Quarter Wit, Quarter Wisdom Using Prepositional Phrases on the GMAT

In previous posts, we have already discussed  participles  as well as  absolute phrases. Today, lets take a look at another type of modifier the prepositional phrase. A prepositional phrase will begin with a preposition and end with a noun, pronoun, gerund, or clause the object of the preposition.  The object of the preposition might have one or more modifiers to describe it. Here are some examples of prepositional phrases (with prepositions underlined): †¦ along the ten mile highway†¦ †¦ with a cozy blanket†¦ †¦ without worrying†¦ †¦ about what he likes†¦ A prepositional phrase can function as an adjective or an adverb. As an adjective, it answers the question, Which one? while as an adverb it can answer the questions, How? When? or Where?. For example: The book under the table belongs to my mom. Here, the prepositional phrase acts as an adjective and tells us which one of the books belongs to my mom. We tried the double cheeseburger at the new burger joint. Here, the prepositional phrase acts  as an adverb and  tells us where we tried the cheeseburger. Like other modifiers, a prepositional modifier should be placed as close as possible to the thing it is modifying. Let’s take a look at a couple of official GMAT questions to see how understanding prepositional phrases can help us on  this exam: The nephew of Pliny the Elder wrote the only eyewitness account of the great eruption of Vesuvius in two letters to the historian Tacitus. (A) The nephew of Pliny the Elder wrote the only eyewitness account of the great eruption of Vesuvius in two letters to the historian Tacitus. (B) To the historian Tacitus, the nephew of Pliny the Elder wrote two letters, being the only eyewitness accounts of the great eruption of Vesuvius. (C) The only eyewitness account is in two letters by the nephew of Pliny the Elder writing to the historian Tacitus an account of the great eruption of Vesuvius. (D) Writing the only eyewitness account, Pliny the Elder’s nephew accounted for the great eruption of Vesuvius in two letters to the historian Tacitus. (E) In two letters to the historian Tacitus, the nephew of Pliny the Elder wrote the only eyewitness account of the great eruption of Vesuvius. There are multiple prepositional phrases here: of the great eruption of Vesuvius (answers Which eruption?) in two letters (tells us where he wrote his account) to the historian Tacitus (answers Which letters?) Therefore, the phrase to the historian Tacitus should be close to what it is describing, letters, which makes  answer choices  B and C incorrect. Also, in two letters to the historian Tacitus should modify the verb wrote.  In options A and D, in two letters to the historian Tacitus seems to be modifying eruption, which is incorrect.  (There are other errors in answer choices  B, C and D as well, but we will stick to the topic at hand.) Option E corrects the prepositional phrase errors by putting the modifier close to the verb wrote, so therefore, E is our answer. Lets try one more: Defense attorneys have occasionally argued that their clients’ misconduct stemmed from a reaction to something ingested, but in attributing criminal or delinquent behavior to some food allergy, the perpetrators are in effect told that they are not responsible for their actions. (A) in attributing criminal or delinquent behavior to some food allergy (B) if criminal or delinquent behavior is attributed to an allergy to some food (C) in attributing behavior that is criminal or delinquent to an allergy to some food (D) if some food allergy is attributed as the cause of criminal or delinquent behavior (E) in attributing a food allergy as the cause of criminal or delinquent behavior This sentence has two clauses: Clause 1: Defense attorneys have occasionally argued that their clients’ misconduct stemmed from a reaction to something ingested, Clause 2: in attributing criminal or delinquent behavior to some food allergy, the perpetrators are in effect told that they are not responsible for their actions. These two clauses are joined by the conjunction â€Å"but, and the underlined part is a prepositional phrase in the second clause. Answer choices  A, C and E imply that the perpetrators are attributing their own behaviors to food allergies. That is not correct   their defense attorneys are attributing their behavior to food allergies, and hence, all three of these options have modifier errors. This leaves us with B and D. Answer choice  D uses the phrase â€Å"attributed as,† which is grammatically incorrect   the correct usage should be  Ã¢â‚¬Å"X is attributed to Y, rather than X attributed as Y. Therefore, option  B is our  answer. As you can see, the proper placement of prepositional phrases is instrumental in creating a sentence with a clear, logical meaning.   Since that type of clear, logical meaning is a primary emphasis of correct Sentence Correction answers, you should be prepared to look for prepositional phrases (here we go) *on the GMAT*. Getting ready to take the GMAT? We have  free online GMAT seminars  running all the time. And, be sure to follow us on  Facebook,  YouTube,  Google+, and  Twitter! Karishma, a Computer Engineer with a keen interest in alternative Mathematical approaches, has mentored students in the continents of Asia, Europe and North America. She teaches the  GMAT  for Veritas Prep and regularly participates in content development projects such as this blog!