Download HOW TO IDENTIFY THE FUNCTION OF PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE

HOW TO IDENTIFY THE FUNCTION OF PREPOSITIONAL
PHRASE IN A SENTENCE
Oleh : Sri Haryanti
ABSTRAK
Frasa preposisi merupakan sebuah frasa yang dimulai dengan preposisi dan diakhiri dengan kata ganti
benda, kata benda, atau gerund. Frasa ini banyak digunakan dalam kalimat-kalimat di dalam suatu teks. Kadangkadang pembaca menemui kesulitan ketika diminta menunjukkan fungsi dari frasa tersebut. Pada umumnya
frasa ini berfungsi sebagai keterangan atau adverbia seperti dalam kalimat The people are gathering in the
stadium. In the stadium sebagai frasa preposisi yang menerangkan kata kerja are gathering. Disamping itu,
frasa ini bisa berfungsi sebagai ajektiva dan nomina. Permasalahan yang dibahas dalam paper ini adalah
bagaimana pembaca mengidentifikasi fungsi frasa preposisi dalam sebuah kalimat.
Untuk mengetahui perbedaan ketiga fungsi tersebut, pembaca dapat mengenali posisi frasa tersebut
disamping maknanya. Posisi tersebut diantaranya: frasa preposisi yang berfungsi sebagai ajektiva selalu
diletakkan sesudah kata benda atau nomina yang diterangkan, misalnya The boys in this village like playing
football., frasa in this village menerangkan kata benda boys; frasa preposisi yang berfungsi sebagai adverbial
dapat diletakkan sesudah kata kerja sebagai predikat (We usually eat at home)atau sesudah kata benda sebagai
objek (We always eat rice in the afternoon)(di akhir kalimat) maupun di awal kalimat (Before going to campus,
Arina usually eats breakfast); frasa preposisi yang berfungsi sebagai kata benda dapat diletakkan di awal kalimat
sebagai subjek (After lunch is the appropriate time to have a rest), sesudah linking verb dan frasa tersebut
sebagai pelengkap subjek (The appropriate time to have a rest is after lunch), sesudah kata benda sebagai
objek sehingga frasa preposisi ini sebagai pelengkap objek (I found my wallet in a wet condition) atau sesudah
preposisi sehingga frasa preposisi ini sebagai objek dari preposisi (He will wait for until dark).
Kata-kata Kunci: Frasa Preposisi, Mengidentifikasi, Fungsi Frasa Preposisi.
INTRODUCTION
Preposition has a very important role in making
sentences. It seems that preposition is just a simple
word because it can be one word, two words, or more.
However, when the speaker or writer does not pay
attention to it, he or she will make an incorrect
sentence. When preposition is followed by the other
words, that is noun, it is called prepositional phrase.
The preposition is classified as a part of speech in
traditional grammar. However, prepositions as well
as conjunctions differ from other parts of speech in
that (1) each composed of a small class of words that
have no formal characteristic endings; (2) each signals
syntatic structures that function as one of the other
parts of speech. For these reasons modern linguists
prefer to classify prepositions as structure words
rather than as parts of speech.
Sri Haryanti : adalah dosen Progdi Pend. Bhs. Inggris, UNWIDHA Klaten
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How To Identify The Function Of Prepositional Phrase......
Prepositions range in meaning from such
definite semantic notions as time, place, etc., to such
Noun, pronoun or gerund, here become
objects of preposition, therefore, their forms are
purely structural meaning as those shaped by the
subject-verb-complement relationship (The murder
of all prisoners by their captors).
also in objects (them, him, her, me, us, you, it).
One prepositional phrase can contain two or more
objects of one preposition, example: for students
A preposition signals that a noun or a noun
structure follows it; the preposition + noun
and faculty, except lettuce, cheese, and pickles,
by noon or evening, without money, health, or
combination constitutes a prepositional phrase (He
walked into the house). A prepositional phrase may
companionship, toward either Tim or Rick, with
neither the ability nor the ambition, by both the
function as an adverb, adjective or noun. Since the
preposition is an integral part of the prepositional
mayor and the council, concerning not only his
work but also his leisure (Pratt, 1993:53-54).
phrase, both prepositions and prepositional phrase will
be presented in this paper.
