Where does a prepositional phrase go?

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hi all,

I just finished marking a mid-term test for my students, and the teachers are now having different opinions as to how flexible a prepositional phrase could be in a sentence. Students were asked to transform active to passive:

Strong winds blew down trees and signs along the roads.
–>
(1) Trees and signs along the roads were blown down by strong winds.
(2) Trees and signs were blown down along the roads by strong winds.
(3) Trees and signs were blown down by strong winds along the roads.

Most teachers voted for (1). Are (2) & (3) correct too?

Thanks for helping! :slight_smile:

2

I like #1 best, too. #2 is a reasonable alternative, but #3 places the phrase too far from its referents. It is not wrong, but it is poor style.

3

Thank you again for the reply!! :slight_smile:

4

(3) Trees and signs were blown down by strong winds along the roads.

#3 means to me that the strong wind blew along the road and not in any other directions. (Usually it is not the case with a wind that blows down the trees.)