Introductory Prepositional Phrases

COMMAS

with

Introductory Prepositional Phrases

Copyright 2015 by Sharon Serrago, Inc.

Page 364

Commas with Introductory Prepositional Phrases

You will find that many different structures can introduce the sentence. Almost all of these introductory elements or structures must be followed by commas. Even a prepositional phrase as an introductory structure must be followed by a comma ..... in most cases. We'll get to the rules later.

You have already studied prepositions and prepositional phrases in the section for subject-verb agreement. In that section we learned how to identify prepositional phrases so that you can eliminate them when analyzing sentences for subject-verb agreement. Look at the prepositions below just as a review. You must be able to recognize them!

near, under, by, inside, outside, below, above, on top of, underneath, in, into, on, behind, beneath, between, toward, to, up, down, across, around, through, before, from, about, after, at, during, for, of, until, with, without, concerning, in spite of.

Prepositional Phrases: A prepositional phrase always begins with a preposition and ends with the object of the preposition, which is the first noun after the preposition.

Example: The dog ran into his doghouse. Prepositional phrase: into his doghouse Object of the preposition: doghouse (the first noun after the preposition)

It is possible to have a compound object of the preposition, in which case you would have two or three nouns after the preposition. The important thing is for you to be able to recognize prepositional phrases. The sentences below have the prepositional phrases underlined.

1. He ran beside the road. 2. She jumped upon the table. 3. They walked into the room. 4. Beside the road sat the old cat. 5. Upon the table lay the letter. 6. Into the room they calmly strolled. 7. Under no circumstances are you to touch that glass. 8. He saw the trees on the mountain. 9. We built the tree house for the child. 10. With a big crash the tree toppled onto the garage.

Copyright 2015 by Sharon Serrago, Inc.

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Let's Practice ? Identifying Prepositional Phrases

Underline the prepositional phrases in the following sentence. Remember that the prepositional phrase begins with a preposition and ends with the object of the preposition (the first noun after the preposition). Underline the object of the preposition twice.

1. During last summer, Martha went to the country for five weeks to study about the habits of wolves. 2. Our goal is to provide our staff with the best possible resources throughout the nation. 3. The small animal was hiding in the crevices of the cliff in an effort to avoid being seen by the hawk. 4. He is totally fascinated with the subject of biology and hopes to continue his studies in college. 5. There is no reason for his behavior to be so disruptive to the rest of the class. 6. When we went to the pet shop, we saw a precious dog with spots on his face. 7. The concert took place in the auditorium that is located behind the library on 5th Avenue. 8. We found the cat hiding under the bed in Jerry's room. 9. We listened in horror to the thunder throughout the night. 10. After dinner you can fold the towels and put them on the shelf in the bathroom.

Note: When you are looking for the subject of a sentence, just remember that it can't be the object of the preposition. Use this information to your advantage!

You surely noticed in the sentences above that sometimes a comma would be placed after the prepositional phrase, and sometimes it would not. We very often use commas with prepositional phrases. The rules are strange. You will have to memorize them.

Rule 1: An introductory prepositional phrase must have a comma after it if it consists of five words or more. If it has less than five words in the phrase, the comma is not required.

Example: Without the money his mother had given him, he could not buy lunch.

Rule 2: Two or more introductory prepositional phrases joined together must be followed by a comma. Example: From the top shelf of the bookcase, the cat could see everything.

Rule 3: If the verb comes immediately after the introductory prepositional phrase, the comma is not usually necessary.

Example: Under the tree in our front yard sat the black cat.

We're going to practice creating introductory prepositional phrases and putting the commas where they are needed. When you are not sure what to do, look at the rules above. Using introductory phrases and clauses is a skill you should develop. You will want to use this construction in your essays to make a more sophisticated product.

Copyright 2015 by Sharon Serrago, Inc.

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Let's Practice ? Beginning Sentences with Prepositional Phrases

Rewrite the following sentences so that each sentence begins with a prepositional phrase. Place commas where they are needed.

Example: Three baby kittens were underneath the old shed. Underneath the old shed were three baby kittens. Rule: (The verb follows the prepositional phrase, so no comma is needed.)

Example: A man inside the window of that old house on the corner is reading the paper. Inside the window of that old house on the corner, a man is reading the paper. Rule: (Two or more prepositional phrases introduce the sentence.)

Example: I am inviting twenty friends for my birthday party next month. For my birthday party next month, I am inviting twenty friends. Rule: (The introductory phrase has five or more words.)

1. Three pigeons were inside the old barn. _______________________________________________________________________________

2. We could easily see the stage from the top row of the balcony. _______________________________________________________________________________

3. The terrified animal crouched in the corner of the room. _______________________________________________________________________________

4. He was able to enact great changes with only a pen and paper. _______________________________________________________________________________

5. You should begin to study more for the sake of your grades. _______________________________________________________________________________

6. He was able to complete the task only through his sheer determination. _______________________________________________________________________________

7. He raced his car around the corner and down the street. _______________________________________________________________________________

8. A secluded picnic spot was far from the crowd. _______________________________________________________________________________

9. We bought the tickets to the concert without giving it a second thought. _______________________________________________________________________________

10. The book we had wanted to read was inside the trunk in the attic. _______________________________________________________________________________

Copyright 2015 by Sharon Serrago, Inc.

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Answers for Introductory Prepositional Phrases

Let's Practice ? Identifying Prepositional Phrases

1. During last summer, to the country for five weeks about the habits of wolves. 2. with the best possible resources throughout the nation. 3. in the crevices of the cliff in an effort by the hawk. 4. with the subject of biology in college. 5. for his behavior to the rest of the class. 6. to the pet shop, with spots on his face. 7. in the auditorium behind the library on 5th Avenue. 8. under the bed in Jerry's room. 9. in horror to the thunder throughout the night. 10. After dinner on the shelf in the bathroom. _________________________________________________________________________________________________

Let's Practice - Beginning Sentences with Prepositional Phrases

1. Inside the barn were three pigeons. 2. From the top row of the balcony, we could easily see the stage. 3. In the corner of the room, the terrified animal crouched. or/ In the corner of the room crouched the terrified animal. 4. With only a pen and paper, he was able to enact great changes. 5. For the sake of your grades, you should begin to study more. 6. Only through sheer determination was he able to complete the task. or/ Only through sheer determination, he was able

to complete the task 7. Around the corner and down the street, he raced his car. 8. Far from the crowd was a secluded picnic spot. 9. Without giving it a second thought, we bought the tickets to the concert. 10. Inside the trunk in the attic was the book we had wanted to read. _________________________________________________________________________________________________

Let's Practice - Identifying adverb clauses

1. since she was sick 2. whenever you find the time 3. when the time is right 4. after you finish your homework 5. unless he knew the password 6. when they responded to our call 7. if we work together 8. as if he had seen a ghost 9. since you asked the question 10. because too many people were there 11. if you have the time

Copyright 2015 by Sharon Serrago, Inc.

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