Words that connect two objects of one preposition
are called conjunctions. The words in italic in
Based on the explanation above, the writer
would like to formulate the problem as follows: How
do we know that prepositional phrase functions as
adjective, adverb or noun in a sentence? After learning
this material, the readers are expected to possess the
knowledge of prepositional phrases, to identify the
uses of prepositional phrase in the sentence, to use
the meaning categories of prepositional phrase in the
sentence and to identify position of prepositional
phrase and its functions;
the examples above are conjunctions.
Prepositions which are always followed
by nouns or pronouns are connected words that
show the relationship between the nouns
following them and one of the basic sentence
element: subject, verb, object, or complement.
They usually indicate relationships, such as
position, place, direction, time, manner, agent,
possession, and condition, between their objects
and other parts of the sentence.
B. Use of the Prepositional Phrase in the Sentence
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
A. The Notion of Prepositional Phrase
Prepositional Phrase is a group of words
that begins with a preposition and ends with a
noun (Pratt, 1993:48).
Examples:
(1) He is a student of Widya Dharma University.
(2) She did the assignment by herself.
(3) The letter might be among those papers.
(4) These references are for making paper.
Many prepositional phrases seem
adverbial in meaning, in that they often indicate
time, place, manner or degree, as adverbs do.
However, the same prepositional phrase
may be used as :
1.
an adverb
Example:
(1) I can see you at noon.
(2) Put the flowers in the vase.
(3) He was walking with his friend.
(4) The delegates went for a swim before
breakfast.
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(5) Either the brooch with the ruby, the ring
Prepositional phrase used as adverbs usually
follows the verb, though like adverbs, they
in platinum, or the pendant with the
three diamonds would be appropriate
can be moved to other positions in the
sentence.
for the lady.
(6) All of the bridesmaids were beautiful.
Example:
(1) For the boosters the first half of the game
3.
had been great.
Prepositional phrase used as nouns will be
subjects, objects, or complements in the
(2) After the game the team drove without
sentence.
delay to Akron.
(3) In haste he ran to the desk of the night
editor.
Example:
(1) Before breakfast is a good time to swim.
(as subject)
(4) With my loyal and resourceful comrade,
I conquered them.
(2) We found her in tears. (as objective
complement)
(5) On the side of her car, the students had
attached a message.
(3) I cannot see you until after the
Christmas holidays. (as object of
preposition)
When a long adverb phrase or two short
phrases begin a sentence, they are followed
by a comma, like in the examples (4) and
(5) above. Besides, prepositional phrase as
adverb can be in mid position, such as in the
(4) The dog emerged from under the porch.
(as object of preposition)
(5) She was in tears. (as subjective
complement)
sentence The new student,because of his
aggressiveness, could not make many
friends.
2.
a noun
(6) That case is out of our jurisdiction. (as
subjective complement)
an adjective
Prepositional phrase used as adjectives
usually follow the nouns, they modify.
Example:
(1) A swim before breakfast is better than
one after dinner.
C. Meaning Category
The following list illustrates the use of
prepositional phrases to convey specific kinds
of information.
1.
Place, position
(2) One girl in the show was very talented.
Across
Her house is across the street.
(3) Many of the exhibits at the fair were
after
The first street after the bridge
excellent.
(4) Neither the ones in first grade nor those
in the second seemed sufficiently
is State Street.
against
His bicycle was leaning
against the fence.
coordinated.
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around
at
The shop is just around the
corner.
2.
Direction
across
I am going across the street to
see my cousin.
at
The child threw a stone at the
bear.
He used to be a student at a
North American University.
before
I have your letter before me now.
behind
The garage is behind the house.
into
below
They live in the apartment
below ours.
I saw her going into the theatre
a few minutes ago.
to
She went to the grocery store.
