Mastering Prepositional Phrases and Their Functions

Khan Academy

This educational video provides a comprehensive overview of prepositional phrases, defining them as word chunks that begin with a preposition. The narrator uses a digital whiteboard to diagram sentences, illustrating how these phrases function within a sentence structure. Through clear examples and real-time sketching, the video breaks down complex grammatical concepts into digestible parts, showing how a single sentence can contain nested prepositional phrases. The content explores the three primary roles prepositional phrases play: acting as nouns, adverbs, and adjectives. The narrator walks through distinct examples for each function, from simple sentences about blowing a horn to complex literary analysis of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Special attention is given to the potential for ambiguity in writing, using a classic joke to demonstrate how misplaced prepositional phrases can change the meaning of a sentence entirely. For educators, this video serves as an excellent tool for teaching sentence structure, parts of speech, and clarity in writing. It moves beyond basic identification to higher-level analysis of how phrases modify other words. The inclusion of the 'misplaced modifier' example offers a practical way to teach students the importance of word order, while the Shakespeare analysis bridges grammar instruction with literary study.