The Prepositional Phrase Opener

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• The Prepositional Phrase Opener

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What is a prepositional phrase?

• A prepositional phrase begins with a preposition
  and ends with a noun or pronoun, which is called
  the object of the preposition.

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The Prepositional Phrase Opener

• Grades will drop without science camp.

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• To vary sentence openings, begin a sentence with
  a prepositional phrase.

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Prepositional Phrase Opener

• Science grades will drop without science camp.
• Without science camp, grades will drop.

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The Prepositional Phrase Opener

• Instead of We need friends in our lives.
• Write In our lives, we need friends.

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Notice!

• A comma should be placed after a prepositional
  phrase when it is placed at the beginning of a
  sentence.

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Combine the following sentences.

• Place the prepositional phrase at the beginning
  of the sentence.
• Then underline the subject noun once and the verb
  twice.

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Combine

• A company of soldiers marched.
• They marched across a bridge.

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Combined

• Across a bridge, a company of soldiers marched.

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Combine

• The student council should discuss this concern.
• They should discuss it at its next meeting.

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Combined

• At its next meeting, the student council should
  discuss this concern.

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Combine

• There was a feeble, shabbily dressed man.
• He tottered down the rain-soaked street.

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Combined

• Down the rain-soaked street, tottered a feeble,
  shabbily dressed man.

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Combine

• The wolf leaped furtively.
• It was out of the moonlit, silent darkness.

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Combined

• Out of the moonlit, silent darkness, the wolf
  leaped furtively.

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Combine

• I went and kissed my mother.
• I went and kissed my mother in the dining room.

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Combined

• In the dining room, I went and kissed my mother.

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Combine

• A large maple tree grew.
• It grew beside the house.

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Combined

• Beside the house,
• grew a large maple tree.

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Combine

• A white flag flew.
• A white flag flew over the cabin.

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Combined

• Over the cabin, flew a white flag.

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Combine

• The bald eagle soared.
• It soared beneath the clouds.

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Combined

• Beneath the clouds, soared the bald eagle.

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Combine

• There are vertical shafts in the frame of a
  building.
• They zoom straight upward from the earth.

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Combined

• In the frame of a building, the vertical shafts
  zoom straight upward from the earth.

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Remember!

• You will never find the subject noun or the verb
  of a sentence in the prepositional phrase. Never!

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Important!

• Never end a sentence with a preposition.

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Do Not End a Sentence with a Preposition!

• I understand that you are having difficulty
  choosing where to move to.
• Solution?

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Do Not End a Sentence with a Preposition!

• I understand that you are having difficulty
  choosing where to move.

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Do Not End a Sentence with a Preposition!

• Wrong The country would be a much better place
  to live in.
• Solution?

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Do Not End a Sentence with a Preposition!

• The country would be a much better place in which
  to live.

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Do Not End a Sentence with a Preposition!

• Wrong Which car are they riding in?
• Solution?

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Do Not End a Sentence with a Preposition!

• In which car are they riding?

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Do Not End a Sentence with a Preposition!

• Wrong Who are you going to the party with?

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Do Not End a Sentence with a Preposition!

• With whom are you going to the party?