His shop is between the bank
through
The bird flew through the open
window.
up
The salmon were swimming
between
and the post office.
by
in
in front of
inside
near
on
That house by the lake is my
dream house.
She was dozing in an armchair
when he got there
up the river.
3.
Time
after
The ball stopped in front of the
bus.
Would you please call after
eight?
at
Come in. It is warmer inside
the house.
I told her to meet us at six
o’clock sharp.
before
You shouldn’t smoke near
gasoline.
Take this medicine before
mealtime.
during
He found the book on the
table.
During the winter, I think I’ll
go to Florida.
in
I’ll meet you in an hour.
on top of
I want whipped cream on top
of my strawberries.
opposite
The school is opposite the
church.
outside
There’s a bird nest outside
window.
over
The window is over the
radiator
to
Attach the rope to the bumper
of the car
under
The book was under the desk.
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4.
Purpose, reason
for
5.
Possession
Of
6.
Take this medicine for your
headache.
The leader of the scouts has
not arrived yet.
Manner, instrument
By
I enjoy going there by train.
In
You can’t go to that restaurant
in jeans.
Like
That clown walks like a duck.
With
She writes with a pen.
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7.
“In the vicinity of”
Identification
At
The shop at the corner sells
stamps.
By
That book by Hemingway is a
In
With
People have reported seeing a stranger
around the store.
2.
At
masterpiece.
With a street address if the house number is
The man in the dark suit is my
neighbour.
given.
People with law degrees often
With points in time
She lives at 18 Magnolia Street.
go into politics.
8.
With prices
We walked for miles and
miles.
for
9.
He arrived at 8.00.
Distance
I can’t afford to buy them at that price.
3.
Agent
By
“Alone” (with a reflexive pronoun)
This film was directed by a
Czech director.
by
He lives by himself.
“Past”
10. Material
Several buses go by our house.
I must fill my pen with ink.
with
“At the latest” (with a maximum time limit)
11. Quantity
Meat is sold by pound or by
kilo.
by
He will be here by five o’clock.
4.
For
To indicate duration of time.
D. Prepositions with Multiple Meanings
She played the piano for two hours.
Some prepositions are used to express
variety of meanings. These may present
difficulties. Some of them common prepositions
with their various meanings and their most
common uses are summarized as follows for
“In exchange for”
reference purpose.
“instead of,” “in place of”
1.
Around
“At approximately”
The police believe the man died around
six o’clock.
I bought this book for two dollars.
With the beneficiary of an action
Shall I open the window for you?
When he was away, his neighbour did
the work for him.
With the subject of an infinitive
It is important for them to arrive early.
The temperature has been around 32°
C all day.
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5.
In
The temperature is well above freezing.
With cities, states, countries, continents.
He held an umbrella over his head.
He lives in Cairo.
Over also means “more than” and “in the
course of” a period time.
With periods of time.
He is over eighty years old.
I saw him in January.
Over the years, he has proven to be a
true friend.
With lengths of time
He will come in an hour.
With languages
2.
Below refers to a place lower than a certain
point. Under refers to a place directly below
a certain point.
That opera was originally written in
Italian.
6.
On
That valley is below sea level.
To indicate contact with a surface
His shoes are under the bed.
The book is on the table.
Under also means “less than” and “under
the supervision of.”
With days of the week and dates
Summer begins on June 21.
The children in this class are under six
years of age.
With the name of a street
I live on McKinley Street.
7.
With
To indicate association
I will stay with the car while you go for
help.
8.
Without
To indicate the absence of something
Nothing can live without water.
E. Prepositions that are often confusing
In, on and at, discussed previously, are
probably the most often confusing English
prepositions. Following are some others.
1.
Above, over
Above refers to a place higher than a certain
point. Over refers to a place directly above
a certain point.
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Below, under
She works under the managing editor.
3.
Beneath, underneath
Beneath and underneath mean almost the
same thing in many uses. Generally, both
indicate a position lower than a given point
when the meanings diverge. Underneath
convey more specifically the meaning of one
object being covered up by another, and
beneath may be used in a figurative sense.
