EIGHT PARTS OF SPEECH

Nouns, Pronouns, Verbs, Adjectives, Adverbs, Prepositions, Conjunctions, Interjections

PREPOSITION

Prepositions are words that show a relationship between words. An example is the following: toy FOR the child. The toy has as its intended purpose to be the child's toy. The relationship is between the toy and the child. The preposition FOR identifies this relationship.

Examples:

• SENTENCE  1.  Here is a letter for you.
  
• RELATIONSHIP OF WORDS (Relationship: letter - you  The LETTER is FOR YOU.)
• EXPLANATION:  The letter is there for you.  It is waiting for you.  You have to reach out for the letter.  To get the letter, you have to reach out for it.  You have to touch it.  The relationship is between you and the letter.  The word that shows that relationship is the word "for".  Therefore, the preposition is "for ".
  

• SENTENCE  2.  Here is a kiss from Dad.  
• RELATIONSHIP OF WORDS (Relationship: kiss - Dad  Where is the kiss coming from?  The KISS is FROM DAD.)
• EXPLANATION:  Who gives the kiss?  Dad gives the kiss.  The kiss comes from Dad.  In sentence 2, there is no kiss unless Dad gives it.   Therefore, there is a relationship between Dad and the kiss.  The word that ties the relationship together is the word "from".  Therefore, the preposition is "from ".

• SENTENCE  3. He sat at the table.  
• RELATIONSHIP OF WORDS (Relationship: sat  -  table  The action of sitting <SAT> was AT the TABLE.  He Sat AT the TABLE.)
• EXPLANATION:  What did he do?  He sat at the table.  He didn't sit on the table.  He sat at it.  The action of sitting and the object table have a relationship.  Yes, he did the sitting.  But the action of sitting and the place where he sat, which is by the table, is the relationship.  There is a bond there.  There is a tying together.  The word that reveals this relationship is "at".  Therefore, the preposition is "at ".

• SENTENCE  4. Suzi looked behind the couch. 
  
• RELATIONSHIP OF WORDS (Relationship: looked  -  couch  Where did Suzi look?  She looked BEHIND the COUCH.)
• EXPLANATION:  Suzi was looking for something.  She was the one doing the looking.  The action of looking, which she was doing, relates to the couch.  Where did she look?  She looked behind the couch.  The action of looking was tied to the couch and the word that ties the two together is the word "behind".  Therefore, the preposition is " behind".

• SENTENCE  5. Marie climbed up the stairs. 
  
• RELATIONSHIP OF WORDS (Relationship: climbed  -  stairs  She CLIMBED where?  She climbed UP the STAIRS.)
• EXPLANATION:  The action of climbing puts Marie on the way up.  She cannot climb down.  Climb, by its very meaning, means up.  The direction she was going was up.  Up where?  She was going up the stairs. The action of climbing and the stairs upon which she was climbing are related by the word "up".  Therefore, the preposition is " up".

• SENTENCE  6. Harry stood between Tom and John. 
  
• RELATIONSHIP OF WORDS (Relationship: stood  -  them  Harry stood where?  He stood BETWEEN Tom and John.)
• EXPLANATION:  Harry, Tom, and John are the people in sentence 6.  They are standing.  From the sentence, it would appear they were standing together.  Tom was not standing next to John, neither was John standing next to Tom.  That is because Harry was in the middle of the three.  He was standing between the two.  The relationship shows that Harry stood by Tom and also by John.  He stood in the middle.  The action of standing <stood> relates to both Tom and John by the word "between".  Therefore, the preposition is " between".

• SENTENCE  7.  Mom put the package by the window. 
  
• RELATIONSHIP OF WORDS (Relationship: package  -  by  Where did Mom put the package?  She put the package BY the window.)
• EXPLANATION:  Mom put something by the window.  What did she put by the window?  Mom put the package there.   She put it by the window.  The package rests by the window because Mom put it there.  The package has a relationship with the window because that is where it was placed.  The relationship that the package has with the window and the relationship the window has with the package is because the word "by" is the only word in sentence 7 that tells the placement of the package.    Therefore, the preposition is " by".

• SENTENCE  8.  There was mud beneath my feet. 
  
