WRITING LESSON: Expanding a Sentence by Adding Prepositional Phrases to a Sentence Base
PATTERNS
S-V + PREP PHASE
S-V-DO + PREP PHRASE
S-V-SC + PREP PHRASE
DEFINITION
A phrase is any group of words that is missing either a subject or a verb or both.
A preposition is most often a word which shows where two objects are in relation to each other. (In the phrase "the boy under the bridge", the preposition "under" shows where the boy is in relationship to the bridge.)
Note: There are some prepositions which don't conform to the above definition. We'll deal with those as we come to them.
Using a prepositional phrase, we can expand a sentence base to "James Crawford writes in the early morning." (In is a preposition, and it and the words that accompany it make up a "prepositional phrase"). By adding another prepositional phrase, we can make an even more elegant and interesting sentence: "James writes in the early morning before the sunrise."
Here is a handy list of prepositions.
| aboard about above according to across across from after against along alongside alongside of along with amid among apart from around aside from at away from because of | before behind below beneath beside besides between beyond by by means of concerning considering despite down down from during except except for excepting for | from from among from between from under in in addition to in back of in behalf of in front of in place of in regard to inside inside of in spite of instead of into like near near to of | off on on account of on behalf of onto on top of opposite out out of outside outside of over over to owing to past prior to regarding round round about save | since subsequent to together with through throughout till to toward under underneath until unto up up to upon with within without |
