PRACTICE 1: MATCHING
Prepositional phrases begin with words like these:
about
across
after
against
along
among
around
as
at
beside
between
beyond
by
down
during
for
from
in
inside
into
like
near
of
off
on
outside
over
through
to
under
up
upon
with
within
Most prepositions fit this mnemonic device: “anywhere a mouse can go”, ex. under the
table, behind the couch, over the hill, through the hole, between…, up…, around…
Prepositional phrases occur at the beginning of a sentence (opener), between a
subject and a verb (s-v split), or at the end of a sentence (closer). A prepositional phrase
begins with the preposition and ends with a noun (the object of the preposition). Below
are prepositions listed with their objects to make prepositional phrases:
like a lean gray wolf
in his good blue coat
from the quarterdeck
at home
with the other rabbits
EXAMPLES OF PREPOSTIONAL PHRASES
(Note: Frequently prepositional phrases occur in different places or in a row)
Opener: Like a lean, gray wolf, he moved silently and easily.
Joan Aiken, A Necklace of Raindrops
S – V Split: Captain Eaton, in his good blue coat, was shouting orders from the
quarterdeck. (Also from the quarterdeck)
Elizabeth George Speare, The Witch of Blackbird Pond
Closer: He was a Real Rabbit at last, at home with the other rabbits. (Two prepositional
phrases in a row)
Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit
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Directions:
1. Match the prepositional phrases with the sentences.
2. Write out each sentence, inserting and underlining the prepositional phrase.
3. Use all three positions at least once – opener, subject-verb split, closer.
Sentences:
Prepositional Phrases:
1. The wind died, and the clearing was
quiet again.
a. as darkness closed in
(one prepositional phrase)
2. Children use all their senses to discover
the world.
b. from the open plain beyond
(one prepositional phrase)
John Steinbek, Of Mice and Men
Eudora Welty, One Writer’s Beginnings
3. Dazed, suffering intolerable pain, Buck
attempted to face his tormentors.
c. as quickly as it had come
(one prepositional phrase)
Jack London, Call of the Wild
4. One minute it was winter.
Ray Bradbury, The Martian Chronicles
5. The rain stopped.
Richard Adams, Watership Down
6. It was on the upper rail of our small
corral, soaking in the later afternoon
sun, when I saw him far down the road
where it swung into the valley.
d. with doors closed, windows
locked, the panes blind with
with frost, icicles fringing every
roof, children skiing on slopes,
housewives lumbering like great
black bears in their coats along
the icy streets.
(two prepositional phrases)
e. like animals
(one prepositional phrase)
f. with the life half throttled out
of him
(one prepositional phrase)
Jack Schaefer, Shane
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PRACTICE 2: IDENTIFYING
1. Review what you learned about prepositional phrases in Practice 1. With a partner,
jot down brief answers to these questions on a piece of paper.
a. What information do prepositional phrases tell?
b. What words usually begin prepositional phrases?
c. How long are prepositional phrases – short, medium, long?
d. Where can prepositional phrases be placed in a sentence?
3
Directions
Work with your partner to find and underline the prepositional phrase in these
sentences. See if your answers to the questions fit them.
1. Discouraged, she wriggled backward down the frost heave and arrived at her
camp feet first.
Jean Craighead George, Julie of the Wolves
2. By the end of the first round, his face felt as if it had been stung by a hundred
bees.
Robert Lipsyte, The Contender
3. Carl Tiflen went out of the barn and walked up a side hill to be by himself, for he
was embarrassed, but Billy Buck stayed.
John Steinbeck, The Red Pony
4. Upon a stage, a woman sang.
Ray Bradbury, The Martian Chronicles
5. Towns, like people, had clear identities and your imagination could go out to
meet them.
Eudora Welty, One Writer’s Beginnings
6. Mr. Morrison sat singing soft and low into the long night, chanting to the
approaching thunder.
Mildred Taylor, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
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PRACTICE 3: COMBINING
Directions: With your partner, combine the two sentences by making the underline
part of the second sentence a prepositional phrase to put at the caret (^). Write the
new sentence and underline the prepositional phrase.
EXAMPLE
Sentences to Combine:
a. The horses, ^ , pricked up their ears when they heard the goose hollering.
b. The horses were in their stalls in the barn.
Combination:
The horses, in their stalls in the barn, pricked up their ears when they heard the goose
hollering.
E. B. White, Charlotte’s Web
PRACTICE
1a. Suddenly Lucy gave a sharp little cry, ^ .
