Prepositional Phrases
A Phrase is a group of related words that
does not include a Subject and Verb.
on the coast
in college
to the game
Prepositional Phrases
A Phrase is a group of related words that
does not include a Subject and Verb.
on the coast
in college
to the game
Prepositional Phrases
The most common kind of Phrase is a
Prepositional Phrase. Prepositional phrases
usually tell you where the topic and main
idea of the sentence (Subject and Verb)
happened.
Subject
Verb Prepositional phrase
• Jason traveled on the coast.
• Jason enrolled in college.
• Jason went
to the game.
Prepositional Phrases
Prepositional phrases usually have
three words: the Preposition, an
adjective, most often ‘the’ or ‘a’,
and a noun.
Preposition
in
at
Adjective
the
a
Noun
shade
table
Subject-Verb-Prepositional Phrase
.
The man is
(behind the sled).
The words in a
Prepositional Phrase
are a unit.
Imagine a dog sled.
Subject-Verb-Prepositional Phrase
She enrolled (in college).
The words in a
Prepositional Phrase
are a unit. Imagine a
dog sled.
The sled acts like the
Noun.
The dog acts like the
Preposition
Prepositional Phrases
The point is that if you
separate the
Preposition from the
Noun, you no longer
have a Prepositional
Phrase! It’s the same:
if you separate the dog
from the sled, you no
longer have a dog
sled!
Prepositional Phrases
The point is that if you
separate the
Preposition from the
Noun, you no longer
have a Prepositional
Phrase! It’s the same:
if you separate the dog
from the sled, you no
longer have a dog
sled!
Here is a list of the most common
Prepositions. You should memorize the
first list and be familiar with the
second!
Above, across, after,
in on at
to for by
with of from
against, along, among,
around, before,
behind, below,
beneath, beside,
between, during,
except, inside, into,
like, near, off, out,
over, since, than,
through, till, toward,
under, upon
Prepositional Phrases can come
anywhere in the sentence!
Prepositional
phrases can come
before the Subject
or after the Verb.
(At college), the girl
studied.
The girl studied
(at college).
Prepositional phrases can even
separate the Subject from the
Verb, so watch out!
The girl
(with the
sandals)
studied.
Prepositional Phrases – Lots of them!
(At college), the
girl (with the
sandals)
studied (on a
bench) (in the
sun).
Prepositional phrases can be a
lot of things, but they cannot be
the Subject!
Subject
Prep Phrase Verb
• The buildings (of New York) are
skyscrapers.
Subject
Prep Phrase Verb
The buildings (of New York) are
skyscrapers.
In this sentence,
New York is not a
“skyscraper.”
“The buildings are
skyscrapers,” so
“buildings” is the
Subject, and not
“New York!”
The Prepositional Phrase (of New York)
only tells you where the buildings are.
Prepositional
Phrases
Commas with
Use a comma after
an opening
Prepositional
Phrase. Example:
(In the early
morning light) I
saw the Rocky
Mountains
Prepositional
Phrases
Commas with
Use a comma after
an opening
Prepositional
Phrase. Example:
(In the early
morning light), I
saw the Rocky
Mountains
Do not use a comma if the
Prepositional Phrase is not at the
beginning of sentence!
[no comma!] I saw
the Rocky Mountains
(in the early morning
light).
[Comma!] (In the
early morning light),
I saw the Rocky
Mountains.
Here’s an important point: If you don’t
have a Preposition, you can’t have a
Prepositional Phrase!
“I returned the book.”
“The book” cannot be a Prepositional Phrase
because “the” is not on the list of
Prepositions.
“I returned the book to the library.”
“to the library” is a Prepositional Phrase
because to is a Preposition, and “to the
library” tells where you returned the book.
Underline the Subject, put the Verb in bold, (put
parentheses around each Prepositional Phrase),
and add any commas that are needed.
1. Oceans cover three-quarters of the earth's
2.
3.
4.
5.
surface.
Yet most people know very little about the
oceans.
From simple cloth a quilter makes wonderful art
objects.
Sometimes Earle stays underwater for up to
two weeks.
An experienced quilter with simple materials
works magic.