Which term describes a group of words that begins with a preposition and ends with a noun or pronoun?

• A. Clauses
• B. Prepositional phrase
• C. Independent clause
• D. Object complement

Answer: (B)

A group of words that begins with a preposition and ends with a noun or pronoun is called a prepositional phrase. The preposition introduces a relationship, and its object—the noun or pronoun at the end—completes that relationship. The inner words between the preposition and its object can include determiners or adjectives, as in “on the tall hill” or “with my friends.” This kind of phrase doesn’t have its own subject and finite verb, so it can’t stand alone as a sentence. Instead, it adds detail to a noun or a verb, functioning as an adjective or an adverb in the larger sentence.

Clauses, by contrast, contain a subject and a verb and can form a sentence on their own; an independent clause is a clause that can stand alone. An object complement renames or provides more information about the object of a sentence and isn’t introduced by a preposition. So the term that fits the description is a prepositional phrase.