Prepositional phrase for kids

How to Teach Prepositional Phrases—Free Activity – The Joy of Teaching

Prepositions, despite seeming confusing and complex to students, are actually some of the most commonly used words in the English language and are an important steppingstone in developing students’ descriptive writing!

Prepositions have a lot of different functions, such as describing movement, time, place, manner, means, or possession. Prepositional phrases expand the job of prepositions into modifying verbs, nouns, or adjectives in greater detail. Once students understand the function and importance of prepositions and prepositional phrases, their writing fluency will increase, and they’ll be able to write more descriptively and in more detail.

Examples of Prepositions
The basic prepositions that we use most often are:

• to
• of
• in
• for
• on
• with
• at
• by
• from
• above

The main function of these prepositions is to show the relationship between two words in a sentence. For example:

• The table by the window. By, in this sentence, describes the table in relation to the window. It connects the window and the table and adds direction and detail to the sentence.

The words listed above are used in many of our sentences without us realizing it. Notice how many prepositions are used in the previous sentence! They’re everywhere in our language, but how do we teach that to students? Check out some of the activities below.

A prepositional phrase is a preposition followed by a noun, pronoun, or noun group. Some examples of this are:

• I went to the store. “To” is the preposition, and “to the store” is the prepositional phrase.

In addition to the prepositions listed above, some other beginning prepositions are:

• across
• behind
• below
• beneath
• near

These prepositions describe position and movement, which is an easy way for students to remember them.

• The plane is below the clouds.
• The river is beneath the bridge.

Evan-Moor’s Language Fundamentals (grades 1–6) is a resource that focuses on teaching the basics of the English language, such as nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and prepositions! Using practice pages, students will learn about each concept and then put it to practice.

Here are some examples of the beginning preposition workbook pages:

Download this free introduction to prepositions worksheet from Language Fundamentals.

There are other prepositions that can sometimes be more difficult for students to remember. Though they are more advanced, they still function the same as beginning prepositions and serve similar purposes like movement, means, or manner. Here are some examples:

• against
• according
• between
• during
• except
• past
• since
• through
• toward

More advanced prepositions also sometimes use multiple prepositions in one phrase. This is called a complex prepositional phrase. For example:

• The store is across from the gas station.
• According to the news, it will snow today.

There are also adjectival and adverbial prepositional phrases, which use nouns, prepositions, objects, and adjectives to add more detail and description to a sentence. Here is an example:

• The car across the street is purple.

The car is the noun, across the street is the prepositional phrase, and purple is the adjective. Prepositions are often used in a sentence like this to help modify nouns.

Language Fundamentals also covers more advanced prepositions, as well as adjectival and adverbial prepositional phrases. Here are some examples of the lessons students use to practice advanced prepositions:

In addition to worksheets and practice sentences, there are many hands-on activities to help students understand prepositions! These can be done in the classroom, at home, or during online learning!

Simon Says Prepositions Game

• Each student needs a cup (plastic or one from home) and a small toy, like a car or plastic bear.
• Using directional prepositional phrases (below, next to, under, on top of, etc.) call out commands Simon Says style.
• For example: “Simon Says the toy is behind the cup.” Students must follow suit until you have a winner!
• You can also practice writing sentences by having students place the toy and then write a sentence describing its position.

Preposition Scavenger Hunt

• Hide an object in the classroom or at home, then give clues (or have your students give you clues), but they can only use prepositions.
• For example: The object is under the desk. The desk is next to the window.
• Challenge your students to give descriptive clues or make it a rule that the searchers can’t move unless they get a clue. This activity is fun for students and practices prepositional phrases.

Preposition Pictionary

• All you need for this simple and fun activity is drawing paper and pens or a whiteboard and markers.
• Read a prepositional phrase, like “The dog is next to the cat.”
• Have students draw the picture to match the sentence.
• Now reverse it! Draw a picture for the class, like a car on top of a bridge.
• Students must write a sentence describing the picture!

Preposition Board Games

• Adapt one of your favorite board games to use prepositions for movement! This can be done with a variety of board games, but the easiest may be Candy Land.
• Instead of pulling color block cards for movement, write a series of cards that have directional prepositions on them (before, after, between, in front of, behind, across, below, above).
• Students will pull a preposition card, for example, behind, and then a color card! If they pull behind and purple, they move to whatever color is behind the nearest purple. If they pull a between card, they pull two color cards and move to a space between those two cards.

