Prepositional phrases

Spotting prepositions and noun groups

So, one more time: the rule that makes it easier to distinguish between prepositions, adverbs, and conjunctions is 'prepositions almost always introduce a noun group'.

With that rule in mind, can you spot the preposition and noun group combinations in this snippet we looked at ealier?

(We're not going to highlight noun groups that aren't part of a prepositional phrase.)

I remember that the bus turned right off the main road at the army checkpoint as always and rounded the corner past the deserted cricket ground.

I Am Malala(2013)

Remember how we have talked about whether 'as' functions as a preposition?

Here's a flag that it is not: it doesn't introduce a noun group, it introduces an adverb (always).

What about this snippet? Do all the prepositions introduce noun groups?

There was no road through the wood. And anyway, for the people, there was another reason to leave the wood to itself: it belonged to the Fosters, the owners of the touch-me-not cottage, and was therefore private property in spite of the fact that it lay outside the fence and was perfectly accessible.

Tuck Everlasting(1975)

So far so good!

But, just because most prepositions introduce noun groups, it doesn't mean every word introducing a noun group is a preposition.

Where are the preposition + noun group combos in this snippet? And which noun groups are introduced by something other than a preposition?

Below them, a whole troupe of the little creatures were bouncing and running and leaping, heading for the path below them, and before he could say another word, he was snatched up by a pair of bony hands and was flying through the air in a series of jumps and lurches, as the creatures headed down to meet the others of their kind.

The Graveyard Book(2010)

That's it for our review. Did it all make sense?

We hope you're now feeling confident about prepositions and prepositional phrases, and also know some of the hows and whys of them.

Let's end with some writing!

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