1. PREPOSITIONS AND
PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES
To have a “prepositional phrase” you need a
preposition and an object of the preposition.
In fact, a prepositional phrase begins with
the preposition and ends with the object
of the preposition.
Preposition- a word that relates its object
to some other word in the sentence
2. So, your first task in seeing prepositional
phrases in sentences is to see the
prepositions. You must be able to see them.
Here are some common prepositions we
use to make prepositional phrases:
About below for past
Aboard beneath from since
Above beside in through
Across besides inside to
After between into toward
Against beyond like under
3. Along but near until
Amid by of up
Among concerning off upon
Around down on with
At during onto within
Before except outside without
Behind over
We also have “more than one word”
prepositions. Note the following:
4. According to in addition to instead of
Because of in front of next to
By means of in spite of owing to
In place of as of on account of
If you can “see” the preposition in a sentence, you
can determine the entire prepositional phrase. Here
is how you do it:
1. Find the preposition
2. Using the preposition, ask the words “who”
or “what” after the preposition. The answer
to that question will be the object of the
preposition.
5. First, find the prepositions:
Last Tuesday, my Spanish class went on a
field trip to Juarez, Mexico, across the
Rio Grande from El Paso, Texas
Next take the found preposition and make
a question:
Last what? Tuesday (Last Tuesday)
On what? Field trip (on a field trip)
To what? Juarez, Mexico (to Juarez, Mexico)
Across what? Rio Grande (across the Rio Grande)
From what El Paso, Texas (from El Paso, Texas)
6. PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES FUNCTION
AS ADJECTIVES OR ADVERBS IN A
SENTENCE
John went to the store. Where? To the store - adverb
Mary won the contest by cheating. How? By
cheating - adverb
The gentleman in the gray suit is the new
school principal. Which one? In the gray suit
- adjective
8. An adjective modifies a noun or a pronoun.
It answers the question:
how many? what kind? or which one?
9. An adverb modifies a verb, adjective, or another
adverb. Adverbs tell:
where, when, why, how, how often, how much,
or to what degree.
10. 1. The cadets marched through the woods.
– “through” is the preposition
– “the” is the modifier for the object “woods”
– functions as an
2. Everyone in the class wrote an essay.
– “in” is the preposition
– “the” is the modifier for the object “class”
– functions as an
