Prepositional phrase working as an adverb or adjective

adjective

If it tells you where no one is celebrating, rather than who is not celebrating, then it's adverbial (place).

It depends on the meaning but here is some guidance:

No one in the office is celebrating but the cats are. (adj. who unlikely)
No one in the office is celebrating but those in the workshop are. (adv - where)

The girls in the office are celebrating (adj. - wh

Zoltán Királying as an adverb or adjective (Original post)Quote No one in the office is celebrating.

I think it depends where we put the phrase. If we keep the sentence as written, It is adjective because it describe "no one". But if we reposition "in the office" at then end, I think it is an adverbial phrase because it answers to "where".

grammarfreak If we keep the sentence as written, It is adjective because it describe "no one".

I agree. I see "in the office" in "no one in the office" as describing "which no one" we are talking about -- e.g., contrasted with "no one anywhere" (unqualified), or "no one in the city", or "no one with a beard", or whatever.

Zoltán KirályNo one in the office is celebrating. ... prepositional phrase "in the office"

"in the office" modifies "one". That doesn't really make it an adjective. It doesn't exactly work as an adjective either because adjectives normally come before the word they modify, and "in the office" comes after "one". It's probably best just to say "modifies" rath

CalifJim"in the office" modifies "one". That doesn't really make it an adjective. It doesn't exactly work as an adjective either because adjectives normally come before the word they modify, and "in the office" comes after "one". It's probably best just to say "modifies" rather than "acts as an adjective".

However, such phrases are very often classified as "ad

GPYI don't think it is unreasonable to describe an adjectival phrase as "working as an adjective".

So you think "in the office" is both a prepositional phrase and an adjective phrase, I assume, and that that is reasonable. Seems a bit strange to me.

CJ

CalifJimSo you think "in the office" is both a prepositional phrase and an adjective phrase, I assume, and that that is reasonable. Seems a bit strange to me.

I am a bit puzzled by this. I thought the concept of describing prepositional phrases as adjectival or adverbial was a well known one.

GPY. I thought the concept of describing prepositional phrases as adjectival or adverbial was a well known one.

Me, too.

The man at the desk is my father.
The man is sitting at the desk.

Too bad Gus isn't around to set us straight.

CalifJim GPYI don't think it is unreasonable to describe an adjectival phrase as "working as an adjective".So you think "in the office" is both a prepositional phrase and an adjective phrase, I assume, and that that is reasonable. Seems a bit strange to me.CJ

No. It is a preposition phrase - a phrase headed by a preposition. That phrase can function as a modi