Why are prepositional phrases bad

A string of multiple prepositions in a single sentence can make the text choppy and potentially confusing for your audience, and especially for an international audience. In particular, the Chicago Manual of Style subscription required recommends the use of one preposition per words. Another general rule of thumb that is sometimes cited is a maximum of four prepositions per sentence. However, the number of prepositions that is appropriate may be context dependent, so it is preferable to focus on the clarity and flow of a specific sentence.

If you do notice a cumbersome string of prepositions in your writing, various approaches may be used to trim the string:. The word count has also decreased from 18 words to 11 words, indicating that addressing preposition overuse may be useful if a manuscript must be within specific word limits.

Of course, this is an extreme example of revision; implementing only one or two of the above strategies may have yielded an acceptably clear sentence. Alternatively, certain prepositional phrases may be eliminated altogether if they are not critical to the content.

Passive phrasing may also add unnecessary prepositions, in addition to making your writing less engaging. For example, if the above example were written passively, it would read as follows:. U niversity of W isconsin —Madison. Improving Your Writing Style. Expand all Collapse all.

Another situation is one you learned recently in our article on eliminating nominalizations. If you may recall, nominalizations often create passive voice structures! For those of you wanting to learn how to avoid or replace prepositional phrases, the following is a list of common situations in which you should revise prepositional phrases and how you can do so.

Try It Free Now. Leif G. Notae on August 09, am Great post Mark, I have to admit it took me a while to get over some of the prepositions I used as a crutch but there are sometimes I tend to forget.

Michael C. Qasim on August 10, am Heartfelt thanks for this interesting subject. Precise Edit on August 10, pm Cecily True. And another: She brought a box to me. Even so, I still tend to prefer the others. Gregory Stenson on August 13, am Excellent examples and illustrations. Ellie Ann on August 13, am Great post, Jami! Thanks for the help.