Prepositional Phrases That Are Adjectival (Noun-Modifying)

DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN:

PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES THAT ARE ADJECTIVAL (NOUN-MODIFYING)/ PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES THAT ARE ADVERBIAL (VERB-MODIFYING) PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES THAT ARE COMPLEMENTS. A COMPLEMENT IS A PREPOSITION THAT SEEMS TO AUTOMATICALLY "COME WITH" THE VERB.

A SERIES OF THREE TESTS TO FIGURE OUT IF YOU HAVE A COMPLEMENT.

1. START WITH THE ACID TEST. IF THE VERB MUST HAVE THE PREPOSITION AFTER IT TO EVEN MAKE SENSE IN ENGLISH, IT IS A COMPLEMENT.

EXAMPLE: THE STATEMENT AMOUNTED TO A CONFESSION. 2. BUT EVEN IF YOU CAN THINK OF A SITUATION WHERE YOU COULD STATE A SENTENCE WITHOUT A PREPOSITION, YOU SHOULD TRY THE NEXT TEST. IF YOU WERE GOING TO PUT A PREPOSITION IN, WHICH ONE(S) DO YOU “AUTOMATICALLY DEFAULT” TO? IMAGINE YOU ARE DOING A “WORD ASSOCIATION” EXERCISE. WHAT PREPOSITIONS DO YOU AUTOMATICALLY ASSOCIATE WITH IT IT?

EXAMPLE:

DEFAULT TO/ON: DEFAULT TO A PC FORMAT/ DEFAULT ON A LOAN

ASSOCIATE WITH: ASSOCIATE SOMETHING WITH SOMETHING

INTEREST IN: INTEREST SOMEBODY IN SOMETHING

PORTRAY AS: PORTRAY SOMEBODY/SOMETHING AS SOMETHING/ IF YOU CAN ONLY DEFAULT TO ONE OR TWO PREPOSITIONS, THEY ARE PROBABLY COMPLEMENTS. 3. BUT EVEN IF YOU CAN THINK OF A SITUATION WHERE YOU COULD FIND TWO OR THREE PREPOSITIONS THAT YOU CAN USE WITH A VERB, LOOK FOR THE ONE OR TWO THAT HAVE THE MOST RIGID PATTERNS – THAT DON’T ALLOW YOU TO MOVE AROUND THE SENTENCE LIKE AN ORDINARY ADVERBIAL PHRASE. THESE ARE THE COMPLEMENTS.

PORTRAY AS/IN HE PORTRAYED HIS WIFE AS A FOOL. HE PORTRAYED JOHN WILKES BOOTH IN THE PLAY.

** AS A FOOL HE PORTRAYED HIS WIFE (CLEARLY A COMPLEMENT) ** IN THE PLAY, HE PORTRAYED JOHN WILKES BOOTH (NOT A COMPLEMENT) ADVERBIAL (VERB-MODIFYING) PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES

1. UNLIKE A COMPLEMENT, AN ADVERBIAL PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE CAN BE REMOVED FROM THE SENTENCE AND THERE IS NO GIANT HOLE IN THE SENTENCE!

HE AMOUNTED TO A FAILURE IN HIS MARRIAGE. HE PORTRAYED HIS WIFE AS A GREAT MOTHER AT WORK.

2. UNLIKE A COMPLEMENT, AN ADVERBIAL PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE CAN GENERALLY BE MOVED AROUND IN THE SENTENCE.

IN HIS MARRIAGE, HE AMOUNTED TO A FAILURE. AT WORK, HE PORTRAYED HIS WIFE AS A GREAT MOTHER.

3. LIKE COMPLEMENTS, ADVERBIAL PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES OFTEN ANSWER QUESTIONS. A TEST THOUGH IS THE DIFFERENCE IN THE QUESTION YOU CAN ASK. WITH AN ADVERBIAL, YOU CAN ASK QUESTIONS SUCH AS “WHY” “HOW” “WHERE” AND “WHEN.” WITH A COMPLEMENT, YOU CAN ASK A QUESTION SUCH AS “WHAT” OR “WHO” AND THE PREPOSITION MUST STAY IN THE QUESTION!

