Prepositions, Conjunctions, and
Interjections
Unit 6
A preposition usually indicates the temporal,
spatial or logical relationship of its object
to the rest of the sentence as in the
following examples:
•
•
•
•
•
•
The book is on the table.
The book is beneath the table.
The book is leaning against the table.
The book is beside the table.
She held the book over the table.
She read the book during class.
• The puppy is on the floor.
• The puppy is in the
trashcan.
• The puppy is beside the
phone.
The Most Common Prepositions Are
"about," "above," "across," "after,"
"against," "along," "among," "around," "at,"
"before," "behind," "below," "beneath,"
"beside," "between," "beyond," "but," "by,"
"despite," "down," "during," "except," "for,"
"from," "in," "inside," "into," "like," "near,"
"of," "off," "on," "onto," "out," "outside,"
"over," "past," "since," "through,"
"throughout," "till," "to," "toward," "under,"
"underneath," "until," "up," "upon," "with,"
"within," and "without."
(Mine eyes have seen the glory. . .)
Read downward by columns.
aboard
among
beside
about
around
between
above
at
beyond
across
before
by
after
behind
down
against
below
during
along
beneath except
(Next slide when sing off.)
for
from
in
into
like
of
off
(Glory, glory, halleluiah. . .) Read
downward by columns.
over
past
since
through
throughout
to
toward
under
upon
underneath
until
up
(Next slide when sing without.)
with
within
without
(Second Verse-Glory, glory,
halleluiah. . .)
Prepositions come in phrases.
The phrases always end in objects.
Prepositions never work alone,
or they’re called adverbs!
Posted Wed Aug 9 06:36:18 PDT 2000 by Anne Moran
(teachmoran6@aol.com). Ursuline Academy, Wilmington, DE
Prepositions
• A preposition is a word that links a noun or a
pronoun to some other word in a sentence.
• Prepositions answer the questions Where? Or
When?
The boy by the window is French.
• The word by in the sentence above is a
preposition. By shows the relationship of the
word boy to the noun window.
Commonly Used Prepositions
about
behind
for
onto
toward
above
below
from
opposite
under
across
beneath in
out
underneath
after
beside
outside
until
against
between into
over
up
along
beyond
like
past
upon
among
by
near
since
with
around
down
of
through
within
at
during
off
throughout without
before
except
on
to
inside
Compound Prepositions
• A preposition can consist of more than one
word making it a compound preposition.
Jasmine will visit Trinidad instead of Jamaica.
Compound Prepositions
according to
by means of
instead of
ahead of
in addition to
in view of
apart from
in back of
next to
aside from
in front of
on account of
as of
in place of
on top of
because of
in spite of
out of
Prepositional Phrase
• A prepositional phrase is a group of words that
begins with a preposition and ends with a noun
or pronoun, which is called the object of the
preposition.
The painting near you is by a Brazilian artist.
• The sentence had two prepositional phrases,
near you and by a Brazilian artist
Grammar Tip
• A preposition is always the first word in a
prepositional phrase. Prepositional
phrases always include a noun or pronoun
object.
Identify the prepositions in the following
sentences.
• You can think about a sport as an athletic
game or a test of skill.
– about, of
• Sports can be a source of diversion for
those who play or observe them.
– of, for
Sports have existed for various purposes since
the times of the ancient Egyptians and
Greeks.
– for, since, of
• The ancient Egyptians swam, raced,
wrestled, and played games with sticks and
round objects.
– with
At first, the ancient Greeks held athletic
contests in honor of the gods or in
thanksgiving to them.
– At, in, of, in, to
Identify the compound prepositions in the
following sentences.
• The games provided entertainment, in
addition to having religious significance.
– in addition to
• According to historians, the games were a
vital part of ancient Greek civilization.
– According to
Eventually, professional athletes played in
place of volunteer citizens.
– in place of
• Because of the importance of the games,
winners were treated as heroes.
– Because of
Warring city-states sometimes called a truce
due to the games.
– due to
State the prepositional phrase/s you find in
each sentence. Identify the object of each
preposition.
• In Rome, games took place at the
beginning of each year.
– In Rome, at the beginning, of each year
• At first, the public treasury provided funds
for the events.
