What is the difference between an adverb phrase and a prepositional phrase?

Answer 1

A prepositional phrase is a phrase that is headed off by a preposition, and can often act as an adverbial phrase if it answers the questions How?, Where? or When?.

An adverbial phrase is a phrase that acts as an adverb (something that modifies a verb, adverb, or adjective); often they may appear in form of a prepositional phrase, but are not necessarily limited to prepositional phrases. For example:

1.My parents come to visit me several times a week: several times a week is an adverbial phrase telling me when, and it does not consist of a prepositional phrase.

2.My parents stayed in town for several weeks: for several weeks is an adverbial phrase also telling me when, but this time employing a prepositional phrase to deliver this adverb. In town is also and adverbial phrase answering where, and employing a prepositional phrase to convey this information.

Answer 2

An adverb phrase is a group of words that function as an adverb in a sentence, providing information about the verb, adjective, or adverb. A prepositional phrase, on the other hand, consists of a preposition, its object, and any modifiers and functions as an adjective or adverb in a sentence. The key difference is that an adverb phrase modifies verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, while a prepositional phrase typically functions to modify nouns or pronouns.