When we learned about noncount verbs, we learned a bit about prepositional phrases. These are phrases that come after nouns to modify their meanings. These prepositional phrase modifiers make nouns more specific in different ways.
The most common prepositional phrase modifiers use 'of.'
| Noun | Prepositional Phrase Modifier | Meaning | Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| list | of presents | a list consisting of presents | My dad gave me a list of presents to buy for the family. |
| story | of love | a story about love | This is a story of love and tragedy. |
| success | of the movie | the success resulting from the movie | The success of the movie was largely due to its awesome special effects. |
| role | of King Claudius | the person playing King Claudius's role | Tonight, the role of King Claudius will be played by Brian Binet. |
| future | of automobiles | the automobile industry's future | I do believe that the future of automobiles is electric. |
| pride | of our school | what our school is most proud of | The pride of our school is our annual fundraising week. |
Note that when we use prepositional phrases to show belonging, we can also use a possessive 's instead.
| the pride of our school | our school's pride |
| the success of the movie | the movie's success |
| the work of Van Gogh | Van Gogh's work |
There are also some other prepositions that can be used to modify nouns.
| Preposition | Noun | Prepositional Phrase Modifier | Meaning | Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| to | flight | to Hong Kong | a flight that is going to Hong Kong | The flight to Hong Kong will take off soon. |
| for | savings | for my vacation | money that is saved up to spend on my vacation | I've got some savings for my vacation next year. |
| about | pamphlet | about universities | a pamphlet with information about universities | I received a pamphlet about universities in the mail today. |
| in | talent | in music | ability to do well in music | Tanya has talent in music. |
| on | discount | on shoes | shoes sold for a discounted price | I heard the store downtown is having a discount on shoes! |
| against | protest | against war | a protest to show disagreement with the war | There is a protest against war happening at city hall. |
Exercise
Please open the exercise to continue.