ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Prepositional phrase

Okay, so imagine you're playing hide and seek with a friend. You want to tell them where to hide, but you need to be very specific. So you say, "Hide behind the tree."

The words "behind the tree" are a prepositional phrase. The preposition is "behind" because it tells you where to hide. The object of the preposition is "the tree" because that's the thing you want to hide behind.

Another example is if you were going to the store with your mom. She tells you to put on your shoes and get in the car. She might say, "Get in the car after you put on your shoes."

The words "in the car" are a prepositional phrase. The preposition is "in" because it tells you where to get. The object of the preposition is "the car" because that's where you need to get into.

So basically, a prepositional phrase is when you have a word that tells you where or when or how something is happening, and then the thing it's talking about. It's like a little helper to give more information about what's going on.