Which sentence correctly avoids using a comma before or after a preposition?

Which sentence correctly avoids using a comma before or after a preposition?

• A. We walked to the park yesterday.
• B. We walked to, the park yesterday.
• C. We walked to the park, yesterday.
• D. We walked the park to yesterday.

Answer: (A)

The key idea here is how a prepositional phrase is attached to the verb without interruption by a comma. In standard writing, a prepositional phrase like “to the park” should stay tight with the verb it relates to, so it reads as “walked to the park.” The time word at the end, “yesterday,” can simply add information without needing a comma. So “We walked to the park yesterday” is correct because it keeps the prepositional phrase directly with walked and puts the time modifier at the end without extra punctuation. The other versions introduce an unnecessary pause or disrupt the natural word order: inserting a comma after the preposition breaks the phrase; placing a comma after the noun breaks the flow of the object of the preposition; and rearranging the words changes the meaning and is ungrammatical.

The key idea here is how a prepositional phrase is attached to the verb without interruption by a comma. In standard writing, a prepositional phrase like “to the park” should stay tight with the verb it relates to, so it reads as “walked to the park.” The time word at the end, “yesterday,” can simply add information without needing a comma.

So “We walked to the park yesterday” is correct because it keeps the prepositional phrase directly with walked and puts the time modifier at the end without extra punctuation. The other versions introduce an unnecessary pause or disrupt the natural word order: inserting a comma after the preposition breaks the phrase; placing a comma after the noun breaks the flow of the object of the preposition; and rearranging the words changes the meaning and is ungrammatical.