Worksheet for identifying prepositional phrases in sentences, featuring a definition, example, and exercises.

Identifying Prepositional Phrases Worksheet – Solution and Explanation

A prepositional phrase consists of a preposition (such as *in, on, under, with, by, for*, etc.) followed by its object (a noun or pronoun). These phrases act as modifiers in a sentence and usually tell us about location, time, direction, or manner.

Let’s go through each sentence and identify the prepositional phrase(s), then explain why it's correct.

---

#### 1. We walked up the stairs.
- Prepositional phrase: *up the stairs*
- Explanation: "Up" is the preposition, and "the stairs" is its object. This tells where they walked.

---

#### 2. My mom took a walk around the block.
- Prepositional phrase: *around the block*
- Explanation: "Around" is the preposition; "the block" is its object. It describes where the walk occurred.

---

#### 3. I looked under my bed.
- Prepositional phrase: *under my bed*
- Explanation: "Under" is the preposition; "my bed" is the object. It shows location.

---

#### 4. The girl looked behind the door for her friend who was hiding.
- Prepositional phrases: *behind the door* and *for her friend*
- Explanation:
- "Behind" is the preposition; "the door" is the object.
- "For" is the preposition; "her friend" is the object.
- Both phrases modify "looked" — one tells where, the other tells whom she was looking for.

---

#### 5. Don’t leave without your coat.
- Prepositional phrase: *without your coat*
- Explanation: "Without" is the preposition; "your coat" is the object. It explains what not to leave without.

---

#### 6. During lunch we had a basketball tournament.
- Prepositional phrase: *During lunch*
- Explanation: "During" is the preposition; "lunch" is the object. It indicates when the event happened.

---

#### 7. The car traveled at a high speed.
- Prepositional phrase: *at a high speed*
- Explanation: "At" is the preposition; "a high speed" is the object. It describes how fast the car moved.

---

#### 8. For a fraction of the cost you can buy a watermelon.
- Prepositional phrase: *For a fraction of the cost*
- Explanation: "For" is the preposition; "a fraction of the cost" is the object. Note: “of the cost” is also a prepositional phrase within this larger one. But since the task asks for the full phrase starting with the preposition, the entire expression is considered as one unit modifying the verb "buy."

> ✔ So, the main prepositional phrase is: For a fraction of the cost

---

#### 9. The boy tried to finish the race at any cost.
- Prepositional phrase: *at any cost*
- Explanation: "At" is the preposition; "any cost" is the object. It expresses the extreme effort he’s willing to make.

---

#### 10. At noon we all went to lunch.
- Prepositional phrase: *At noon*
- Explanation: "At" is the preposition; "noon" is the object. It tells when the action happened.

---

#### 11. He is in jeopardy of not graduating.
- Prepositional phrase: *in jeopardy of not graduating*
- Explanation: "In" is the preposition; "jeopardy of not graduating" is the object. However, note that "of not graduating" is itself another prepositional phrase. But the whole phrase "in jeopardy of not graduating" functions as a single prepositional phrase describing his state.

> ✔ So, the main prepositional phrase is: in jeopardy of not graduating

---

#### 12. The man sat on top of the historic rock.
- Prepositional phrase: *on top of the historic rock*
- Explanation: "On" is the preposition; "top of the historic rock" is the object. But wait — "of the historic rock" is also a prepositional phrase inside this one. However, "on top of" is a compound preposition. So the full phrase is: on top of the historic rock

> ✔ Full phrase: on top of the historic rock

---

#### 13. The baseball was just out of reach from the boy.
- Prepositional phrases: *out of reach* and *from the boy*
- Explanation:
- "Out of" is a compound preposition; "reach" is the object → *out of reach*
- "From" is the preposition; "the boy" is the object → *from the boy*
- Both are prepositional phrases. However, sometimes “out of reach” is treated as a fixed expression, but grammatically, it's still a prepositional phrase.

> ✔ Two prepositional phrases: out of reach and from the boy

---

#### 14. I was proven innocent by virtue of the law.
- Prepositional phrase: *by virtue of the law*
- Explanation: "By" is the preposition; "virtue of the law" is the object. But again, “of the law” is a smaller prepositional phrase within it. Still, the full phrase is: by virtue of the law

> ✔ Prepositional phrase: by virtue of the law

---

#### 15. I made the cookies by hand.
- Prepositional phrase: *by hand*
- Explanation: "By" is the preposition; "hand" is the object. It describes how the cookies were made.

---

#### 16. In all likelihood I will pass my exam.
- Prepositional phrase: *In all likelihood*
- Explanation: "In" is the preposition; "all likelihood" is the object. This phrase means "probably" and modifies the verb "will pass."

---

✔ Final Answers (Underlined as per directions):

1. We walked up the stairs.
→ *up the stairs*

2. My mom took a walk around the block.
→ *around the block*

3. I looked under my bed.
→ *under my bed*

4. The girl looked behind the door for her friend who was hiding.
→ *behind the door*, *for her friend*

5. Don’t leave without your coat.
→ *without your coat*

6. During lunch we had a basketball tournament.
→ *During lunch*

7. The car traveled at a high speed.
→ *at a high speed*

8. For a fraction of the cost you can buy a watermelon.
→ *For a fraction of the cost*

9. The boy tried to finish the race at any cost.
→ *at any cost*

10. At noon we all went to lunch.
→ *At noon*

11. He is in jeopardy of not graduating.
→ *in jeopardy of not graduating*

12. The man sat on top of the historic rock.
→ *on top of the historic rock*

13. The baseball was just out of reach from the boy.
→ *out of reach*, *from the boy*

14. I was proven innocent by virtue of the law.
→ *by virtue of the law*

15. I made the cookies by hand.
→ *by hand*

16. In all likelihood I will pass my exam.
→ *In all likelihood*

---

📌 Summary Tips:

- Always look for prepositions first (e.g., *in, on, under, at, by, for, of, with, during, without*).
- Then find the noun or pronoun that follows — that’s the object.
- A prepositional phrase starts with the preposition and ends at the end of the object.
- Some phrases have nested prepositional phrases (like “of the cost”), but we still identify the main one based on the initial preposition.

Let me know if you'd like this formatted as a printable answer key!