Square Movement Game

• Using an outdoor space (this is a great activity for in-person, distanced learning) mark out squares using tape or chalk. Model it after a chess or checkerboard.
• Have students each pick a square.
• Call out prepositional commands, for example: Move to the square in front of you! Skip to the square across from you.
• To make this more fun and active, label each square with an exercise, like jumping jacks, star jumps, or toe touches.

Using the activities, workbooks, and resources provided, prepositions can be easy and fun for students. Mastering prepositions is the next step in improving writing fluency and allows students to be more descriptive in their writing for all subjects!

For more grammar and punctuation tips check out: How to Teach Grammar and Punctuation: Commas.

Christine Wooler has experience working with children as a youth soccer coach and summer camp counselor. She is currently studying English Literature and journalism in college. She enjoys exploring educational topics that help students have fun while learning.

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Daily Language Review, Evan moor language, grammar activities, grammar games, grammar lessons, language lessons, prepositions, teaching grammar | Permalink

A Helpful Guide, Plus Fun Activities

If you’re like most parents, then you’re probably very busy with an endless to-do list. This can make it challenging to help your child with prepositions for kids.

Before you start worrying about your child’s language and vocabulary development, fear not! We are here to help.

Our HOMER experts know a thing or two about helping children understand the parts of speech, and today, we’ll be focusing on prepositions. To be specific, we’ve compiled a detailed guide for you.

Without further ado, let’s get started.

What Are Prepositions?

Prepositions as the linking words in a sentence that help express relationships between other words in that sentence.

Under and inside are prepositions we commonly use in the English language to describe where something is. Besides indicating position, prepositions also help describe when something is happening (before and after, for instance).

In a sentence, prepositions are meant to be followed by a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase (e.g., the door, an apple, etc.) that acts as an object. For instance: “Put the apple on… ” is not a full idea because the preposition “on” needs an object after it (“Put the apple on the table.”).

We’ve mentioned that most prepositions express time and location. So, let’s have a closer look at that.

Prepositions For Time

Some of the most common prepositions for time are at, on, by, and after.

For example:

• Our class will start at 4 pm.
• We are going to the park on Friday.
• I’ll be home by midday.
• We’ll drive home after the game.

Prepositions For Location

A few prepositions you might regularly use to indicate location are under, on, in, and above.

For example:

• Place your book under the table.
• The dog is sitting on a chair.
• Your crayons are in your bag.
• The plane flies above the clouds.

Sometimes, it can be challenging for children to grasp the concept of prepositions entirely, but with practice and some of the below tips, your child will soon get there!

Before you can incorporate our tips for helping your child with prepositions for kids, they must be at the right age to start learning this concept.

When Do Children Learn About Prepositions?

Babies pick up a lot of their language from their parents, siblings, and caretakers. By 24 months, toddlers commonly use the prepositions “on” and “in.”

In early grades, prepositions are formally introduced. Typically, this would be after third or fourth grade. This is because, unlike verbs or nouns, prepositions are not as easy to understand.

From one of the examples above, we described how “on” can have different meanings. There are also the prepositions “to,” “for,” and “of,” which have various functions in sentences. All of this can be challenging for our young learners.

During toddlerhood and early childhood, teaching prepositions for kids is about exposure more than anything. One of the best ways to help children understand prepositions is by encouraging them to carry out instructions that have prepositions in them.

For example, you might say, “Please put this book on the table.” Simple instructions like this are often effective in helping familiarize children with prepositions.

Importance Of Prepositions For Kids

Why are prepositions so important for kids to understand? Why put so much time and effort into helping your child grasp these simple words? Let’s take a look.

Better Communication

One of the biggest benefits of helping your kid know prepositions is that it will help them communicate better.

As already explained, prepositions can be tricky to understand. While these words may be few and pretty short, using them correctly can make a big difference in communication.

Helping your child with prepositions from a young age can enable them to grasp the concept early, practice them often, and know how to use them correctly as they begin constructing sentences.

Improved Ability To Follow Directions

When your child understands prepositions, it will be easier for them to carry out instructions independently. For example, “Please place your crayons in the box” will not be mistaken for “Please place your crayons behind the box.”

