What is the prepositional phrase and what is the word that modifies it in the following sentences?
1. Many stars together create cloudy bands of light.
2. Traveling clouds of dust are called nebulas.
I see two two-word prepositional phrases -- one in each sentence.
Do you see them?
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/phrases.htm#preposition
http://www.chompchomp.com/terms.htm
http://members.cox.net/lenco1/grammarpractice/
http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Writing/p.html
(Scroll down.)
I see one prepostion on light in the 1st sentence but i do not know what it modifies.
In the 2nd sentence i see the prepositional phrase of dust but i do not know what it modifies.
#1 = "of light" -- so ask yourself, "What is made 'of light'?"
#2, yes, "of dust" -- what is made "of dust"?
For the 1st one is "stars" the modifier?
For the 2nd one is "clouds" the modifier?
Prepositional phrases are almost always RIGHT NEXT TO whatever they're modifying. You are right for #2, but re-think #1.
ok, so the 1st one would be "bands" for the modifier?
Yes, that's right.
To identify the prepositional phrase and the word that modifies it in the given sentences, we need to understand the structure of these phrases.
A prepositional phrase consists of a preposition, its object, and any modifiers that may come in between. The object of the preposition can be a noun, pronoun, gerund, or clause. A modifier is a word or phrase that provides additional information about the object of the preposition.
Let's analyze each sentence:
1. Many stars together create cloudy bands of light.
- In this sentence, the prepositional phrase is "of light," and it is modified by the word "cloudy." Here, the preposition "of" shows the relationship between "light" (the object) and "cloudy" (the modifier).
2. Traveling clouds of dust are called nebulas.
- In this sentence, there is no prepositional phrase. Instead, we have an adjective phrase: "Traveling clouds." The word "traveling" modifies "clouds" by describing the type of clouds (traveling clouds).
It's essential to note the difference between prepositional phrases and other types of phrases to accurately identify them in sentences.