HE RELIED ON HIS MOTHER. WHO DID HE RELY ON? (ON MUST STAY IN THE QUESTION – “ON HIS MOTHER” IS A COMPLEMENT).

HE RELIED ON HIS MOTHER FOR MONEY. WHY DID HE RELY ON HIS MOTHER? FOR MONEY. (FOR MONEY IS AN ADVERBIAL). ADJECTIVAL (NOUN-MODIFYING) PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES

1. UNLIKE COMPLEMENTS AND ADVERBIAL PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES, THESE PHRASES DON’T GENERALLY ANSWER QUESTIONS SUCH AS “WHY” “HOW” “WHERE” AND “WHEN.” DON’T BE CONFUSED BY THE SURFACE LEVEL MEANING. TRY TO MAKE A QUESTION WITH SOMETHING LIKE “WHICH” TO SEE IF YOU HAVE AN ADJECTIVAL (NOUN-MODIFYING) PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE.

THEY WENT TO THE CLINIC NEAR THE PALACE.

“NEAR THE PALACE” LOOKS LIKE AN ADVERBIAL PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE – ON THE SURFACE IT SEEMS TO ANSWER THE QUESTION “WHERE” -- BUT TRY A QUESTION WITH “WHERE” – WHERE DID THEY GO TO THE PALACE? THIS SIMPLY DOESN’T WORK!

HOW ABOUT WHICH CLINIC DID THEY GO TO? (THE ONE) NEAR THE PALACE.

2. IMPORTANT STYLE NOTE: ENGLISH REQUIRES THE ADJECTIVAL (NOUN) MODIFYING PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE TO BE AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE TO THE NOUN IT MODIFIES AND DOES NOT ALLOW FOR GREAT MOVEMENT OF ADJECTIVAL PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES AROUND THE SENTENCE. MISPLACED MODIFIER: A PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE THAT IS IN THE WRONG PLACE IN A SENTENCE. IF IT’S AN ADJECTIVAL PHRASE, IT’S NOT AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE TO THE NOUN IT MODIFIES. IF IT’S AN ADVERBIAL PHRASE, IT NEEDS TO BE MOVED SO THAT THERE IS NO CONFUSION THAT IT MIGHT BE AN ADJECTIVAL PHRASE.

**The young girl was walking the dog in a short skirt. SO THE DOG IS ONE OF THOSE LITTLE LAP DOGS WITH A SKIRT, RIGHT?

The young girl in a short skirt was walking the dog.

**The dog was chasing the boy with the spiked collar. SO THE BOY IS INTO PUNK METAL, RIGHT?

The dog with a spiked collar was chasing the boy.

**Sam asked me to go for a ride on the telephone. SO THIS IS SOME SORT OF ODD SEXUAL PRACTICE, RIGHT?

On the telephone, Sam asked me to go for a ride.

Misplaced Modifiers

Directions: Rewrite each sentence, moving the misplaced modifier to its correct position. Decide if the problem is an adjective phrase that is not close enough to the noun it modifies or an adverbial phrase that could be mistaken as an adjectival phrase.

1. No one can shoot anything on this property except the owner.

2. He sat very quietly, rolling his eyes in his chair.

3. We watched the newscast with anxious eyes.

4. He promised never to remarry anyone at her deathbed.

5. The sale at Brown’s features shirts for men with minor flaws.

6. Clare opened the package brought by the letter carrier with a cry of delight.

7. Dad had been looking for a mechanic who can repair our car without success. 8. Paul had a tomato that he had grown himself in his lunchbox. FAST QUIZ (for 5 fast points)

1. Word association: Jot down the preposition that comes to mind when you hear each verb. Then use the tests we talked about in class today determine if the preposition is a complement: provide insist reply depend relax