Whether it’s in, on, behind, against, or beneath, your child will be clear on what they need to do and confidently do so.

How To Teach Prepositions For Kids

1) Read About It

Sometimes the best place to start with teaching children prepositions (or anything else) is through books. If your child is like most kids, then they already love listening to you read stories to them, so this is an easy one!

There are tons of books online that you can read to help introduce your child to prepositions and how they work. The following are a few great books for kids aged 2-6 years old:

• Where’s Spot?
• Rosie’s Walk
• Up, Down, and Around
• The Berenstain Bears Inside Outside Upside Down
• Hide-and-Seek: A First Book of Position Words

2) Choose The Missing Word

Once your child has a basic understanding of prepositions, it’s time to test their knowledge (but in a fun and easy way!).

Start by writing a simple sentence and leaving out the preposition. Read the sentence to them and give them a few options to see which word works best in the blank spot.

For example, you can write down, “I have dance lessons _ Tuesday,” and then give your child three possible options (in, on, under).

It can be great practice to help your child consider each option before deciding on one. Ask them, “Can I have dance lessons in Tuesday?” or “Can I have dance lessons under Tuesday?”

This questioning and taking the time to think about every option can help your child understand why “on” is the correct answer. It can also make the game silly and fun (“We can’t sit under the floor!”)

3) Fix The Strange Sentence

This fun activity works similarly to the previous one, except this time, you’ll write and read a sentence with an incorrect preposition, and then ask them to fix it.

Using the example above (“I have dance lessons in Tuesday”), what sounds funny about this sentence? In this example, your child will need to recognize that “in” is the problem and suggest what word should be used instead.

4) Expand A Sentence

Earlier, we mentioned that prepositions are the linking words that express position, time, and other functions in sentences.

A great way to help your child understand this is by helping them use prepositions with simple sentences.

To get started, you can say an incomplete sentence, and then encourage your child to complete it. For example, you can begin with, “There is some juice…” Your child will then complete this with “…in the fridge.”

If they are still new to prepositions, kids will probably make a few mistakes. That’s OK! This is the perfect opportunity to help them learn and grow their vocabulary!

5) Musical Chairs With A Twist

Everyone enjoys playing musical chairs, so we thought it would be a great way to help kids learn about prepositions — with a bit of a twist, of course! All you need for this activity is some fun music, a chair, and an energetic child.

To begin, play the music and allow your child to walk clockwise around the chair (just like the traditional musical chairs).

The major difference is when you stop the music suddenly, your child will need to act out what you say. For example, sit behind the chair, under it, beside it, etc. You can even add to the fun with other instructions, like tapping on the chair or waving to the chair.

6) Sing-Along

You’ve probably heard your child singing along to their favorite songs before (they might even request them on the drive home).

If your child loves singing, why not use this to help them understand prepositions? All you need is a catchy tune (think of a song your child will already be familiar with, like “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”) and some instructions to go along with the song.

With a silly song, simple sentences, like, “Sit on the couch,” “Sit behind the couch,” etc., become much more fun and exciting for your child to engage with while learning.

7) Place The Toy…

Sometimes the best way to help your child understand prepositions is by physically placing a toy in different places.

To help your child get excited about this activity, use their favorite teddy bear or toy and then give them instructions on where to place it. For example, you might say, “Place your toy on/under/behind the bed.”

We love this game because it focuses on the movement of one object and may make it easier for children to grasp what the words on, under, and behind actually mean.

Even better, you can turn this into a fun game by seeing how quickly your child can move their toy around to different spots in the house!

Fun With Prepositions For Kids

From our list above, we hope you’re clear on one thing: There are many ways to introduce prepositions for kids while making sure that they see them in a fun and engaging way.

Whether you choose to use some or all of the above-mentioned tips, remember to exercise patience with your child as they try to wrap their heads around prepositions and the rules that come with them.

With plenty of exposure during your daily life, you’ll soon find your child mastering these often complicated concepts.

Check out HOMER’s Learn & Grow app for more on how to help children thrive through their early years!

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Phrasal verbs in English 155 popular 📑

What are phrasal verbs

Phrasal verbs are constructor verbs. They consist of a verb and an additional "trailer" in the form of an adverb or preposition. The whole point of this trailer is that it completely changes the meaning of the verb.

