Author: Drama Queen

English 9
Parts of Speech
What are Prepositions?
Name ______________________________________
Period _________
Score _________
Prepositions are words that show relationships.
I strolled into the store. I strolled past the store.
A preposition is a word used with a noun or pronoun, called its object, to show the relationship between the noun or pronoun and some other word in the sentence. Prepositions, like the words into and past, begin phrases.
A prepositional phrases consists of a preposition, its object, and any modifiers of the subject.
Here are some words we often use as prepositions:
Study the following prepositional phrases. Notice the nouns used as objects of the prepositions.
beyond the horizon by Sunday during an attack around a campfire
Find the prepositional phrases. Underline the prepositions in the following sentences. Circle the noun used as the object of each preposition.
Example: Take the book from the desk to the shelf.
Above my head sat the Cheshire cat.
The train roared through the tunnel.
Everything was fine before the tornado.
Sam went to church.
The fawn ran among the trees.
Several members of the group were late.
The captain rowed the boat with the team.
My father’s car stood near the curb.
Hundreds of people rushed into the theatre.
Sally lives in an apartment above the store.
Before class, Jan showed the lizard to her teacher.
Maury lived down the street from Dan.
The submarine remained beneath the surface for a week.
George spoke against the plan during the meeting.
Susan ran from the house and jumped into her car.

about	around	between	for	of	past	up
above	at	beyond	from	off	since	upon
across	before	but (except)	in	on	through	with
after	behind	by	inside	onto	to	without
against	below	down	into	out	toward
along	beneath	during	like	outside	under
among	beside	except	near	over	until

English 9
Parts of Speech
Prepositions
Name ______________________________________
Period _________
Score _________
A preposition shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and another word in the sentence. Some common prepositions include the following: about, before, by, during, on, and under. Prepositions formed from more than one word are compound prepositions. Some examples of compound prepositions are according to, in place of, because of, and instead of.
A prepositional phrase consists of a preposition, its object, and any modifiers of the object. The object of the preposition is the noun or a pronoun that follows the preposition.
Hang the antique quilt with blue patches on the wall. (With and on are prepositions.
Patches and wall are the objects of the prepositions.)
Finding Prepositions
Underline the preposition in each sentence. Remember that compound prepositions have two or more words.
A quilt is simply a cover for a bed.
But, to many women, it has a deeper significance.
In colonial America, women often sewed and assembled quilts together.
These quilting parties were a chance for much-needed socialization.
Quilts were pieced together from extra cloth swatches.
Each piece reminded the quilter of a loved one.
Quilts were often presented as gifts.
Instead of money, young newlyweds would receive a quilt.
Today, quilts have regained much of the popularity they had years ago.
By means of quilts. people today can touch the past.
B. Identifying Prepositional Phrases
Underline the prepositional phrases in the following sentences.
Armadillos rarely give birth to quadruplets.
Between the two houses is a large white fence.
Our class met some visitors from China.
Their charming cottage is near Lake Cumberland.
Have you eaten anything since breakfast?
The baseball game was canceled on account of rain.
We looked inside the submarine.
Everyone except Jan was there.
Hernando always plays according to the rules.
The seahorse carries its eggs in a pouch.

English 9
Parts of Speech
Prepositions
Name ______________________________________
Period _________
Score _________
A. Identifying Prepositional Phrases
Underline each prepositional phrase once. Underline the object of the preposition twice. A sentence may have more than one prepositional phrase.
Woodworking means forming wood into useful or beautiful objects.
A competent woodworker needs a number of tools for the job.
For measuring, you need rulers and framing squares.
A woodworker cannot function without decent cutting tools.
One familiar tool for cutting is the handsaw.
According to most modern woodworkers; however, an electric saw is the preferred tool.
With a plane, the woodworker shapes and smoothes the wood in fine items.
Drills help woodworkers make holes so they can connect pieces of wood with screws.
Rubbing with abrasive sandpaper makes surfaces smooth enough for the last step in the process.
Woodworkers use simple paintbrushes for the final touch — staining or painting the wood.
B. Writing with Prepositional Phrases
Add a prepositional phrase to each sentence using the preposition specified in parentheses. Write your new sentence on the line.
Example: There is a cabin. (in)
There is a cabin in the woods.
We set up camp. (after) ______________________________________________________________________________________
Flowers grew. (near) ______________________________________________________________________________________
I would like fresh tomatoes. (instead of) ______________________________________________________________________________________
The hikers took flashlights. (in addition to) ______________________________________________________________________________________
I always run. (past) ______________________________________________________________________________________
We took the ferry. (across)______________________________________________________________________________________
Everyone liked the pizza. (except) ______________________________________________________________________________________

English 9
Parts of Speech
The Twenty-Five Prepositional Phrases
Name ______________________________________
Period _________
Score _________
How many of the twenty-five prepositional phrases found in these fifteen sentences can you find? Underline these twenty-five prepositional phrases. Not every sentence contains a prepositional phrase.
In the morning mom drives Maureen to school
Without our approval, the television program was videotaped on Tuesday night at ten o’clock.
Over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house we go.
He wanted to go, but his mother said he couldn’t.
To be or not to be.
Everybody who is sitting near the door must now move beyond the tables.
None of the bread that we bought in the city is here on the counter.
Look under the couch and by the bureau.
Lance threw the ball to the first baseman wearing the striped shirt.
The children in the elementary school orchestra waited without their director for a quarter of an hour.
Sit between Tricia and me.
Before you leave the house, walk past your room and look at the cat.
Run there and tell us what is happening.
It is certainly not surprising that you and I were picked to be lab partners.
This was bought by your uncle for two hundred dollars.