Prepositional Phrases

What’s a prepositional phrase?
prepositional phrase is a segment beginning with a directional word (a preposition). Prepositions include words like...At, In, From, With, By, About, During, Beside, Because of...the list goes on! Prepositions express location.

prepositional phrase starts with a preposition and includes a noun, pronoun, gerund or clause that acts as the "object of the preposition."

…at the grocery store…
…in the suitcase…
…with my parakeet…

Prepositional phrases act like adjectives or adverbs, and modify the subject of the sentence: 
My friend at the grocery store has pink hair. 

The prepositional phrase “at the grocery store” explains which friend (the subject) I’m referring to. The prepositional phrase adds more detail to the subject of the sentence. 

So if my sentence is "Star Wars sets are amazing," the prepositional phrase will answer the clarifying (or more specific) question, "Which sets are amazing?" 

"Star Wars sets" is my subject, so my prepositional phrase is going to add detail to "Star Wars sets". 
Star Wars sets on the Endor moon are amazing.

Commas, commas, commas...where have you been all my life?
Commas and prepositional phrases can be tricky. You'll notice above that there are NO commas around my prepositional phrases. 

Putting commas around a prepositional phrase would essentially splice it from the sentence, which we don't want to do because the phrase is adding necessary detail to our subject/sentence.

Dogs, at the park, are running wild.

No! With the commas bracketing the prepositional phrase, we could read it as "Dogs are running wild." That changes the meaning entirely. No commas around prepositional phrases.

Dogs are the park are running wild.

Unless...
You do, HOWEVER, use a comma after a prepositional phrase if it starts your sentence

At the park, dogs are running wild.

This is correct. When the prepositional phrase begins the sentence, it is an introductory statement. Common grammar practice is to put a comma after it, especially if your prepositional phrase is long. The comma helps ensure clarity. 

With all the first chair musicians home learning the main Star Wars theme, we're going to need some extra players for the surprise concert tonight.

Resources:
The Prepostional Phrase - Grammar Bytes!

Starting a Sentence with a Preposition - Grammar Girl

Prepositions - Grammar Bytes!

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