Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases

1. Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases Identifying the parts of speech

2. Prepositional phrases • To avoid fragments and to state ideas as complete thoughts, proofread to identify the subjects and verbs of each sentence. • Identifying prepositional phrases as you proofread will help you locate the subject of the sentence.

3. Prepositions… • A preposition is a word that has a noun or pronoun as its object and states a relationship between its object and another word. • For example – I went into the building to find my friend.

4. Prepositions… • A prepositional phrase begins with a preposition and ends with the object of the preposition. • For example – Volunteering is the act of serving others without reward.

5. Prepositions... • Common prepositions with possible objects…

6. Prepositions… • Prepositions often modify the location of an object; for example, in, out, next, with, under, over, inside, outside, next to, without, underneath, between, etc… • Prepositions often modify time; for example, during, after, before, since, etc…

7. Prepositional phrases… • Prepositional phrases are everywhere in English sentences because they can modify nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.

8. Prepositional Phrases… • To modifymeans to change somewhat the form or qualities of; alter partially; amend: to modify a contract • To modify descriptive, limiting, or particularizing meaning. • For example - In a good man, good modifies man

9. Practice identifying Prepositional Phrases… • Try these: Identify every prepositional phrase in the following sentences and indicate which word each phrase is modifying. • After the long hike, the children ate with gusto.

10. Practice identifying Prepositional Phrases… • Pollution experts say we need stricter controls on emissions from all gasoline engines.

11. Practice identifying Prepositional Phrases… • Outside the theater, eager young people waited impatiently in line for tickets.

12. Practice identifying Prepositional Phrases… • The wise man on my right ate nothing and slept like a baby during the flight.

13. Practice identifying Prepositional Phrases… • The songs of whales are full of beauty and variety, and they change in subtle ways over the course of a mating season