Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases

Select the sentence that contains a preposition.

• My dog runs fast.

• She is very smart.

• The book is under the bed.

• They played and laughed.

Answer explanation

The word 'under' is a preposition showing the relationship between 'book' and 'bed'. The other sentences do not contain prepositions.

Tags

CCSS.L.5.1A

CCSS.L.4.1E

CCSS.L.1.1I

CCSS.L.K.1E

A prepositional phrase is a group of words that begins with a preposition and ends with what?

• a verb

• an adjective

• the object of the preposition

• a conjunction

Answer explanation

A prepositional phrase consists of a preposition, its object (a noun or pronoun), and any modifiers of the object. The object is the word that the preposition relates to another part of the sentence.

Tags

CCSS.L.4.1E

CCSS.L.7.1A

CCSS.L.9-10.1B

True or False: In the sentence 'The girl with the red hat is my sister,' the phrase 'with the red hat' describes the girl.

• True

• False

Answer explanation

The prepositional phrase 'with the red hat' acts as an adjective, modifying the noun 'girl' by telling us which girl is being discussed.

Tags

CCSS.L.11-12.3A

CCSS.L.7.1C

In the sentence 'We walked along the sandy beach,' what is the object of the preposition?

• We

• walked

• sandy

• beach

Answer explanation

The object of the preposition 'along' is 'beach'. The object is the noun or pronoun that follows the preposition and completes its meaning.

Tags

CCSS.L.3.1A

In which sentence is the word 'to' used as a preposition, not as part of an infinitive verb?

• I want to play video games.

• She learned to bake bread.

• He is going to the library.

• They decided to watch a movie.

Answer explanation

In this sentence, 'to' is a preposition showing direction, and its object is 'the library'. In the other options, 'to' is part of an infinitive verb ('to play', 'to bake', 'to watch').

Tags

CCSS.L.8.1A

Complete the sentence with the correct pronoun: Just between you and _____, I don't think this is a good idea.

• I

• myself

• me

• my

Answer explanation

Pronouns that are objects of a preposition must be in the objective case. 'Me' is the objective case pronoun, while 'I' is the subjective case.

Tags

CCSS.L.3.1A

CCSS.L.6.1A

CCSS.L.6.1C

CCSS.L.6.1D

Fill in the blank with the correct preposition: I couldn't decide _____ the three choices for the project.

• between

• with

• among

• inside

Answer explanation

Use 'between' when referring to two items, and 'among' when referring to a group of three or more. Since there are three choices, 'among' is correct.

Tags

CCSS.L.5.1A

CCSS.L.1.1G

CCSS.L.3.1H

CCSS.L.5.1E

Fill in the blank to correctly use a gerund as the object of a preposition: My friend is interested _____ learning how to skateboard.

• to

• in

• for

• with

Answer explanation

The adjective 'interested' is correctly followed by the preposition 'in'. A preposition must be followed by a noun, pronoun, or gerund, like 'learning'.

Tags

CCSS.L.8.1A

True or False: The sentence 'The cat jumped off of the couch' is grammatically acceptable, but 'The cat jumped off the couch' is a more concise and preferred way to write it.

• True

• False

Answer explanation

The preposition 'of' is unnecessary in the phrase 'off of'. Eliminating it makes the sentence more concise without changing the meaning.

Tags

CCSS.L.5.1A

CCSS.L.1.1G

CCSS.L.3.1H

CCSS.L.5.1E

The original sentence is 'I saw a puppy on the way to school with a fluffy tail.' Which revision best clarifies the meaning by fixing the misplaced prepositional phrase?

• A puppy with a fluffy tail I saw on the way to school.

• On the way to school, I saw a puppy with a fluffy tail.

• I saw a puppy on the way with a fluffy tail to school.

• I saw with a fluffy tail a puppy on the way to school.

Answer explanation

The original sentence could imply the school has a fluffy tail. This revision places the phrases clearly to show that 'with a fluffy tail' describes the puppy, not the school.

Tags

CCSS.L.11-12.3A

CCSS.L.7.1C