Prepositions and Prepositional

phrases

What are prepositions?

Prepositions are the "relationship" words. They show how a noun or

pronoun is related to the rest of the sentence.

Check out this list of common prepositions.

aboard about above across after against along among around at before behind below

beneath beside besides between beyond but by concerning down during except for from

in inside into like near of off on out over past since through

throughout till to toward under underneath until up upon with within without

These two- or three-word groups are called compound prepositions.

according to as of aside from because of by means of in addition to in front of

in place of in spite of instead of on account of out of owing to prior to

They function just like one-word prepositions.

Prepositional phrases

Prepositional phrases follow a basic formula:

preposition (Pr)+ (modifiers* - maybe) (M) + noun/pronoun (N/P)

behind the pine tree

of the hound dog

along the rock wall

with me

by the red sports car

except you

Pr

Pr

Pr

Pr

Pr

Pr

*Remember that "modifiers" is just a fancy way of saying "adjectives" and "adverbs."

M M

M MMM M

M M

N

N

N

N

P

P

Now let's put them in a sentence.

1. I can see you hiding behind the pine tree.

2. The howls of the hound dog kept me awake all night.

3. The treasure chest is hidden somewhere along the rock wall.

4. Are you coming with me?

5. Do you see that guy standing by the red sports car?

6. Everyone except you thinks a movie tonight is a great idea.

Some things to know about prepositions and Prepositional Phrases

• If a preposition is hanging out all alone in the sentence, then it's not a preposition. It is probably acting like an adverb instead.

1. Jack flipped the light switch off. (not followed by a noun or pronoun)

2. Sami looked around but didn't see anyone she recognized. (followed by some words, but it doesn't fit the prepositional phrase "formula")

Many, many words in the English language can function in more than one way. Prepositions are no different.

Some things to know about prepositions and Prepositional Phrases

• "To" is a common preposition; however, when "to" hooks up with a verb in a sentence, it is NOT a prepositional phrase. (It's another grammatical construction called an infinitive - we'll study it later.)

1. Rick asked Julia to carry the heaviest box. ("carry" is a verb,

not a noun or pronoun, and definitely not a modifier)

2. When are you going to get your act together? ("get" is a verb, not a noun or pronoun, and definitely not a modifier)

Many, many words in the English language can function in more than one way. Prepositions are no different.

Some things to know about prepositions and

Prepositional Phrases• Some prepositions pull "double duty" as subordinating

conjunctions: after, as, before, since, and until. A subordinating conjunction will have both a subject and a verb following it, forming a subordinate (dependent) clause.

1. The thunderstorms rolled in after the hikers climbed out of

the canyon. (After is followed by a noun - hikers, but there is also a verb attached to that noun - climbed. In this sentence, after is acting like a subordinating conjunction for the dependent clause after the hikers climbed out of the canyon.)

2. After the thunderstorm, the hikers climbed back into the canyon. (After is followed by a noun - thunderstorm. In this case, after the thunderstorm is a prepositional phrase and fits the prepositional phrase formula - Pr + M + N.)

Find the prepositional phrases.

1. It is not polite to talk during the movie! 2. All of the eggs broke except one. 3. Some birds were nesting in the tall grass. 4. There were celebrations throughout the world as

the painful war ended. 5. There is a small bookstore across the street. 6. The baseball rolled underneath the car. 7. It has been months since we’ve seen a good movie. 8. You can fit several smaller boxes into one big box. 9. The van behind us is following too closely. 10.The bullet went right through the thick wooden

door.

Did you find them?1. It is not polite to talk during the movie! 2. All of the eggs broke except one. 3. Some birds were nesting in the tall grass. 4. There were celebrations throughout the world as the

painful war ended. (As the painful war ended is a not a prepositional phrase; it is a dependent clause because it has a subject (war) and a verb (ended) following the word as.)

5. There is a small bookstore across the street. 6. The baseball rolled underneath the car. 7. It has been months since we’ve seen a good movie.

(Since we've seen a good movie is not a prepositional phrase; it is a dependent clause because it has a subject (we) and a verb ('ve seen) following the word since. This sentence has no prepositional phrase.)

8. You can fit several smaller boxes into one big box. 9. The van behind us is following too closely. 10.The bullet went right through the thick wooden door.