What kind of phrase is the underlined portion of the sentence below ?
A properly cut diamond is valued "by people" all over the world
1. Participial phrase
2. Gerund phrase
3. Prepositional phrase
4. Appositive phrase
Nothing underlined.
If you mean “by people” as the underlined words, then, yes, C is right.
The underlined portion of the sentence "by people" is a prepositional phrase.
The underlined portion of the sentence "by people" is a prepositional phrase. Here's how you can identify it:
1. Participial phrase: A participial phrase consists of a participle (a verb form ending in -ing or -ed) along with its modifiers and any accompanying objects. For example, "valued by people" could be a participial phrase if "valued" was a present participle (e.g., "valuing") or a past participle (e.g., "valued").
2. Gerund phrase: A gerund is a verb form ending in -ing that functions as a noun. A gerund phrase consists of a gerund along with its modifiers and any accompanying objects. In this sentence, "by people" does not function as a noun, so it is not a gerund phrase.
3. Prepositional phrase: A prepositional phrase begins with a preposition (in this case, "by") and includes a noun or pronoun (in this case, "people") along with any modifiers. Since "by people" starts with the preposition "by" and includes the noun "people," it is indeed a prepositional phrase.
4. Appositive phrase: An appositive phrase renames or identifies a noun or pronoun that comes directly before it. It is typically set off with commas. "By people" does not serve as an appositive phrase because it does not rename or identify anything specific.
Therefore, the correct answer is 3. Prepositional phrase.