Name: __________________________________

Section: ___________

Date: ____________________________

6^th Grade English

Prepositions

1. A preposition is a word that relates a noun or pronoun to the rest of a sentence.

2. Prepositions show space, time, and condition.

3. Prepositions always have an object.

4. The object of a preposition can be a noun, a pronoun, or a group of words acting as a noun.

5. The most common words used as prepositions are: about, above, across, after, against, along, among, around, at, before, behind, below, beneath, beside, besides, between, beyond, but (when it means “except”), by, concerning, despite, down, during, except, for (when it doesn’t mean “because”), from, in, inside, into, like, near, of, off, on, until, up, upon, with, within, and without.

6. Sometimes a preposition is two words, such as next to, because of, out of, except for, instead of, and according to.

7. Some of the words on the preposition list can also act as other parts of speech, such as adverbs, conjunctions, or parts of verbs (in phrasal verbs such as “to show up”)

8. You can tell a word is a preposition by asking a question:

a. Say the word you think is a preposition followed by whom or what. If you can answer the question, it is a preposition.

b. He gave the ball to Larry. To whom? To Larry.

9. The combination of a preposition and its object (along with the words that modify the object) is called a prepositional phrase.

10. Sometimes a prepositional phrase can be written out of order, so that the object is before the preposition. For instance, Grammar is a subject I care about. In this sentence, “grammar” is the object of the preposition “about.”

11. However, you should avoid ending a sentence with a preposition:

a. If the preposition is unnecessary or makes the sentence sound slangy. (In the sentence, “Where are you at?” the ending preposition is both unneeded and slangy)

b. If the sentence can still sound natural when it doesn’t end with the preposition (“Grammar is a subject about which I care” sounds awkward)

c. If the writing and the reader are very formal. Some people believe ending a sentence with a proposition is wrong no matter what.

12. In a sentence, prepositional phrases act as if they were adjectives or adverbs. That is, they modify other words or phrases.

Notes:

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Preposition Vocabulary

preposition:.............................. A part of speech that relates a noun or pronoun to the rest of a sentence. A preposition usually shows space, time or condition.

prepositional phrase:................ The group of words including a preposition, its object, and the words modifying the object.

object of a preposition:............ A noun, pronoun, or noun phrase acted upon by a preposition.