Question

1.4 prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections
prepositions
a preposition is a word that relates a noun or pronoun following it to another word in the sentence.
frequently used prepositions
above before for near through
across below from of to
among between in on under
at by into over with
a prepositional phrase begins with a preposition and ends with a noun or pronoun called the object of
the preposition.
prepositional phrases
prepositions objects of prepositions
at the station
near them
in a long dark corridor
exercise a: identifying prepositions. underline each preposition in the sentences below. some
sentences have more than one.
example: tommy crawled between the fence and the wall.

1. fortunately, we left the motel at dawn.
2. among his friends he numbers several prominent doctors.
3. she was deeply respected for her honesty.
4. the man with the briefcase is an undercover agent.
5. in certain instances we must simply hope for the best.
6. we found the map under a pile of library books.
7. before daylight, the troops filed across the bridge.
8. about an hour later, they marched into a large town.
9. my sister received a letter from a chance acquaintance.
10. to me, there is no comparison between the two singers.

exercise b: identifying prepositional phrases. in each sentence place parentheses around each
prepositional phrase. some sentences have more than one.
example: she waited (for us) (in the restaurant).

1. he won three medals by the end of the tournament.
2. the speaker near the podium is the senator from texas.
3. at the station she ran into her old boyfriend.
4. the treasure was buried under the red barn.
5. we learned about computers in our math class.
6. the girl with us at the party lives in ohio.
7. several rockets shot directly across the battlefield.
8. he was identified by a mole on his right shoulder.
9. a thunderous sound echoed through the corridor.
10. on balance, she is the best gymnast at the competition.

Answer:

To solve these exercises, we'll follow the definitions of prepositions and prepositional phrases. A preposition is a word that relates a noun/pronoun to another word, and a prepositional phrase starts with a preposition and ends with its object (noun/pronoun).

Exercise A: Identifying Prepositions

For each sentence, we identify words from the "Frequently Used Prepositions" list.

1. Fortunately, we left the motel at dawn.

Preposition: $\boldsymbol{\text{at}}$

1. Among his friends he numbers several prominent doctors.

Preposition: $\boldsymbol{\text{Among}}$

1. She was deeply respected for her honesty.

Preposition: $\boldsymbol{\text{for}}$

1. The man with the briefcase is an undercover agent.

Preposition: $\boldsymbol{\text{with}}$

1. In certain instances we must simply hope for the best.

Prepositions: $\boldsymbol{\text{In}}$, $\boldsymbol{\text{for}}$

1. We found the map under a pile of library books.

Prepositions: $\boldsymbol{\text{under}}$, $\boldsymbol{\text{of}}$

1. Before daylight, the troops filed across the bridge.

Prepositions: $\boldsymbol{\text{Before}}$, $\boldsymbol{\text{across}}$

1. About an hour later, they marched into a large town.

Prepositions: $\boldsymbol{\text{into}}$ (Note: "About" is not a preposition here; it’s an adverb. The preposition is "into".)

1. My sister received a letter from a chance acquaintance.

Preposition: $\boldsymbol{\text{from}}$

1. To me, there is no comparison between the two singers.

Prepositions: $\boldsymbol{\text{To}}$, $\boldsymbol{\text{between}}$

Exercise B: Identifying Prepositional Phrases

For each sentence, we enclose phrases starting with a preposition and ending with its object.

1. He won three medals by the end of the tournament.

Prepositional phrases: $\boldsymbol{\text{(by the end)}}$, $\boldsymbol{\text{(of the tournament)}}$

1. The speaker near the podium is the senator from Texas.

Prepositional phrases: $\boldsymbol{\text{(near the podium)}}$, $\boldsymbol{\text{(from Texas)}}$

1. At the station she ran into her old boyfriend.

Prepositional phrases: $\boldsymbol{\text{(At the station)}}$, $\boldsymbol{\text{(into her old boyfriend)}}$

1. The treasure was buried under the red barn.

Prepositional phrase: $\boldsymbol{\text{(under the red barn)}}$

1. We learned about computers in our math class.

Prepositional phrases: $\boldsymbol{\text{(about computers)}}$, $\boldsymbol{\text{(in our math class)}}$

1. The girl with us at the party lives in Ohio.

Prepositional phrases: $\boldsymbol{\text{(with us)}}$, $\boldsymbol{\text{(at the party)}}$, $\boldsymbol{\text{(in Ohio)}}$

1. Several rockets shot directly across the battlefield.

Prepositional phrase: $\boldsymbol{\text{(across the battlefield)}}$

1. He was identified by a mole on his right shoulder.

Prepositional phrases: $\boldsymbol{\text{(by a mole)}}$, $\boldsymbol{\text{(on his right shoulder)}}$

1. A thunderous sound echoed through the corridor.

Prepositional phrase: $\boldsymbol{\text{(through the corridor)}}$

1. On balance, she is the best gymnast at the competition.

Prepositional phrases: $\boldsymbol{\text{(On balance)}}$, $\boldsymbol{\text{(at the competition)}}$

Final Answers (Key Examples)

• Exercise A, Sentence 1: Preposition = $\boldsymbol{\text{at}}$
• Exercise B, Sentence 1: Prepositional phrases = $\boldsymbol{\text{(by the end)}}$, $\boldsymbol{\text{(of the tournament)}}$

(For full answers, apply the same logic to all sentences using the preposition/prepositional phrase definitions.)