ambiguity in the phrase "I want to visit clubs with attractive women"?
I want to visit clubs with attractive women.
This phrase can be interpreted in two ways:
I want to visit clubs myself, but the clubs I visit should have
attractive women.
I want to take ...
- 63k
5
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Hyphenation in compound adjectives like "in demand" skills, "on-call" service
I always thought "in-demand", "on-call", when used in the adjective position before a noun should be hyphenated for sheer readability if nothing else, but just checking, I see ...
- 138k
0
votes
1
answer
64
views
Verb Form Following "Who" Preceded by Prepositional Phrase [duplicate]
Does the verb form after "who" attach to "one" or "friends"? Or can both possibilities be argued?
She gave the document to one of her friends who are trustworthy.
She ...
CommunityBot
- 1
0
votes
3
answers
227
views
Is there a comma required in this sentence?
Consider the following.
He participated in one of the most challenging swimming competitions SwimFest-X in countryname-Y, which facilitated his success in Z.
or should there be a comma before ...
CommunityBot
- 1
0
votes
2
answers
43
views
Where should I put the prepositional phrase? [closed]
Where should the prepositional phrase go in this sentence?
A student with an adventurous mind like me cannot be happier than this.
or
A student like me with an adventurous mind cannot be happier ...
- 18.9k
0
votes
0
answers
37
views
What preposition I should use with the word "application"?
Which one of the following three sentences is correct? I am not sure what preposition I should use with the word "application". Thanks.
My job is to facilitate the application of this new ...
- 1
2
votes
6
answers
153
views
Order of prepositions "of" and "by"
Quoting from a BBC article:
What also marks the current protests out from previous ones is the
emerging use by demonstrators of Molotov cocktails.
I would have put the prepositional phrases "by ...
- 12.3k
-1
votes
1
answer
57
views
"by walk" or "by foot" when travelling by walking [duplicate]
We can say "by car", "by bike", "by bus", "by train" and "by flight" when we're traveling by a transportation vehicle. But what if we're traveling by ...
- 22.4k
0
votes
2
answers
1k
views
What type of phrase is "A few days ago, ..." or "Last Monday, ..."? [duplicate]
What do you call a phrase like "A few days ago, ..." or "Last Monday, ..."?
For example, "A few days ago, I went shopping" or "Last Monday, I finished reading my book"
I was thinking that it was an ...
- 133k
2
votes
2
answers
70
views
How acceptable are prepositional phrase complements to PPs themselves? [closed]
https://linguisticsgirl.com/prepositional-complement-english-grammar/
gives these examples for PPs accepting another PP as complement:
My mother thought about under the bed.
She is worrying about in ...
- 6,872
15
votes
6
answers
10k
views
Do brides in church weddings go up the aisle toward the altar or down the aisle toward the altar?
Nigel Rees, The Cassell Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins (1987) has this entry regarding the question "WHY DO WE SAY ... BRIDES GO UP THE AISLE?"
Sir Thomas Bazley fired off a letter ...
- 158k
1
vote
1
answer
632
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?
CommunityBot
- 1
0
votes
0
answers
66
views
"Resign my job" or "resign from my job"? Any difference? [closed]
Is there any difference in meaning between "resign from my job" and "resign my job"?
Generally, with a preposition, the phrase doesn't necessarily entail the result.
I cut the rope....
- 29
0
votes
1
answer
243
views
Comma usage after the start of a sentence beginning with time [duplicate]
It has been an ongoing debate in my office among managers that there should be a comma used after a statement of time.
Ex.
At 1135 Hrs., (Subject) Was observed doing something that he shouldn't have.
...
- 63k
1
vote
2
answers
55
views
When is it appropriate to omit both articles and prepositions together?
I am working on a localisation issue within a project, but I cannot figure out through any of my searches and reference texts if there is a particular set of rules surrounding the omission of articles ...
- 28.2k
0
votes
1
answer
184
views
“What do you think of” noun phrase
[i] She thinks of herself as a poet. (Collins #7)
[ii] People are thinking of her for president. (Webster’s, think of #2.b)
[iii] What do you think of the film? (Cambridge)
It seems like verb ...
- 105k
0
votes
1
answer
33
views
Difficulty in distinguishing whether a singular or plural verb agrees with a subject; one which includes "both" followed by a prepositional phrase
I have written the following sentence:
While I think the Austrian School's fixation both on natural prices and the rate of interest were akin to jousting at windmills...
First, am I correct in ...
- 26.3k
0
votes
1
answer
56
views
What does "cutting in" mean?
Flies, bees, beetles, wasps, and other insects are segmented creatures——head, thorax, and abdomen. where these parts join, there appears to the imaginative eye a "cutting in" of the body.
...
- 625
-1
votes
1
answer
42
views
What is meaning of for in "for Christmas"? [closed]
What do you buy for Christmas？ We are going to buy a turkey for Christmas?
What is the meaning of for？Something for Christmas means something to celebrate Christmas?