It may be useful to associate underneath with
under and beneath with below.
Two hundred feet beneath (below) the
surface of the earth, solid rock was
found.
The shoes were found underneath a pile
of clothes in the closet.
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How To Identify The Function Of Prepositional Phrase......
4.
I found your letter among my school
papers.
To, toward
To is used with verbs of motion and definite
destinations. Toward means “in the general
9.
direction.”
Through refers to motion first into then out
We walked to the station.
of something. Throughout is used with
something that is distributed in every part
All mosques face toward Mecca.
5.
Through, throughout
of something.
Beside, besides
Let’s walk through the park.
Beside means “next to.” Besides means “in
addition to”
The news spread throughout the
country.
He is sitting beside his brother.
Two others won prizes besides us.
6.
In, into
In is used with locations or conditions. Into
is used with verbs that show motion (real or
metaphorical) from one place or state to
another.
The child is in the pool. The child
jumped into the pool.
The patient is in a coma. The patient
slipped into a coma.
7.
F.
Position of Prepositional Phrases and Its
Functions
1.
In adjective function
One or more prepositional phrases may follow
the noun head, with no commas between them.
a.
The meeting
of all members
The car went past the monument at
In Paris
This example above is succession of
prepositional phrase modifying the noun
head.
b.
10.00.
He lives beyond the post office.
Between, among
Between refers to position in relation to two
persons or things. Among refers to position in
relation three or more persons or things.
The honey
two windows.
These prepositional phrases may
successively modify the noun in the
preceding phrase.
fromfrom
the bees
the bees
c.
In
thenorthern
northern
In the
part
part
of theofcountry
the country
These prepositional phrases may be a
combination of (a) and (b) successively
modify the noun in the preceding
I want to put the table between those
The meeting
ofmembers
the
of the
members
56
In July 16
Past, beyond
Past is used with verbs of motion to indicate
approaching, then passing by a certain point.
Beyond refers to a location further away than
some specified concrete or abstract point.
8.
These prepositional phrases may all modify
the noun head
ofclub
of the
the club
on on
July 16
July 16
of
year
ofthat
that
year
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2.
In adverbial function
Adverbial prepositional phrases maybe used in
three positions:
Initial position Because of his aggressiveness,
the new student could not make
many friends.
Mid-position
The new student, because of his
aggressiveness, could not make
many friends.
Final Position
The new student could not make
many friends because of his
aggressiveness.
CONCLUSION
Here is the conclusion of the discussion that
the writer can state. The readers can identify the
functions of prepositional phrases by seeing their
position in the sentence and their meaning. Before
coming to the main conclusion the writer gives the
two statements as follows:
First, Prepositional phrase is a group of words
that begins with preposition and ends with noun,
pronoun, or gerund. A prepositional phrase may
function as an adverb, an adjective, or noun. Since
the preposition is an integral part of the prepositional
phrase, both preposition and prepositional phrases can
not be separated in a sentence.
Prepositional phrase functioning as adjective
is always placed after the noun modified.
Prepositional phrase functioning as adverb can be
after the predicate, direct object, after the subject
which is written between commas, or before the
subject. Whereas, Prepositional phrase functioning
as noun can be in subject position or in initial position,
after linking verb, after object, or after preposition
itself.
REFERENCES
Frank, Marcella. 1972. Modern English A Practical
Reference Guide. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Pratt, Lorraine Nichols. 1993. Grammar Step-ByStep. Volume 1. Jakarta: Binarupa Aksara.
____________ . 1993. Grammar Step-By-Step.
Volume 2. Jakarta: Binarupa Aksara.
Quirk, Randolph and Sidney Greenbaum. 1983. A
University Grammar of English. England:
Longman Group, Ltd.
Thomson, A.J. and A.V. Martinet. 1977. A Practical
English Grammar. Oxford: Oxford University
Press.
Second, The use of prepositional phrase also
conveys specific kinds of information as position,
place, direction, time, purpose, reason, etc. Even,
prepositions have multiple meanings. These may
present difficulties because we face it by supplying
deep knowledge.
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