– At first, for the events
• Corrupt politicians later tried winning the
support of the people by lavishly spending
excessive amounts of money on the games.
– of the people, of money, on the games
• These politicians held games on the slightest
pretext so that they could compete for the
favor of the public.
– on the slightest pretext, for the favor, of
the public
Over time, athletic events lost their original
religious meaning and purpose among the
people.
– Over time, among the people
Distinguishing Between
Prepositions and Adverbs
• Some words can be either prepositions or
adverbs depending how they are used
• A preposition must have an object and be
part of a prepositional phrase
• An adverb modifies a verb and has no
object
• Adverb answers the question Where?
When? In what way? Or To what extent?
Remember! Adverbs modifies a verb and
has no object.
Preposition or Adverb
The ball flew past third base.
- preposition, base is the object of the
preposition
Preposition or Adverb
• The umpire ran past quickly.
- adverb, answers the question Where?
referring to the verb ran
• Please come inside soon.
– adverb, answers the question Where?
referring to the verb come
• They sat inside the dugout.
– preposition, dugout is the object of the
preposition
Grammar Tip
• To distinguish between a preposition and
an adverb, students can try rewriting the
sentence so that the preposition is part of
a prepositional phrase. If they can do this,
the preposition is not an adverb:
I am the one the baseball belongs to.
The baseball belongs to me.
State if the underlined word is an adverb or
a preposition.
• We have learned a lot about the games.
– preposition
• They were celebrated over the summer
every four years.
– preposition
Each city-state brought along its best
athletes.
– adverb
• The athletes walked about, waiting to be
called.
– adverb
• Some stood in lines along the edge of the
arena.
– preposition
In each of the following pairs of sentences,
one sentence contains a word used as a
preposition, and the other contains the
same word used as and adverb. Identify if
the word is used as a preposition and
state the object of the preposition. OR
Identify if the word is used as a adverb
and state the verb.
• In modern baseball, an umpire stands
behind home plate.
– Behind preposition, plate
• A single strikeout can cause one team to
win a game or to fall behind.
– Behind adverb, fall
• At a night game, the lights are turned on.
– on: adverb, turned
• The pitcher stands on the mound.
– on: preposition, mound
• The players warm up before the game.
– before: preposition, game
• They’ve practiced the skills many times
before.
– before: adverb, practiced
Prepositional Phrases used as
Adjectives Phrases
phrase – a group of words that functions
in a sentence as a single part of speech
– phrases do not contain a subject and
verb
adjective phrase – a prepositional phrase
that modifies a noun or pronoun by
telling what kind or which one
Adjective
The New Mexican climate is warm.
Adjective Phrase
The climate of New Mexico is warm.
An adjective phrase usually follows its noun
or pronoun.
Adjective
The blue-eyed acrobat slipped and fell.
Adjective Phrase
The acrobat with the blue eyes slipped and fell.
A temple of great size stands here.
The prepositional phrase of great size
modifies the subject of the sentence, temple.
I noticed some men with heavy suitcases.
The prepositional phrase with heavy suitcases
describes a noun in the predicate, men.
Prepositional Phrases used as
Adverbs Phrases
adverb phrase – a prepositional phrase
that modifies a verb, an adjective, or an
adverb
adverb phrases point out where, when, in
which way, or to what extent
Adverb Phrases Modifying a Verb, an
Adjective, and an Adverb
Describes a
The tourists travel in a group.
verb
Describes
an
The temple is impressive from this view.
adjective
Describes
It has held up well for its age.
an adverb
How Adverb Phrases Function
When?
They left the hotel in the morning.
Where?
The curious visitors went to Japan.
How?
The large group traveled by airplane.
Adverb
The bus left late.
Put the package there.
Adverb Phrase
The bus left after a two-hour delay.
Put the package in the closet.
Grammar Tip
• One helpful way to differentiate
between adverbs and adjectives is to
remember that adverbs modify the
words that adjectives don’t: verbs,
adjectives, and other adverbs.
Identify each prepositional phrase and state
whether it is an adjective phrase or an
adverb phrase.
Most people in Japan follow the traditional
customs of their country.
– in Japan—adjective phrase
– of their country—adjective phrase
The Japanese traditionally bow on certain
occasions.