- 76.8k
2
votes
1
answer
188
views
Using “including” vs. “and include”
I came across this sentence:
The benefits of exercise are vast, including improved cardiovascular health....
I can tell something’s off here — I believe it should be either
The benefits of exercise ...
- 76.8k
0
votes
1
answer
678
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 ...
CommunityBot
- 1
1
vote
1
answer
68
views
When ‘that’ follows an 𝒳-of-𝒴 subject, which noun phrase does ‘that’ refer to: the first noun phrase 𝒳 or the second noun phrase 𝒴?
I’ve seen those two quite different usages of that following an 𝒳-of-𝒴
prepositional phrase connecting two noun phrases 𝒳 and 𝒴 via the
preposition of, one in which it is used to refer ...
- 105k
12
votes
5
answers
12k
views
Why is "the" dropped in "I go to school by bus"?
Why is the dropped in "I go to school by bus"? Why isn't it "I go to the school by the bus" if both school and bus are countable? Does the rule that a countable noun must have an article have an ...
CommunityBot
- 1
0
votes
0
answers
27
views
Is ‘when regarding’ in this sentence a preposition, meaning on the subject of/ in respect to, or a verb meaning thinking of/considering?
A recent troubling MIT study, revealed that fake news diffused significantly farther, faster, deeper and more broadly than the truth, with the effect even more pronounced when regarding political news ...
- 5,949
0
votes
0
answers
53
views
Can "in favour of" be used in the context?
Will it make sense if I say, "The shopping will probably change in favour of delivery services".
I would like to say that people will be opting for delivery services rather than go to shops.
...
3
votes
0
answers
148
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 ...
CommunityBot
- 1
5
votes
2
answers
5k
views
Can a prepositional phrase act as an indirect object?
For example, in the sentence: I baked a cake for my mom.
Direct object (DO): cake
Indirect object (IO): for my mom
Some webpages say IO can only come before DO
While others explain that a ...
8
votes
5
answers
6k
views
“A threat to us people” or “a threat to we people”?
Which of these is correct:
Global warming is a great threat to us people.
Global warming is a great threat to we people.
Looking on the web, usage seems divided. Compare:
I believe that it is in ...
- 133k
0
votes
1
answer
144
views
Identified by or Identified as
I wish to write that some variables in a scientific document can be respectively identified (as/by) some values... For instance,
...where a,b and c correspond to the energies the spinor and the ...
- 72
1
vote
1
answer
87
views
How to understand what preposition is associated with what meaning? [closed]
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 ...
- 10.1k
1
vote
3
answers
219
views
"Like" as a preposition
I know that 'like' can function as a preposition, but I want your views on this statement:
A collection, like old rocks or unique autos, gives a person some individuality.
I think 'like' functions ...
CommunityBot
- 1
6
votes
1
answer
16k
views
Is single-word "inbetween" becoming more acceptable? How far can it go?
I get the distinct feeling that "inbetween" occurs increasingly often as a single word, but I'm not at all clear on why it's used more in some contexts than others.
What I can is see that in Google ...
1
vote
0
answers
105
views
"Sought for" at the end of a sentence
Does anyone know if "sought for" can be used at the end of a clause, phrase, or sentence, even if "for" might be redundant? I'm not speaking of "sought for [something]", ...
- 6,648
1
vote
2
answers
73
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 ...
CommunityBot
- 1
0
votes
2
answers
1k
views
What's the difference between "in the same year" and "the same year"? [closed]
It remained constant at this level till May the same year.
In this sentence, can we use 'in' before the noun phrase 'the same year'?
What is the difference between 'in the same year' and 'the same ...
1
vote
2
answers
107
views
Separating that/which clauses from their referents with prepositional phrases [duplicate]
How acceptable is it to separate a that-clause from its referent with a prepositional phrase? It's a problem I keep running into, and I'm not sure if it's too jarring.
How would you rate the ...
- 11.5k
1
vote
2
answers
92
views
Is this prepositional phrase a 'predicative adjunct'?
The class was composed of thirty students, including Jonathan and Kelly.
In this sentence, the prepositional phrase 'including Jonathan and Kelly' is a non-restrictive element in the clause structure ...
- 38.2k
0
votes
2
answers
153
views
Prepostition 'as to' in poetry
So I ran accross this line in a poem of Alexander Pope:
Vice is a monster of so frightful mien As to be hated needs but to be
seen; Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face, We first endure, then
...
CommunityBot
- 1
1
vote
2
answers
325
views
In “We’re going to throw a surprise party for her”, is "for her" an adjectival phrase or an adverbial phrase?
Consider these sentences:
We’re going to throw a surprise party for her.
I’ll get some flowers for Anne.
In (1) for her is a prepositional phrase. Is this instance of for her
an adjectival ...
CommunityBot
- 1
0
votes
3
answers
114
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?
- 76.8k
0
votes
0
answers
18
views
Non restrictive relative clase with prepositional noun phrase [duplicate]
In the sentence
The partner of an old woman who is residing in the USA will help us
it is clear that the person who will help us is the partner. But, I'm not clear whether the person who is residing ...
- 76.8k