The second grammatical form that can appear in an adjective phrase in English is the prepositional phrase. Prepositions are traditionally defined as "words that indicate relationships between nouns, adjectives, and verbs and other words." Prepositional phrases are defined as phrases formed by a preposition followed by a prepositional complement. Within the adjective phrase, prepositional phrases perform the grammatical functions of adjective phrase complement and adjective phrase modifier. An adjective phrase complement is defined as a word, phrase, or clause that that completes the meaning of an adjective or adjective phrase. For example:
- Adjective | Prepositional Phrase
- fond | of pumpkin cookies
- happy | for the couple
An adjective phrase modifier is defined as a word, phrase, or clause that describes an adjective or adjective phrase. For example:
- Adjective | Prepositional Phrase
- wet | along the shower
- moldy | under the carpet
Prepositional phrases more frequently function as adjective phrase complements than as adjective phrase modifiers. Prepositional phrases always follow the adjective within an adjective phrase.