1b. Her cry was like someone who had been stung by a wasp.
C. S. Lewis, Prince Caspian
Combination:
2a. ^ , Hen Wen’s tracks showed as clearly as if they had been carved.
2b. The tracks were in a patch of clay.
Lloyd Alexander, The Book of Three
Combination:
5
(Practice 3 Continued)
3a. Squinting up at the sky, Sara began to kick her foot back and forth, ^ .
3b. Her foot was in the deep grass.
Betsy Byars, Summer of the Swans
Combination:
4a. I remember another time, when my father caught me riding my bicycle, ^ .
4b. I was riding my bicycle without a helmet.
Margaret Peterson Haddix, Double Identity
Combination:
5a. Outside the window, in the blue moonlight , she could see a huge jagged slab of ice
sticking up ^ .
5b. The ice was sticking up from the snow.
Susan Fromberg Schafer, Time in its Flight
Combination:
6a. He was still there, ^ , staring at the saddle, when the two cowhands came out of the
nearest saloon.
6b. He was in front of the window.
Hal Borland, When the Legends Die
Combination:
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PRACTICE 4: UNSCRAMBLING
Work with your partner to unscramble the list of sentence parts and write out the
sentence. Underline the sentence parts that are prepositional phrases. NOTE: The
capitalized sentence part begins the sentence.
EXAMPLE
Scrambled Sentence Parts:
a. upon the bats
b. On silent wings
c. the powerful bird swooped down
Unscrambled Sentence:
On silent wings, the powerful bird swooped down upon the bats.
Janell Cannon, Stellaluna
PRACTICE
1a.
1b.
1c.
1d.
the dream slipped away from his thoughts
Then
in the same way that his own dwelling slipped away behind him
as he rounded a corner on his bicycle
Lois Lowry, The Giver
Unscrambled Sentence:
2a. as I leaned around the corner
2b. being sneaky
2c. I had the camera ready
Stephanie Meyer, New Moon
Unscrambled Sentence:
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(Practice 4 Continued)
3a.
3b.
3c.
3d.
3e.
forming
The skeletons
around us
moved forward
forming a crescent
Rick Riordin, The Titan’s Curse
Unscrambled Sentence:
4a.
4b.
4c.
4d.
4e.
the whole world
on the verge
seem like a place
It made
of distruction
Lynne Rae Perkins, Criss Cross
Unscrambled Sentence:
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PRACTICE 5: EXPANDING
Work with your partner to create three prepositional phrases that begins with the
words provided within each sentence. Create a short, a medium, and a long
prepositional phrase for each sentence. Circle the phrase that you like best for each
sentence. We will share our phrases with one another and compare them to the
author’s.
Example
Sentence:
At…, she raced Masakiro home and won easily.
Sample Prepositional Phrases:
Short:
Medium:
Long:
At noon
At the sound of the bell
At the last moment that she could
Original Sentence:
At the end of the day, she raced Masakiro home and won easily
1. Suddenly, Lucy gave a sharp little cry, like…
C. S. Lewis, Prince Caspian
Short:
Medium:
Long:
2. As… , I began to depend more on my left foot for everything.
Christy Brown, My Left Foot
Short:
Medium:
Long:
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(Practice 5 Continued)
3. By... , the house smelled of Sunday: chicken frying, bacon sizzling, and smoked
sausages baking.
Mildred Taylor, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Short:
Medium:
Long:
4. Strolling back under... , toward the house, Aunt rose suddenly gasped and put
her hand to her throat.
Ray Bradbury, Dandelion Wine
Short:
Medium:
Long:
5. The dying animal snarled, and suddenly lifted its head and twisted, sinking its
teeth into... .
Michael Crichton, Jurassic Park
Short:
Medium:
Long:
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Author’s Sentences
1. Suddenly, Lucy gave a sharp little cry, like someone who had been stung by a
wasp.
C. S. Lewis, Prince Caspian
2. As time went on, I began to depend more on my left foot for everything.
Christy Brown, My Left Foot
3. By dawn, the house smelled of Sunday: chicken frying, bacon sizzling, and
smoked sausages baking.
Mildred Taylor, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
4. Strolling back under the warm summer elms, toward the house, Aunt rose
suddenly gasped and put her hand to her throat.
Ray Bradbury, Dandelion Wine
5. The dying animal snarled, and suddenly lifted its head and twisted, sinking its
teeth into the neck of its attacker.
