44 English Grammar Demystifi ed
As incredible as it may seem, there is much more to learn about the correct use
of pronouns, so you will fi nd more instruction and practice in a later chapter. How-
ever, this section serves as an excellent introduction to what is to come.
Prepositions
Prepositions link, or relate, nouns, pronouns, and phrases to other words in a sen-
tence. The word or phrase the preposition introduces is called the object of the
preposition.
Common prepositions include:
about above after along against
among around at before beside
between for from in into
near like on of over
under up with
Now take a look at some examples:
The child held the toy over her head.The preposition over introduces the phrase over her head.Head is the object of the
preposition. You can see that the phrase over her head tells where the child held the
toy, so it acts as an adverb that describes the verb held.
The offi cers in the boardroom prepared for a long meeting.The preposition in introduces the phrase in the boardroom. The phrase describes
which offi cers are being talked about. The word offi cers is a noun. What part of
speech describes a noun? An adjective does, and therefore this prepositional phrase
acts as an adjective, describing a noun.
We met in the boardroom.The preposition in introduces the phrase in the boardroom.In the boardroom
describes where we met. The prepositional phrase acts as an adverb, describing
met.
We found termites under the porch.