Prepositional Phrases
What Is It?
A prepositional phrase begins with a preposition and ends with its object, showing relation: Prep + NP → “Data lives on SSDs.”
Why Use Prepositional Phrases?
- Orientation — anchors actions in space/time.
- Clarity — clarifies relationships succinctly.
- Variety — alternates sentence patterns.
When to Choose Prepositional Phrases
Architecture diagrams, onboarding guides, runbooks.
Forming Prepositional-Phrase Sentences
| Role | Formula | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Location | V + PP | “Pods run in Kubernetes.” |
| Time (front) | PP, + S + V | “After midnight, backups start.” |
| Purpose | N + PP | “A script for schema migration ran.” |
| Agent in passive | be + V‑pp + by + NP | “Data was encrypted by Vault.” |
Tips for Writing with Prepositional Phrases
- Choose specific prepositions (on, in, under).
- Avoid ending sentences with unnecessary preps.
- Limit stacked PPs (“in the file in the folder…”).
- Re‑order for emphasis (with X up front).
Exceptions & Nuances
Infinitives may follow about, to, etc.; distinguish from true PP.