Prepositions & Prepositional Phrases: Sixth Grade English Grammar
Prepositions establish intricate spatial, temporal, and logical relationships between nouns or pronouns and other words within a sentence.
The Nature and Anatomy of a Preposition
A preposition shows the relationship of time, place, direction, or condition between a noun or pronoun (the object of the preposition) and another word in the sentence.
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| PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE ANATOMY |
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| [ PREPOSITION ] + [ (Optional Modifiers) ] + [ OBJECT OF PREP ] |
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| - Spatial : across the turbulent river |
| - Temporal : before the crack of dawn |
| - Logical : in spite of heavy headwinds |
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Common Prepositions and Compound Prepositions
Single-word prepositions include aboard, about, above, across, after, against, along, amid, among, around, at, before, behind, below, beneath, beside, between, beyond, by, down, during, except, for, from, in, into, near, of, off, on, onto, out, outside, over, past, since, through, throughout, to, toward, under, underneath, until, up, upon, with, within, and without. Compound prepositions consist of multiple words acting as a single unit: according to, ahead of, because of, in front of, in spite of, instead of, on account of, and prior to.
The Object of the Preposition
A preposition never stands alone; it must always govern an object. The object of the preposition is always a noun, pronoun, or gerund phrase. If a personal pronoun serves as the object of a preposition, it must strictly occupy the objective case: to me, with him, between us, for them.
Dual Functions: Adjectival vs. Adverbial Phrases
Prepositional phrases behave either as adjectives (modifying nouns and pronouns) or as adverbs (modifying verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs).
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| ADJECTIVAL VS. ADVERBIAL PHRASES |
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| Phrase Function | Question Answered | Exemplary Sentence |
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| Adjectival Phrase | Which one? | The lantern [on the porch] |
| | What kind? | flickered. |
| Adverbial Phrase | Where? When? How? | The lantern flickered |
| | Why? Under what | [during the gale]. |
| | condition? | |
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Adjectival Prepositional Phrases
An adjectival prepositional phrase immediately follows the noun or pronoun it modifies: "The captain of the submarine checked the radar." The phrase "of the submarine" tells which captain, modifying the subject noun "captain."
Adverbial Prepositional Phrases
An adverbial prepositional phrase modifies a verb, adjective, or adverb, explaining circumstances: "The submarine dove beneath the polar ice." The phrase "beneath the polar ice" modifies the action verb "dove," explaining where the vessel navigated.
Preposition vs. Adverb: The Object Test
Many words—such as "down," "up," "inside," "around," "before," and "through"—can function either as prepositions or as adverbs depending upon sentence context.
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| THE OBJECT PRESENCE TEST |
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| PREPOSITION USAGE (Has a governed object): |
| "The scout climbed [down] the sheer cliff." |
| Preposition Object |
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| ADVERB USAGE (No object follows; modifies verb directly): |
| "The scout looked [down] nervously." |
| Adverb (Modifies "looked") |
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Applying the Object Test
To determine the part of speech, look immediately after the word. If the word is followed by a noun or pronoun that completes its thought, it is a preposition. If the word stands alone and modifies the verb directly, it is an adverb.
Exercises and Solutions
Exercise 1: Classifying Prepositional Phrases. Identify the prepositional phrase in each sentence, name the preposition and its object, and state whether the phrase functions adjectivally or adverbially in a cohesive paragraph: Sentence A: "The ancient parchment inside the brass cylinder contained a coded map." Sentence B: "The mountaineers rested near the timberline before sunset."
Solution 1: In Sentence A, the prepositional phrase is "inside the brass cylinder"; the preposition is "inside," and its object is the noun "cylinder" (modified by the adjectives "the" and "brass"). This phrase functions adjectivally because it directly modifies the subject noun "parchment," telling which parchment was discovered. In Sentence B, there are two prepositional phrases: "near the timberline" and "before sunset." In the first phrase, "near" is the preposition and "timberline" is its object, functioning adverbially by modifying the verb "rested" to indicate location. In the second phrase, "before" is the preposition and "sunset" is its object, functioning adverbially by modifying "rested" to indicate time.
Exercise 2: Preposition vs. Adverb Discrimination. Write two sentences using the word "outside"—one where it functions as a preposition and one where it functions as an adverb. Explain the mechanical difference between your sentences in a single paragraph.
Solution 2: For the prepositional example: "The watchman stood outside the fortress gates throughout the rainy night." In this sentence, "outside" is a preposition governing the noun phrase "the fortress gates" as its direct object. For the adverbial example: "When the thunder rumbled across the valley, the dog ran outside." In this sentence, "outside" stands alone without an object, modifying the action verb "ran" directly by answering where the animal ran, which confirms its function as an adverb.