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2. A preposition is a word that relates a noun or pronoun to another word in a sentence.
There are only about 100 prepositions in English. However, we use prepositions more frequently than other individual words. In fact, the prepositions of, to and in are among the ten most frequent words in English.
Some people remember how prepositions function in sentences by saying “they are what a squirrel can do to a tree” and “what a bunny rabbit can do to a fence.”
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3. Some common prepositions are:
about above across after against along amid among around as at before behind below beneath beside between by down for from in inside into near of off on out outside over through to under up with within without
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4. Learn to recognize a prepositional phrase when you see one!
a prepositional phrase will begin with a preposition and end with a noun, pronoun, gerund, or clause; which is called the "object" of the preposition.
The pattern looks like this:
preposition + noun, pronoun, gerund, or clause
The object of the preposition will often have one or more modifiers to describe it.
preposition + modifier(s) + noun, pronoun, gerund, or clause
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5. Here are some examples of the most basic prepositional phrase:
At home
At = preposition; home = noun
In time
In = preposition; time = noun
From John
From = preposition; John = noun
With me
With = preposition; me = pronoun
By singing
By = preposition; singing = gerund
About what we need
About = preposition; what we need = noun clause
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6. Most prepositional phrases are longer, like these:
From my mother
From = preposition; my = modifier; mother = noun
Under the warm sun
Under = preposition; the, warm = modifiers; sun = noun.
In the weedy, wild garden
In = preposition; the, weedy, wild = modifiers; garden = noun.
Along the busy, four-lane highway
Along = preposition; the, busy, four-lane = modifiers; highway = noun.
By writing feverishly
By = preposition; writing = gerund; feverishly = modifier.
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7. Understand what prepositional phrases do in a sentence!
A prepositional phrase will function as an adjective or adverb. As an adjective, the prepositional phrase will answer the question Which one?
For example:
The book on the bathroom floor is ruined from moisture.
Which book? The one on the bathroom floor!
The potatoes in the vegetable bin are green with mold.
Which potatoes? The ones forgotten in the vegetable bin!
The note from Joan stated that she had eaten the fudge.
Which note? The one from Joan!
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8. Understand what prepositional phrases do in a sentence!
As an adverb, a prepositional phrase will answer questions such as How? When? or Where?
For Example:
Sean is stiff from yesterday's long football practice.
How did Sean get stiff? From yesterday's long football practice!
Before class, Kyle begged his friends for a pencil.
When did Kyle do his begging? Before class!
Feeling brave, we tried the Nuclear Nuggets at Hot Pepper Palace.
Where did we eat the spicy food? At Hot Pepper Palace!
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9. A prepositional phrase will never contain the subject of a sentence.
Sometimes a noun within the prepositional phrase seems the logical subject of a verb. Don't fall for that trick! You will never find a subject in a prepositional phrase. Look at this example:
Neither of these cookbooks contains the recipe for Manhattan-style clam chowder.
What is the subject of the sentence?
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10. Neither of these cookbooks contains the recipe for Manhattan-style clam chowder.
Neither is the subject of the sentence!
Cookbooks do in fact contain recipes. In this sentence, however, cookbooks is part of the prepositional phrase of these cookbooks. Neither—whatever a neither is—is the subject for the verb contains.
Neither is singular, so you need the singular form of the verb, contains. If you incorrectly identified cookbooks as the subject, you might write contain, the plural form, and thus commit a subject-verb agreement error.
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11. Don’t Let Them Confuse You!
When a prepositional phrase comes between the subject and a verb in a sentence, it can trick you into making agreement errors!
Don’t let them confuse you!
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12. Another way prepositional phrases can confuse subject-verb agreement:
Some prepositions—such as along with and in addition to indicate "more to come." They will make you think that you have a plural subject when in fact you don't.
Don't fall for that trick either! Read the following example:
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13. Don’t Let Them Confuse You!
Michael, along with the other students, breathed a sigh of relief when Mrs. Griffin announced that she was postponing the due date for the research paper.
Logically, more than one student is happy with the news, but Michael is the only subject of the verb breathed. His classmates count in the real world, but in the sentence, they don't matter, locked as they are in the prepositional phrase!
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14. Identify the prepositional phrases in the following sentences:
Upon my arrival, I was directed into a secret passage.
I can’t complete the report without the information.
Come into the kitchen with me.
They say you can go around the world in eighty days.
The girl from Folkston left her purse in the computer lab.
They wanted to go to the movies.
The stories in that book were read by my teacher.
She was looking for a shirt with stripes.
The picture behind me used to hang in the bedroom.
With a gleam in his eye, Rex snapped up the pork chop.
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15. Answers: Upon my arrival, I was directed into a secret passage.
I can’t complete the report without the information.
Come into the kitchen with me.
They say you can go around the world in eighty days.
The girl from Folkston left her purse in the computer lab.
They wanted to go to the movies.
The stories in that book were read by my teacher.
She was looking for a shirt with stripes.
The picture behind me used to hang in the bedroom.
With a gleam in his eye, Rex snatched the pork chop.
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16. Some prepositional phrases are usually formed in a certain way.
See if you can tell which words go together!
1. I’d rather have pizza ________ steak.
instead than instead of instead from instead to
2. ________ bad weather, we will meet in the gym.
In case In case from In case to In case of
3. _______ my fellow classmates, I would like to thank you for all your help.
In behalf of To behalf of On behalf of From behalf of
4. ______ John, no one wants to work on this question.
Apart to Apart from Apart of Apart with
5. Julie has nothing ________ James.
in common in common to in common of in common with
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17. Answers: 1. I’d rather have pizza ________ steak.
instead than instead of instead from instead to
2. ________ bad weather, we will meet in the gym.
In case In case from In case to In case of
3. _______ my fellow classmates, I would like to thank you for all your help.
In behalf of To behalf of On behalf of From behalf of
4. ______ John, no one wants to work on this question.
Apart to Apart from Apart of Apart with
5. Julie has nothing ________ James.
in common in common to in common of in common with
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18. Beware of prepositions
Beware of prepositions! Find them and eliminate them when you want to make sure subjects and verbs agree. Remember, don’t let them CONFUSE you!
The End
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