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Examples: to the store, of the tree, with Mary, beside the table, under the car, during supper, after
the meeting, through the tunnel, from the bank, without my car keys.
Here are several sentences which contain prepositional phrases. Try to pick them out
on your own and ask yourself what job they are doing in the sentence - modifying the
verb (when? where? why? how?) or modifying the noun (which one? what kind?). Then
read our comments following the sentences and compare them to your own thoughts.
What exactly are prepositions? They are little words that cause many problems for
people trying to learn a new language. They describe a location relationship between
the object of the preposition and something else in the sentence: under, over, beside,
between, in, to, from, etc. They describe a time relationship between different events: after,
before, since, during, until, etc. They point out a relationship in general between the object
of the preposition and something else in the sentence: of, about, for, with, without,
by. They can be confusing, but they are very important.
Here are some more examples of the uses of Prepositional Phrases. They will be
underlined.
1. In the morning, I want to plant a flat of marigolds along the front of the garden.
2. The captain of the baseball team chose nine of his best players to start the game Saturday.
3. Besides my friend, George, eight of us went for a hike in the state park.
4. From his position under the car, Frank's voice could barely be heard.
The kids from the neighborhood played a game of baseball in the field behind the
school.
From these examples, you can see that sentences would not be very interesting and
wouldn't carry very much information without prepositional phrases.
B. Danny and Jim, along with their little brothers, went fishing in the farmer's pond.
C. I was late getting to work because of a traffic accident that blocked the highway.
D. Contrary to her parents' opinion, Jane's friends behaved very well at the concert.
E. In consideration of all the hard work John put into the school play, he was given a standing
ovation by the audience.
Exercise A: Replace each preposition in the following sentences with a different
one. Notice how it can change the meaning of the sentence.
Example: The man sat in his car. The man sat under his car. The man sat beside his car. The
man sat on his car.
1. The nurse in a white dress walked her dog through the park.
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4. A dog in the park has chased the mailman into the street.
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5. During the movie, John put his hand near the girl's arm.
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Exercise B: In each of the sentences below, you are given a choice of two prepositional
phrases. Circle the one that you think fits best in the sentence. Write the complete
sentence on the line.
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2. (In the morning) (By the morning), the cook made blueberry pancakes.
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4. The little boys (in the playground) (outside the playground) played tag.
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5. Many people put tomatoes (with their salad) (in their salad).
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Exercise C: Complete the following sentences with any of the prepositions mentioned
earlier in this lesson.
2. Rick went _______ work _____ the gas station _____________ a need ________
extra money.
3. ________________ his fellow scientists, Dr. Barlow proceeded to destroy the case
they had built ______________ global warming.
5. _____________ the early days ________ our country, many citizens lived and
worked ______ farms or _______ small towns _____________ big cities.
Examination: Add prepositional phrases to the sentences below to make them more
interesting. Write the new sentences on the lines.
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