Prepositions

What is a preposition? A preposition is a word that shows the relationship between two words in a sentence. A preposition shows when or where something is in relation to something else.

A few examples: aboard, about, above, across, after, against, along, among, around, as, at, before, behind, below, beneath, beside, between, beyond, by, down, during, except, for, from, into, in, inside, like, near, next to, of , off, on, out, outside, onto, over, past, to, through, throughout, toward, upon, under, until, up, with, within, without

How do I identify a preposition in a sentence? To identify a preposition in a sentence, a good reader: Reads, Pauses, Asks himself/herself: Which two words are sharing a relationship? Where is something in the sentence?(location) When is something happening in the sentence?(time)

I still don’t get it! What does it look like to use a preposition in a sentence? The book is on the table. Where is the book? It is ON the table. A squirrel just jumped over me. Where did the squirrel jump? It jumped OVER me. We went home after school. When did we go home? We went AFTER school. The girl’s cell phone rang during the concert. When did the cell phone ring? It rang DURING the concert.

Practice Silently and independently identify the preposition in each sentence. Circle the preposition in your notes. The soccer ball rolled behind the couch. Small fish sometimes swim below large sharks. I cannot live without my best friends! The plane flew so low above the city, I thought it would crash! My birthday gift from my sister last year was the best I’ve ever received. The boy ran between the bushes to escape!

Prepositional Phrases A prepositional phrase is a group of words containing a preposition and its object. The object is a noun or pronoun.

How do I identify the prepositional phrase in a sentence? To identify the prepositional phrase in a sentence, a good reader: Reads, Pauses, Asks himself/herself: What is the preposition in the sentence? What is the first noun or pronoun after the preposition (this noun/pronoun is the object)?

Let’s take a look at the sentences from earlier… The book is on the table. What is the preposition? What is the first noun or pronoun after the preposition? A squirrel just jumped over me. What is the preposition? What is the first noun or pronoun after the preposition? We went home after school. What is the preposition? What is the first noun or pronoun after the preposition? The girl’s cell phone rang during the concert. What is the preposition? What is the first noun or pronoun after the preposition?

Practice Silently and independently identify the prepositional phrase in each sentence. Circle the preposition and underline the prepositional phrase in your notes. The soccer ball rolled behind the couch. Small fish sometimes swim below large sharks. I cannot live without my best friends! The plane flew so low above the city, I thought it would crash! My birthday gift from my sister last year was the best I’ve ever received. The boy ran between the bushes to escape!