Prepositions

A preposition is a word that begins a phrase which ends with a noun or pronoun and acts as an adverb or adjective. We call those phrases prepositional phrases.

(As we will see shortly, adverbs are words or groups of words that give us more information about verbs, and adjectives are words or groups of words that give us more information about nouns.)

Now let’s review the prepositional phrases that you created at the beginning of this lesson.

What questions are these prepositional phrases answering?

Did you notice that the prepositional phrases in the sentences above are answers to the question "verb where?"

The cat jumped over the table.
Jumped where?  Answer: over the table.

Prepositional phrases can also answer:
Verb when?
Verb why?


Just take a look at the following words that all play the part of the preposition in sentences.  You will be amazed at how many times you have used prepositions without even knowing.


                       A List of Prepositions
about
above
across
after
against
along
among
around
at
before
behind
below
beneath
beside
between
by
down
during
except
for
from
in
in front of
inside
instead of
into
like
near
of
off
on
onto
on top of
out of
outside
over
past
since
through
to
toward
under
underneath
until
up
upon
with
within
without