Grammar
Parts of Speech
and Sentence
Construction
Part 2
In the first presentation we learned about noun,
verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. This one will talk
about prepositions, conjunctions, and
interjections.
Prepositions are not essential to rudimentary
communication. As we said before, you can talk
to people using nouns and verbs if you plan to
have no sophistication at all in your conversation.
But without prepositions we would have
tremendous limitations in understanding. (Four
prepositional phrases were used in this
paragraph.)
Conjunctions are grammatical “time-savers.”
Instead of saying, “I am leaving for school. My
brother is also leaving for school,” you can say,
“My brother and I are leaving for school.” The
tiny conjunction “and” enables you to do this.
Coordinating—for and nor but or yet so
Subordinating—after while until whether
although if unless when whenever
because before since
Correlative—not only. . .but also;
both. . .and; either. . .or;
neither. . .nor; whether. . .or;
Interjections allow us to express our
strong feelings, whatever those feelings
may be. When you hit your thumb with
a hammer, the word that comes out of
your mouth is an interjection.
!*&!)!**%**!
What are some examples of
interjections that are suitable for
printing on this page?
Over the river and through the woods
to grandmother’s house we go.
This sentence from a childhood song is
made up of a conjunction, a subject (we), a
verb (go), and three prepositional phrases.
Prepositions are usually just one word. But
prepositions are almost always followed by
nouns. A noun that follows a preposition
is the object of the preposition.
Some common prepositions:
out
underneath
up
in
above
into
below
off
below
over
toward
within
to
on
during
beyond
behind
through
beneath
upon
under
down
across
without
What do these words
have to do with the
above box?
Prepositions, many times, give or show a direction. Whatever
that can be done with this box is a preposition.
beyond
above
on
over
upon
with
within
in
under
beneath
below
underneath
beside
without
There are other prepositions, but this illustration covers many
of them.
Find the prepositional phrases in the selection
below. Identify the preposition first. Then identify
the object of the preposition.
Have you been paying attention to the presidential
campaign? We have two candidates running for
the office. One of them will be the winner. The
two major candidates have quite a bit in common.
Both are the sons of powerful politicians. George
Bush’s father is a former President. Al Gore’s
father was a senator from Tennessee. Both were
educated in Ivy League schools. Both are wealthy
men. Both have strong ties to their families. They
even have similar views on several issues.
Which candidate do you like better? Do you know
the difference between a Democrat and a
Republican?
Did you find all of the prepositions? Did you identify the
objects?
Have you been paying attention to the presidential
campaign? We have two candidates running for
the office. One of them will be the winner. The two
major candidates have quite a bit in common.
Both are the sons of powerful politicians. George
Bush’s father is a former President. Al Gore’s
father was a senator from Tennessee. Both were
educated in Ivy League schools. Both are wealthy
men. Both have strong ties to their families. They
even have similar views on several issues.
Which candidate do you like better? Do you know
the difference between a Democrat and a
Republican?
Prepositional Phrases as Adjective Phrases
and Adverb Phrases
“The boy behind me is so cute!”
“Behind me” is a prepositional phrase, but what does it modify?
Does it tell which boy? Or does it tell where the boy sits? This
prepositional phrase tells us which boy—the “behind me” boy and
modifies the noun “boy.” What is the object of the preposition?
“He ran behind the car and jumped into his truck.”
Behind the car” is also a prepositional phrase. What does this
phrase modify—the pronoun “he” or the verb “ran?” Does it tell
which one, what kind, or how many? If it does it is an adjective
phrase. Does it tell how, where, when or to what extent? If it
does, it is an adverb phrase. Is there another prepositional
phrase in this sentence? Find it—tell what the object is and tell
whether it is an adjective phrase or an adverb phrase.
Phrases and Clauses
What is the difference between a phrase and a
clause? A clause has both a subject and a
verb. A phrase is a group of related words.
Down the street and around the corner
Phrase (actually two phrases)
After he locked the building for the night
Dependent clause—doesn’t make sense by
itself—subject? verb?
Jacob left his job for a better opportunity.
Independent clause—does make sense by
itself—subject? verb?