Michael Crichton, Jurassic Park
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PRACTICE 6: COMBINING TO IMITATE
Work with your partner to combine both lists of sentences to imitate the same model.
Change the first sentence into the first sentence part of the model, and change the
second sentence into the second sentence part of the model, etc.
Example
Model to Imitate:
With a slight movement of his skinny fingers, he gestured the warriors to stand away.
Lloyd Alexander, The Book of Three
Lists:
Imitations:
a. It happened after the tenth practice
of the new season.
After the tenth practice of the new
Season, the coach chose Jackson to
hit first.
b. Then the coach chose Jackson.
c. He chose Jackson to hit first.
a. It occurred on the honeysuckle vine
along the wooden fence.
b. There a hummingbird flapped its
tiny wings.
c. It flapped them to feed furiously.
On the honeysuckle vine along the
wooden fence, a hummingbird
flapped its tiny wings to feed
furiously.
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Directions
Work with your partner to combine both lists of sentences to imitate the same
model. Change the first sentence into the first sentence part of the model, and change
the second sentence into the second sentence part of the model, etc.
FIRST MODEL: High against the pale clouds, seagulls soared and cried as if they were
mourning.
Lois Lowry, Number the Stars
1a. It was deep beneath the ocean’s surface.
1b. The dolphins glided and twirled.
1c. It was as if they were dancing.
Imitation:
2a. It happened high upon the dangerous tight rope.
2b. The acrobat concentrated and balanced.
2c. It was as if she was entranced.
Imitation:
SECOND MODEL: Within the folds of his tunic, Tarik wiped his hands and placed his
fingers around the handle of his sword.
Walter Dean Myers, Legend of Tarik
1a. It was upon the shelf in his locker.
1b. Adam searched for room.
1c. And crammed his books between the papers in disarray.
Imitation:
2a. It was on the surface of the canvas.
2b. Renee created vivid images.
2c. And shared deep feelings from within through her art.
Imitation:
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PRACTICE 7: COMBINING AND IMITATING
With your partner, combine each list of sentences to imitate the model. Then write
your own imitation of the model.
Example
Model to Imitate:
Beside the hedgerow, she met Straw, the horse who was in pain from a toothache.
Roger Duvoisin, Petunia
Sentences to Combine:
a. It happened inside the bleachers.
b. A fan caught the ball.
c. The ball was the one that was from the star batter of the team.
Combination:
Inside the bleachers, a fan caught the ball, the one that was from the star batter of the
team.
Sample Imitation:
During the song, the crowd cheered the guitarist, the one who was in the spotlight on
the stage.
PRACTICE
1. Model: In the middle of the last cookie, an inspiration came to her.
Katherine Paterson, The Great Gilly Hopkins
a. It was at the end of the long test.
b. Great relief bubbled inside her.
Combination:
Imitation:
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(Practice 7 continued)
2. Model: On this mound, among the grasses and the plants, stood Rontu.
Scott O’Dell, Island of the Blue Dolphins
c. It was under the bed.
d. It was behind the wrappers and toys.
e. Lay the ipod.
Combination:
Imitation:
3. Model: Across the stalk land, into the pine woods, into the climbing,
brightening glow of the dawn, the boy followed the dog, whose anxious pace
slowed from age as they went.
William H. Armstrong, Sounder
a.
b.
c.
d.
It was over the choppy wake.
It was through the blinding spray.
It was into the exhilarating, heart-stopping waves from the boat.
The jet ski carried the girl, whose fearless confidence increased with
experience on the lake.
Combination:
Imitation:
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ACTIVITY 1: SENTENCES
Work with your partner to write three sentences about unusual people, places, or
things. Use at least one of each of the three kinds of prepositional phrases below, which
are taken from the earlier practices.
EXAMPLES OF KINDS OF PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES
1. SINGLE
a. inside Mrs. O’Brien’s kitchen
b. in shorts and sleeveless T-shirts
c. in the moonlight
d. for two nights and days
e. with one quick moment
f. in a surprisingly short time
2. CONSECUTIVE
a. from his place in the balcony
b. on the way to school
c. at the end of the day
d. with a slight movement of his skinny fingers
e. after the tenth practice of the new season
f. on the honeysuckle vine along the wooden fence
3. SERIES: (connected by commas or the word and)
a. over the river and through the woods
b. up the street and around the house
c. through the scrub, around palmetto clumps, over trunks of fallen trees,
under dwarf pines and oaks
d. in the pine woods, along a deserted logging road
e. on this mound, among the grasses and the plants
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