Prepositions

Prepositions:	A word (or group of words) that shows position, direction, or how two words or ideas are related to each other. The preposition shows the relationship between its object and some other word in the sentence. Example: The olives hung under the leafy bush. [Under shows the relationship between the verb hung and the object of the preposition bush.]
Prepositional Phrase:	A prepositional phrase begins with a preposition and ends with a noun or pronoun called the object of the preposition. Includes the preposition, the *object* of the preposition, and any modifiers of the object. Example: The olives hung under the leafy bush. Note: Modifiers are words, phrases, or clauses that describe a noun.
Object of the Preposition	A preposition never appears alone; it must always have an object. If a word on the preposition list does not have an object, it is probably functioning as an adverb.
Compound Prepositions:	These are prepositions formed from more than one word. Examples: down from, inside of, out of, over to, etc.

Commonly Used Prepositions

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

TIPS TO KNOW: The subject nor the verb of a sentence will ever be a part of the prepositional phrase. If you can identify the prepositional phrases and "eliminate" them, you can easily identify the subject and be sure that it agrees in number with the verb. Read on for more details.

A PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE BEGINS WITH A PREPOSITION AND ENDS WITH A NOUN OR PRONOUN CALLED THE OBJECT OF THE PREPOSITION.
THE SUBJECT OF THE SENTENCE CAN NEVER BE PART OF A PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE.
A VERB CAN NEVER BE A PART OF A PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE.*

Mastering these rules allows you to find the subject of a sentence easily:

Ex. The child with her dog walked toward me.

What is the subject (the who or what of the sentence)? What is the verb (the action or state of being)?

First, cross out the prepositional phrase (s).

Ex. The child ~~with her dog~~ walked ~~toward me~~.

Next, highlight the subject in blue.

Ex. The child ~~with her dog~~ walked ~~toward me~~.

Finally, highlight the verb in red.

Ex. The child ~~with her dog~~ walked ~~toward me~~.

(Instead of highlights, you could underline the subject once and the verb twice-as we've done in class. We also circle the objects of the prepositions.)

For complex sentences, this is a very useful strategy. It is also a way to check subject-verb agreement and to learn about interrupters.

Try it and choose the correct verb!

The inhabitants of Mt. Olympus (is, are) gods and goddesses.

(There's, There are) a bowl of pomegranates on the stool.

The fate of the mortals (depends, depend) little on the whims of the gods.

*Do not submit work in all caps. I merely wanted to emphasize these points.