Prepositions What is a preposition Is a word

Prepositions

What is a preposition • Is a word that is always used with a noun or a pronoun to create a prepositional phrase. (Ex. In the house – preposition (in) and noun [object of preposition] – (house) • Here are some prepositions: about down above for after from aroundin to at inside before of beneath off between on by opposite since throughout underneath up without

Prepositions and their objects • A prepositional phrase has a preposition and an object of the preposition. The object can be either a noun or pronoun. Ex. I am jumping on [preposition] the trampoline [noun/object]. I am swimming in [preposition] the very chilly pond [noun/object]. • If a prepositional phrase includes a pronoun, that pronoun must be in the objective case. Objective Case Pronouns Singular Plural st 1 person: me us nd 2 person: you 3 rd person: him, her, it them • Practice: Which is correct? I [subject] am hungry. Give the pizza to [preposition] I [object]. I [subject] am hungry. Give the pizza to [preposition] me [object].

Ending a sentence • It used to be a rule that you should never end a sentence with a preposition. That has softened up over time; however, if you change the order of the words so as not to end with a preposition and the sentence sounds good, do it, but if editing makes your sentence sound weird, forget it. • Examples: OKAY: Notice the ease Harley hits the ball with. MORE FORMAL: Notice the ease with which Harley hits the ball. OKAY: A senator is someone most people look up to. VERY WEIRD: A senator is someone to whom most people upwardly look. MUCH BETTER: Most people look up to a senator.

Too much of a good thing • Another rule is to not use a bunch of prepositional phrases in a row. • Example: I went to a store in a town in Ohio in the middle of a flood in June, which is during Ohio’s rainy season, and in a matter of minutes found myself kneedeep in water. • How many prepositional phrases did you count? • This is much better: Last June I visited a small Ohio town during the rainy season. When I went into a flooded store, I quickly found myself knee-deep in water. • How many did you count this time?

When is a preposition not a preposition • Some words have different roles in the sentence. Examples: Prepositions: I went up the street, down the street, and around the corner. Adverbs: Jump up, jump down, and turn around. Preposition: Keep your hand off the off button. Adjective: Keep your hand off the off button. Preposition: Climb up the ladder. Verb: Stand up for yourself. Preposition: My house is just before the school. Conjunction: Wash your hands before you eat.

Interjections • Is a little word that does these things: 1. expresses a feeling: wow, gee, golly, oops 2. says yes or no: yes, no, yep, nope, uh-huh 3. call attention: yo, hey, whoa 4. indicates a pause: well, um, hmm, ah • Standing alone If an interjection expresses a really strong feeling, it can stand alone – even though it is not a complete sentence. Ex. Wow! That’s the coolest bike I’ve ever seen. Ouch! That hurts.