Sometimes the meaning of a phrase can be guessed simply by knowing the translation of the main prepositions and adverbs. For example, to go means “go”, to go out means “go out” (literally “go out”), and to go down means “decrease” (literally “go down”).

But sometimes the translation of phrasal verbs is not intuitive. The main verb can change so radically that it is simply impossible to guess. For example, to go on translates as "continue", and to go over - generally as "repeat".

In Russian, prefixes perform approximately the same function: we take a simple verb “walk” and make it “exit”, “enter”, “depart”, “go around”, “condescend” and so on. And English uses a combination of a verb with a preposition or adverb, these are phrasal verbs.

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Features of phrasal verbs

Almost all phrasal verbs in English are formed from verbs: come, go, take, put, get, give, set, look, stand, adverbs and prepositions like up, down, in, out, off, away, on, back.

You will be able to make phrasal verbs that will help you express your thoughts and describe actions very accurately.

A little theory for those who like to put everything on the shelves - all phrasal verbs are divided into three groups:

• actually phrasal verbs (phrasal verbs), which are formed according to the verb + adverb scheme:
  give up - give up, stop
  move out - move out
  cut off - cut off
• prepositional verbs that are formed according to the scheme verb + preposition:
  look for - look for
  break into - break into
• phrasal-prepositional verbs (phrasal-prepositional verbs), which are formed according to the scheme verb + adverb + preposition:
  put up with - put up with
  come up with - come up with a solution.

Cunning times. If a phrasal verb consists of three parts, most likely it is inseparable. Put up with (endure), run out of (finish, spend), get along with (get along with someone), check out of (leave the hotel), look out for (watch for) - all these phrasal verbs refer to inseparable.

Trick two . Look at the adverb or preposition: if you see the word up, down, on, off, in, out, away, back, and over, it's most likely a separable phrasal verb. And across, after, into and with are much more often used with inseparable phrasal verbs.

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Why to know phrasal verbs

Phrasal verbs occupy a huge place in the English language. You will see sentences with phrasal verbs everywhere: in song lyrics and subtitles for TV shows, in newspaper articles and columns, in Facebook and Instagram posts, in official instructions and announcements.

The use of such verbs makes speech more flexible, varied and relaxed. They will help you sound almost like a native speaker. It is to sound, because phrasal verbs are an indispensable element of colloquial speech. According to some estimates, 80% of all verbs that Americans and English people use in everyday speech are phrasal.

Most phrasal verbs have "understudies" - ordinary verbs that mean the same thing, but sound much more formal. Of course, you can say not give up (surrender), but surrender, or replace put off (postpone) with postpone. But native speakers will find this way of speaking too boring or formal.

Imagine an Englishman who instead of "I want to cook soup" says "I intend to make the first course". This is how you will sound in English if you don't start using phrasal verbs.

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How to learn phrasal verbs

The meanings of a phrasal verb are sometimes intuitive if you just know the meaning of its parts.

• For example, if you know that the word back means moving backward, you can guess that take back means “get back something”, give back means “give away”, come back means “return”.

But many phrasal verbs are like idioms, and a direct translation of the constituent elements will not help you. For example, take after - (lit. "to take after") is translated as "to be like someone."

The most effective way is to take a verb (for example, to get) and learn all the phrasal verbs with it. This approach will help you understand the logic of the formation of phrasal verbs depending on which preposition or adverb is added to the stem. But always check your guesses with a dictionary - as we said, the meaning can be very different from the direct translation.

You can go from the other end - to learn phrasal verbs about adverbs or prepositions. For example, take the word out, which means going out, being outside of something, or indicating an outcome, a result - and learn all phrasal verbs with it:

• go out - have fun outside the home
• eat out - dine at a restaurant
• check out - check out of the hotel
• give out - give something away for free
• come out - turn out, find out
• work out - train

Phrasal verbs can also be divided into topics: "Study", "Vacation", "Health", "Repair" and so on. For example, in the topic "Romantic relationship" you can include the verbs ask out (call on a date), break up (break up), fall for (fall in love). This will create context and help you memorize new words faster. But this method may not be suitable for everyone, since some phrasal verbs do not fit into certain topics.

