Prepositional phrases worksheet with examples and a flan illustration.

Let’s go through each sentence and find the prepositional phrase.

Remember: A prepositional phrase starts with a preposition (like *in, on, at, by, with, between, during, over, through*) and ends with a noun or pronoun (the object of the preposition). It may include words in between that describe the object.

We’re looking for phrases that start with a preposition and end with a noun — and they usually tell us where, when, how, or why something happened.

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1) The lady in the middle row is my teacher.
→ “in the middle row” — starts with “in”, ends with “row”. This tells us *where* the lady is. ✔ Prepositional phrase.

2) Dad and I often go fishing by the lake.
→ “by the lake” — starts with “by”, ends with “lake”. Tells us *where* they go fishing. ✔

3) The match against Florida was great.
→ “against Florida” — starts with “against”, ends with “Florida”. Tells us *who* the match was against. ✔

4) The pudding is served with banana and caramel sauce.
→ “with banana and caramel sauce” — starts with “with”, ends with “sauce”. Tells us *how* it’s served. ✔

5) Ben was stuck between the devil and the deep sea.
→ “between the devil and the deep sea” — starts with “between”, ends with “sea”. Tells us *where* Ben was stuck. ✔

6) Talking during a movie can be very annoying for others.
→ Two possible phrases:
- “during a movie” — starts with “during”, ends with “movie” → tells us *when* talking happens. ✔
- “for others” — starts with “for”, ends with “others” → tells us *who* is annoyed. ✔
But the instruction says “underline the prepositional phrase” — singular. In this case, both are valid, but “during a movie” is more central to the meaning. However, since the task doesn’t specify which one if there are multiple, we’ll list both as correct answers per sentence. But looking at typical worksheets, they usually expect the most obvious one. Let’s check context: “Talking during a movie...” — “during a movie” modifies “talking”, so it’s key. “for others” modifies “annoying”. Both are correct. But to match worksheet style, we’ll pick the first one unless told otherwise. Actually, let’s look again — the sentence has two prepositional phrases. Since the instruction says “the prepositional phrase” (singular), maybe they want only one? Hmm. But in reality, there are two. To be safe, I’ll note both, but for final answer, I’ll follow common practice: underline the one that directly modifies the main verb or subject. “during a movie” modifies “talking” (gerund acting as subject), so it’s primary. “for others” modifies “annoying” (adjective). So both are valid. But since the worksheet likely expects one per sentence, and “during a movie” comes first and is more directly tied to the action, I’ll go with that. Wait — actually, let’s see other sentences. Sentence 5 has “between the devil and the deep sea” — that’s one phrase even though it has “and”. Similarly, here “during a movie” is one phrase. “for others” is another. But the worksheet probably expects students to identify all? No, it says “underline the prepositional phrase” — singular. That’s ambiguous. Looking back at the definition: “a group of words that contains a preposition, its object, and its modifiers.” So each is a separate phrase. But the instruction says “the” — implying one per sentence. Maybe in cases with multiple, we pick the first? Or perhaps the worksheet intends for students to find any one? To avoid confusion, I’ll assume we list the most prominent one. For sentence 6, “during a movie” is clearly a prepositional phrase. “for others” also is. But let’s check standard answers — typically, in such worksheets, if there are multiple, they might accept either, but often the first one is expected. I’ll go with “during a movie” for now. Actually, wait — let me re-read the sentence: “Talking during a movie can be very annoying for others.” The phrase “during a movie” modifies “talking”, and “for others” modifies “annoying”. Both are correct. But since the task says “the prepositional phrase”, and doesn’t specify which, I think it’s safer to include both if possible. But the format is to underline one per sentence. Perhaps the worksheet has a mistake? No, in many cases, they expect the student to find any one. To be consistent, I’ll choose the first one in each sentence. So for 6: “during a movie”.

Actually, let’s look at sentence 4: “with banana and caramel sauce” — that’s one phrase with a compound object. Similarly, sentence 5: “between the devil and the deep sea” — one phrase with compound object. So for sentence 6, “during a movie” is one phrase, “for others” is another. Since the instruction is “underline the prepositional phrase”, and it’s singular, I think they expect one per sentence. I’ll go with the first one encountered. So for 6: “during a movie”.

But to be thorough, let’s see what’s commonly accepted. Upon second thought, in educational contexts, when a sentence has multiple prepositional phrases, the worksheet usually expects students to identify all, but the instruction here says “the” — which is confusing. Given that, and to match the simplicity of the worksheet, I’ll assume they want the most obvious one, which is often the first one. So for 6: “during a movie”.

7) The fawn ran over the hill.
→ “over the hill” — starts with “over”, ends with “hill”. Tells us *where* the fawn ran. ✔

8) We buy all our groceries at this store.
→ “at this store” — starts with “at”, ends with “store”. Tells us *where* we buy groceries. ✔

9) The train whistled through the long dark tunnel.
→ “through the long dark tunnel” — starts with “through”, ends with “tunnel”. Modifiers “long dark” describe “tunnel”. ✔

10) Mr. Anderson works in New York.
→ “in New York” — starts with “in”, ends with “York”. Tells us *where* he works. ✔

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Now, let’s compile the answers:

1) in the middle row
2) by the lake
3) against Florida
4) with banana and caramel sauce
5) between the devil and the deep sea
6) during a movie (or “for others” — but I’ll go with “during a movie” as it’s first and directly modifies the subject “talking”)
7) over the hill
8) at this store
9) through the long dark tunnel
10) in New York

Wait — for sentence 6, let me double-check. The phrase “for others” is also a prepositional phrase. But since the worksheet likely expects one per sentence, and “during a movie” is more integral to the main clause, I’ll stick with that. However, to be accurate, both are correct. But given the instruction says “the prepositional phrase”, I think they want one. So I’ll proceed.

Final list:

1) in the middle row
2) by the lake
3) against Florida
4) with banana and caramel sauce
5) between the devil and the deep sea
6) during a movie
7) over the hill
8) at this store
9) through the long dark tunnel
10) in New York

Yes, that seems consistent.

Final Answer:
1) in the middle row
2) by the lake
3) against Florida
4) with banana and caramel sauce
5) between the devil and the deep sea
6) during a movie
7) over the hill
8) at this store
9) through the long dark tunnel
10) in New York