1-6. other phrase constituent: preposition complement

1-6-1. preposition + wh-complement clause

  1. Descriptions
    • wh-complement clauses can be compliments of preopositions and objects of prepositional verbs.
    • wh-complements begin with who, what, when, how, where, why, or which.
    • Common prepositions are in, on, at, by, with, about, and through
    • Prepositional verbs are verbs that when combined with a preposition may take on new meaning.
  2. Tag
    • whcls+incomp is tagged on the main verb of the wh-complement clause.
  3. Examples
    • I'll offer a suggestion for what we should do.

Prepositional phrases

Prepositional phrases are structures that combine a preposition with a complement, typically a noun phrase. This combination extends a noun phrase, creating a link that integrates it into the larger context of a sentence. Examples include in the morning, to him, a street with no name, and in which she had to be expelled. Prepositions can be accompanied by nominal clauses (wh-complement clause, see below) and ing-clauses as complements (e.g., three days after singing all night - where the phrase provides a temporal context) (p. 103).