• RELATIONSHIP OF WORDS (Relationship:  mud -  feet  Where was the mud?  The mud was BENEATH my feet.)
• EXPLANATION:  The mud wasn't on my head, nor my hands.  I was not sitting in the mud.  Apparently, I was standing in the mud because the mud was beneath my feet or under my feet.  Where was the mud?  The mud was beneath my feet.  Where were my feet?  My feet were on top of the mud.  What word in sentence 8 tells me that the mud was under my feet?  That word is "beneath".  It shows the relationship between the mud and my feet.  Without that word, there would be nothing to tell the location of the mud, nor would it be known that my feet were standing on the mud.  Therefore, the preposition is "beneath ".

• SENTENCE  9.  My teacher walked to my desk. 
  
• RELATIONSHIP OF WORDS (Relationship: walked  -  desk  Where did my teacher go?  She walked TO my desk.)
• EXPLANATION:  My teacher did something.  What did she do?  She walked to my desk.  My teacher performed the action of walking somewhere.  She had a direction to go.  She walked to my desk.  My teacher did the walking, but the action of walking related to my desk.  That action is tied to my desk by the word "to".    Therefore, the preposition is "to ".

• SENTENCE  10.  I threw the ball across the yard. 
  
• RELATIONSHIP OF WORDS (Relationship: ball  -  yard  What went across the yard?  The ball was thrown ACROSS the yard.)
• EXPLANATION:  Yes, I threw the ball.  Where did the ball go?  The ball went across the yard.  The ball went from one part of the yard, where I was standing when I threw it, to the other side of the yard.  What was thrown?  The ball was thrown.  The ball went flying throught the air to the other side of the yard.  How do I know that the ball went from one part of the yard to the other part?  I know from the relationship of the ball to the yard.  How do I know this relationship?  I know this relationship by the word "across".  That word is the only word in sentence 10 that tells the ball actually moved from one place to another and where it went.  Therefore, the preposition is "across ".

above, about, across, after, against, along, among, around, at, before, behind, below, beneath, beside, between, beyond, by, down, during, except, for, from, in, inside, into, like, near, of, off, on, since, to, toward, through, under, until, up, upon, with, within

Only adjectives and adverbs are modifiers. A preposition shows the relationship that exists between certain words in a sentence. The word preposition in Latin means placed before. A preposition is a word that is placed before some noun or pronoun. It shows the relationship that exists between that noun or pronoun and some other word in the sentence. When we say, "a bag for the mail," the word for is a preposition. It shows a relationship between bag and mail. The word mail which follows the preposition is called the OBJECT of the preposition.

EXAMPLES:

• Put the sack of groceries there.  (What is the preposition?  The preposition is "on".  What is the object of the preposition?  The object of the preposition is "groceries".)

• She drove the truck to the landfill.  (What is the preposition?  The preposition is "to".  What is the object of the preposition?  The object of the preposition is "landfill".)

• Larry called Bob about the job he was offered.  (What is the preposition?  The preposition is "about ".  What is the object of the preposition?  The object of the preposition is "job ".)

• She was church until noon.    (What is the preposition?  The preposition is " until".  What is the object of the preposition?  The object of the preposition is "noon ".)

• Mr. Smith's ancestors fought in the war against the enemy.  (What is the preposition?  The preposition is "in ".  What is the object of the preposition?  The object of the preposition is "war ".)  (What is the next preposition?  The preposition is " against".  What is the object of that preposition?  The object of that preposition is "enemy ".)

• It was hot inside the house.  (What is the preposition?  The preposition is " inside".  What is the object of the preposition?  The object of the preposition is " house".)

• My sister studied her homework with the computer.  (What is the preposition?  The preposition is " with".  What is the object of the preposition?  The object of the preposition is "computer ".)

THE FOLLOWING CONTINUES FOR THE STUDENT WHO IS IN SECOND GRADE OR HIGHER:

In the sentence, The accident occurred on the bridge, the word on is a preposition. The preposition on is followed by bridge which is called its object. The entire group of words on the bridge is called a prepositional phrase. (A phrase is not a sentence but a group of words that could be made into a sentence.)

The preposition on shows the relation between the noun bridge and the verb occurred. The entire phrase on the bridge tells where the accident occurred.

The following examples will show how changing the prepositions can change the meaning:

The accident occurred under the bridge.

The accident occurred near the bridge.

The accident occurred above the bridge.

The accident occurred behind the bridge.

The accident occurred beneath the bridge.

A partial list of prepostitions are as follows:

above, about, across, after, against, along, among, around, at, before, behind, below, beneath, beside, between, beyond, by, down, during, except, for, from, in, inside, into, like, near, of, off, on, since, to, toward, through, under, until, up, upon, with, within

Click the link below. Do the exercises.

EXERCISES TO DO