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The Preposition

Recognize a preposition when you find one.

Prepositions almost always indicate location. Often, this location is in the physical world.

Here are three examples:

Good girl!

The puppy is
on the floor.

Bad dog!

The puppy is
beside the shoe.

Aww! Cute!

The puppy is
with a friend.

On, beside, and with are all prepositions. With the other words that make up the prepositional phrase, they are showing where the puppy is.

In addition, prepositions can show location in time. Read the next three examples:

At midnight, Jill craved mashed potatoes with grape jelly.

In the spring, I always vow to plant tomatoes but end up buying them at the supermarket instead.

During the marathon, Iggy's legs complained with sharp pains shooting up his thighs.

At, in, and during all help to show where we are in time.

Because there are so many possible locations in space and time, the list of prepositions is long:

Prepositions
about
above
according to
across
after
against
along
along with
among
apart from
around
as
as for
at
because of
before
behind
below
beneath
beside
between
beyond
but*
by
by means of
concerning
despite
down
during
except
except for
excepting
for
from
in
in addition to
in back of
in case of
in front of
in place of
inside
in spite of
instead of
into
like
near
next
of
off
on
onto
on top of
out
out of
outside
over
past
regarding
round
since
through
throughout
till
to
toward
under
underneath
unlike
until
up
upon
up to
with
within
without

* But is very seldom a preposition. When it is used as a preposition, but means the same as exceptEveryone ate frog legs but Jamie. Usually, but functions as a coordinating conjunction.

Understand how to form a prepositional phrase.

Prepositions frequently introduce prepositional phrases, which will usually follow this pattern:

Preposition + Optional Modifier(s) + Noun, Pronoun, or Gerund

Here are examples:

At school

At = preposition; school = noun.

According to us

According to = preposition; us = pronoun.

By chewing

By = preposition; chewing = gerund.

Under the stove

Under = preposition; the = modifier; stove = noun.

In the crumb-filled, rumpled sheets

In = preposition; the, crumb-filled, rumpled = modifiers; sheets = noun.

Realize that some prepositions have split personalities.

Five prepositions can also function as subordinate conjunctions: after, as, before, since, and until. When these five are subordinate conjunctions, both a subject and a verb will follow, forming a subordinate clause.

Read these examples:

After Sam and Esmerelda kissed goodnight

After = subordinate conjunction; Sam, Esmerelda = subjects; kissed = verb.

As Jerome buckled on the parachute

As = subordinate conjunction; Jerome = subject; buckled = verb.

Before I eat these frog legs

Before = subordinate conjunction; I = subject; eat = verb.

Since we have enjoyed the squid eyeball stew

Since = subordinate conjunction; we = subject; have enjoyed = verb.

Until your hiccups stop

Until = subordinate conjunction; hiccups = subject; stop = verb.

When only a noun, object pronoun, or gerund follows (with or without modifiers and/or objects), you have just a prepositional phrase.

Consider these examples:

After the killer calculus test

After = preposition; the, killer, calculus = modifiers; test = noun.

As a leader

As = preposition; a = modifier; leader = noun.

Before dancing

Before = preposition; dancing = gerund.

Since the breakup

Since = preposition; the = modifier; breakup = noun.

Until her

Until = preposition; her = pronoun.

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