Question

Identify the phrase (s) in the following sentence-
Olive lived in the middle of a playground.
A) Olive lived
B) In the middle
C) Playground
D) Olive lived in the middle

Answer 1

Hint: A prepositional phrase contains a preposition and an object which functions as a complement of the preposition. Prepositional phrases can act like a noun, adjective, or adverb in a given sentence.

Complete answer:
Let’s look at the structure of a prepositional phrase- Preposition + a suitable modifier + noun or a pronoun
Example- On the steep road. Here, ‘on’ is the preposition, ‘the steep’ is the modifier that describes the object and ‘road’ is the noun which acts as an object of the preposition.
In the given question- We know that Olive lived in the middle of a playground. Here, ‘in the middle’ is a prepositional phrase as we can see the usage of the above-given structure (Preposition + object). ‘Middle’ acts as an object that complements the preposition ‘in’.

Now, let’s examine the given options-
Option a- ‘Olive lived’ is a dependent clause as it expresses an incomplete meaning. Hence, it is an incorrect option.
Option b- ‘In the middle’ is a prepositional phrase as we can see the usage of the preposition ‘in’ and the object complement ‘middle’. Hence, it is the correct option.
Option c- ‘Playground’ is a noun that refers to a place that has been designed for children to play. Hence, it is an incorrect option.
Option d- ‘Olive lived in the middle’ is an independent clause as it expresses a complete meaning. Hence, it is an incorrect option.
So, the correct answer is “Option b”.

Note:
A ‘prepositional phrase’ does not contain a subject or a verb and also only the objects can be modified with the help of modifiers.