介词短语作状语在英语句子中很常见。介词短语几乎可以表达所有形式的状语，包括时间、方式、地点、原因、条件、结果、目的等。此外还可以在句首修饰整条句子，或起到连接作用。例如：
表时间
- I will meet you at the park at 3 pm.（我会在下午3点在公园见你。）
- During the summer holidays I stayed in America for 1 month. 暑假期间我在美国呆了1个月。
表地点
- He is standing in front of the building.（他站在建筑物前面。）
- There was a garage at the back. 后边有一个车库。
表原因
- She is crying because of the sad news.（她因为悲伤的消息而哭泣。）
- During the war, many people died of famine. 战争中许多人死于饥荒。
表方式
- He is driving with one hand.（他一只手开车。）
- It is more economical to go there by train. 坐火车去那里更经济一些。
表程度
- The teacher spoke in a loud voice.（老师大声说话。）
- Our endurance was tested to the utmost. 我们的忍耐已达极限。
表条件
- The police refused to act without more evidence. 如果没有更多的证据，警方拒绝受理。
- Tom is so useful to Ada that she can not do without him. 汤姆对艾达如此有用，以至于她离不开他。
表结果/目的
- She went to the store to buy some milk.（她去商店买牛奶。）
- We left an hour early for fear of missing the train. 我们提前1小时动身以免误了火车。