– on certain occasions—adverb phrase
They show great respect for their elders.
– for their elders—adjective phrase
Throughout their history the Japanese have
also loved beauty.
– Throughout their history—adverb phrase
Their gardens are models of grace and
delicacy.
– of grace and delicacy—adjective phrase
Japanese gardens are exceptional in their
harmony.
– in their harmony—adverb phrase
Artificial and natural elements blend together
in their gardens.
– in their gardens—adverb phrase
Soft woven mats cover the floors of many
Japanese homes.
– of many Japanese homes—adjective
phrase
Conjunctions
conjunction
– connects words or groups of words
– links words and ideas
Conjunctions act like the cement between
bricks. Words such as and, as, and when
connect individual words or groups of
words. They are the “cement” of
sentences.
Conjunctions fall into three
groups: coordinating
conjunctions, correlative
conjunctions, and subordinating
conjunctions.
Coordinating Conjunctions
• connect words of the same kind, such
as two or more nouns or verbs
• can connect larger groups of words,
such as prepositional phrases or even
entire sentences
• and, for, or, yet, but, nor, so
In the following examples, the coordinating
conjunctions are bolded. The words they
connect are italicized.
Connecting Nouns:
My cousin and his wife left yesterday for a
trip to Washington, D.C.
Connecting Verbs:
They printed out directions but forgot to
bring them.
Connecting Prepositional Phrases:
Put the luggage on the doorstep or in the
garage.
Connecting Two Sentences:
Our family wanted to go the White House
but we decided to go to the Capital first.
http://www.travelsd.com/placestogo/rushmore/
Critical Viewing:
What thoughts come to mind when you view
this photograph of Mount Rushmore?
Link two thoughts with and and two others
with but.
Correlative Conjunctions
• Connect the same kinds of words or
groups of words as do coordinating
conjunctions, but correlative conjunctions
are used in pairs.
both . . . and
neither . . . nor
whether . . . or
either . . . or
not only . . . but also
Connecting Nouns:
We have seen both the Hoover Dam and
the Grand Canyon Dam.
Connecting Pronouns:
Either you or I will be the leader on the trail.
Connecting Verbs:
The sick hiker would neither eat or drink.
Connecting Prepositional Phrases:
We hiked slowly, whether in a large group
or by ourselves.
Connecting Two Sentences:
Not only are the Sierra Mountains rugged,
but they are also beautiful.
Identify the coordinating conjunction in each
sentence and the words or groups of
words connected by the conjunction.
The Arlington National Cemetery is a historic
burial place, and it is reserved for soldiers.
There are more than 240,000 graves, yet
there is room for more.
The land previously belonged to Robert E.
Lee and his family.
During the Civil War, the Union army took
over the property, so the residents had to
leave.
Many recipients of the Medal of Honor or the
Distinguished Flying Cross are buried
there.
Identify the correlative conjunction in each
sentence and the words or groups of
words connected by the conjunction.
Both soldiers and war heroes are buried in
Arlington.
Not only men are buried there, but also
many brave women.
Many graves are of soldiers who died in
either the Vietnam War or the Civil War.
Neither the cemetery nor its inspiring
memorials existed before the Civil War.
People buried in the cemetery today must
either have died in war or spent twenty
years in the military.
Conjunctive Adverb
A conjunctive adverb may be used to join
the simple sentences in a compound
sentence.
When two simple sentences are joined with
a conjunctive adverb, a semicolon always
appears before the second sentence.
The conjunctive adverb can appear at the
beginning, at the end, or in the middle of the
second sentence. When it comes at the
beginning or end, it is set off with a comma.
When it appears in the middle, one comma
proceeds it, and one follows it.
Chinese people often stir-fry their food;
therefore, they must cut it into very small
pieces.
Stir-frying should be done quickly; the wok must
be very hot, therefore.
Vegetables cook more quickly than meat; they
must, therefore, be added to the wok last.
Using Conjunctive Adverbs
To replace and
also, besides, furthermore,
moreover
To replace but
however, nevertheless, still
consequently, therefore, so,
To state a result
thus
To state equality equally, likewise, similarly
Identify each conjunctive adverb, and add
any needed punctuation.
