Question

Identify the phrase (s) in the following sentence-
That bird flew in a swift manner.
a) That bird flew
b) bird flew
c) in a swift manner
d) swift manner

Answer 1

Hint:
A prepositional phrase contains two important things- a preposition and its object which acts as a compliment. Prepositional phrases can function like a noun, adjective or an adverb in a given sentence.

Complete answer:
 Let’s look at the structure of a prepositional phrase-
Preposition + a modifier + noun/ pronoun
In most prepositional phrases; we use a preposition and an object with a modifier that helps in describing or modifying the object.
Example- In the dark closet. Here, ‘in’ is the preposition, ‘the dark’ is the modifier and ‘closet’ is the noun which acts as an object of the preposition.
In the given question- We can conclude that a bird, ‘X’ flew in a swift manner. Here, ‘in a swift manner’ is a prepositional phrase as it begins with the preposition ‘in’, followed by the modifier ‘swift’ that modifies the object of the preposition, ‘manner’.
Now, let’s examine the given options-
Option a- ‘That bird flew’ is a dependent clause as it expresses incomplete meaning. Hence, it is an incorrect option.
Option b- ‘bird flew’ is the subject and the verb in the sentence. Hence, it is an incorrect option.
Option c- ‘in a swift manner’ is the prepositional phrase as it begins with a preposition and ends with an object that is modified by the modifier. Hence, it is the correct option.
Option d- ‘swift manner’ is not the prepositional phrase as it does not include a preposition. Hence, it is an incorrect option.
So, the correct answer is “Option c”.

Note:
 A prepositional phrase does not contain a subject or a verb but only the object that follows the preposition or the modifier.