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 Finding Prepositional Phrases
Practice Exercise # 11

Directions: Place parentheses ( ) around every prepositional phrase.
 

The text is:
      A little boy was in a relative's wedding. As he was coming down the aisle, he would take two steps, stop, and turn to the crowd. While facing the crowd, he would put his hands up like claws and roar. So it went, step, step, ROAR, step, step, ROAR, all the way down the aisle. As you can imagine, the crowd was near tears from laughing so hard by the time he reached the pulpit. The little boy, however, was getting more and more distressed from all the laughing, and was also near tears by the time he reached the pulpit. When asked what he was doing, the child sniffed and said, "I was being the Ring Bear."
Work your way through the text one sentence at a time. 

Sentence #1

Identify all the prepositional phrases.
       A little boy was (in a relative's wedding).

Sentence #2

Identify all the prepositional phrases.
As he was coming (down the aisle), he would take two steps, stop, and turn (to the crowd).
"As" is not a preposition here. If we ask "As what?", the answer is the sentence "he was coming down the aisle." Thus it is not a prepositional phrase.

Sentence #3

Identify all the prepositional phrases.
While facing the crowd, he would put his hands up (like claws) and roar.
Note that the "up" goes with the "put" -- he would put up (raise) his hands. (Pay attention to the meaning of the sentences.)

Sentence #4

Identify all the prepositional phrases.
So it went, step, step, ROAR, step, step, ROAR, all the way (down the aisle).

Sentence #5

Identify all the prepositional phrases.
As you can imagine, the crowd was (near tears) (from laughing so hard) (by the time) he reached the pulpit. 
"As" is not a preposition here. (See Sentence #2, above.) The "so hard" can be included within the parentheses, or it can be left outside them.

Sentence #6

Identify all the prepositional phrases.
The little boy, however, was getting more and more distressed (from all the laughing), and was also (near tears) (by the time) he reached the pulpit.

Sentence #7

Identify all the prepositional phrases.
When asked what he was doing, the child sniffed and said, "I was being the Ring Bear."
There are none.
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