People in different lands often have different
eating styles moreover they may use
different utensils.
– styles; moreover,
Many people in India use bread as a scoop
some however use a fork.
– scoop; some, however,
Chinese cooks cut meat into bite-size pieces
similarly they chop or slice most
vegetables.
– pieces; similarly,
Food is bite-size thus a knife isn’t needed.
– bite-size; thus,
Soup may be served without spoons it must
however be sipped carefully.
– spoons; it must, however,
State a conjunctive adverb that makes sense
in completing the sentence.
Cuisines differ from country to country;
_____________, they often feature similar
dishes.
– To replace but: however, nevertheless, still
A crepe is a thin pancake around a filling;
______________, an enchilada may feature
cheese inside a pancake.
– To state equality: equally, likewise,
similarly
Each nation has its specialties; ___________,
these are the best foods to sample.
– To state a result: consequently, therefore,
so, thus
You can enjoy these foods in restaurants;
______________, cookbooks offer recipes.
– To replace and: also, besides,
furthermore, moreover
Subordinating Conjunctions
• connect two ideas by making one idea
dependent on the other
• the idea is dependent on the sentence’s
main idea
• the subordinate conjunction introduces the
subordinate idea.
Frequently Used Subordinating
Conjunctions
after
as though
since
until
although
because
so that
when
as
before
than
whenever
as if
even though though
where
as long as
if
till
wherever
unless
while
as soon as in order that
A subordinating conjunction always comes
before the dependent idea.
The subordinating conjunction connects the
dependent idea to the main idea.
Examples:
I did the planning after he made reservations.
When he phoned this morning, he was unable
to reach the senator.
Examples:
I did the planning after he made reservations.
When he phoned this morning, he was unable
to reach the senator.
The examples show that the main idea can
come at the beginning or at the end of the
sentence.
When the dependent idea comes first, it must
be separated from the main idea with a
comma.
Identify the subordinating conjunction and
the dependent idea following the
conjunction.
Wherever important events have occurred,
there are landmarks.
Monuments and other landmarks are
constructed so that important people and
events can be remembered.
Many are built after the people themselves
have died.
Some landmarks were constructed because
they mark an important historic spot.
Whenever people visit, they are reminded of
the person or event.
Even though many landmarks are old, they
remain popular.
Interjections
• expresses feeling or emotion and
functions independently from the rest of
the sentence
• part of speech that is used the least
• only use is to express feelings or emotions
• used to attract attention
An interjection has no grammatical
relationship to any other word in a
sentence.
An interjection is set off from the rest of the
sentence with a comma or an exclamation
mark.
Interjections can express different feelings or
emotions.
Joy: Wow! I can’t believe the size of this
statue.
Surprise: Oh, I didn’t expect to hear from
you.
Pain: Ouch! That hurts.
Impatience: Tsk! How long do they expect
me to wait?
Hesitation: I, uh, think we should leave
now.
Other common interjections include:
Ah, alas, gee, golly, hah, help, hey, hooray,
no way, oh my, oh no, oh, oops, psst, so,
ugh, uh-oh, well, whew, whoa, and yeah
Some interjections can be used
sarcastically.
A word such as Great! Can be used to
express not only joy but also impatience or
disgust, depending on tone of voice alone.
Identify the interjections in the following
sentences.
Wow! This park is amazing.
Yeah, but I am sure that it gets cold here in
the winter.
Oh, I would hate to be stuck outside in the
cold.
State an interjection that could complete
each sentence, Make sure the sentence
makes sense.
______! Our next stop in Italy will be the
ancient city of Rome.
The city was first built during the great
Roman Empire, more than 2,500 years
ago. ______!
______! Today’s Romans live surrounded
by remnants of an entirely different
civilization.
______! We are planning instead to lunch
on some of Italy’s more than 200 kinds of
pasta.
Bibliography
Carroll, Joyce A., Edward E. Wilson, and
Gary Forlini. Prentice Hall Writing and
Grammar. Boston, Massachusetts:
Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008.
Royster, Jacqueline J., and Mark Lester.
Writer's Choice Grammar Workbooks :
Teacher's Wraparound Edition. New York:
Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 1996.