• Where, for example, would you put the verb fall down or show off? In which thematic collection should I look for the verb turn away? And what if you are not at all interested in the topic of sports - just ignore the existence of such verbs as knock out (out of the game) or warm up (warm up)?

However, any method has the right to exist. As they say, to each his own.

But one piece of advice will definitely come in handy for everyone: don't mindlessly cramming verbs. The most important thing is practice. Remembering one verb, try to make as many sentences with it as possible. Imagine using it in normal everyday conversations, say your examples out loud, imagine someone using this verb in a conversation with you. 5 minutes of such exercises a day - and a new word will remain in your memory forever.

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List of phrasal verbs with examples and translation

We have collected for you the main phrasal verbs with examples and translation. In fact, there are many more phrasal verbs in English, but about 130-150 are usually used in everyday life.

Act

• aact up act strangely or badly

My cat is acting up, I'm afraid it's unwell

• act out - act out, act out

  Add

  Your answer just doesn't add up - Your answer just doesn't make sense.

  Every time when I add these figures up I get a different answer - Every time I add these numbers up, I get a different answer.

  • add on - add something to something

  Please add this picture on at the end of your presentation - Please add this picture at the end of your presentation.

  A service charge of 15 per cent was added on to the bill - A service charge of 15% was added to the bill.

  • add in - include

  Don’t forget to add in the price of the delivery to my order.

  Ask

  • ask around

  I don't know which English school is better. I am going to ask around. – I don’t know which school of English is better. I'll ask people.

  • ask smb out - ask for a date

  Rick asked Jenny out. Rick asked Jenny on a date.

  • ask over - invite

  Diana asked us over for a dinner on Sunday - Diana invited us to dinner on Sunday.

  Be

  • be on/off

  Why is TV still on? Why is the TV still on?

  You can't take a shower, the water is off

  • be after - try to get something

  Lisa is after another job - Lisa is trying to get another job.

  • be away (to somewhere) - to be absent, to be elsewhere

  I will have to be away for some time.– I will have to be away for some time.

  Blow

  • blow up

  He threatened to blow up the embassy - He threatened to blow up the embassy.

  We want to blow up some balloons for her birthday party - we want to blow up some balloons for her birthday party.

  • blow out

  I blew out the candle - I blew out the candle.

  • blow off - brush aside, ignore

  He looks for any excuse he can to blow off work. – He looks for any excuse to refuse work.

  Break

  • break up

  Alan and Olivia broke up last week. Alan and Olivia broke up last week.

  • break down - break down / lose control of oneself

  My laptop has broken down - My laptop is broken down.

  Emily suddenly broke down and cried - Suddenly Emily broke down and burst into tears.

  • break in - break in, break in, intervene

  Masked robbers broke in the pawnshop yesterday - Masked robbers broke into the pawnshop yesterday.

  • break out

  A criminal broke out of prison. The criminal has escaped from prison.

  I was a kid when war broke out - I was a kid when the war broke out.

  Bring

  • bring over - bring over

  Bring over some snacks

  • bring along - to bring someone with you

  Come to visit me and bring along your daughter - Come visit me and bring your daughter.

  • bring up - bring up

  She brought up five children.

  Call

  • call by – visit, visit

  Do you want me to call by tomorrow? Do you want me to visit you tomorrow?

  • call over - call from the list

  The teacher called over the students of the class - The teacher called the students in the class.

  • call off – cancel

  The festival was called off because of the rain - The festival was canceled due to rain.

  • call for – request

  This situation calls for drastic changes - The situation requires drastic changes.

  Carry

  • carry on continue

  Our teacher told us to carry on reading - Our teacher told us to continue reading.

  Calm

  • calm (smb) down - calm down

  Calm down, everything is not that bad - Calm down, everything is not so bad.

  Chip

  • chip in

  Does anyone want pepperoni? Let's chip in! “Does anyone want a pepperoni?” Let's get off!

  Count

  • count on - count on someone

  You can count on me - You can rely on me.

  Check

  • check in/out – check in/out of the hotel

  We have checked in on Monday, and we are checking out on Saturday. We checked in on Monday and leave on Saturday.

  • check with - consult

  Jim needs to check with his boss

  Come

  • come from - to be from somewhere

  Where do you come from? - Where are you from?

  • come across - meet someone by chance

  I came across your ex today. “I ran into your ex by chance today.

  • come up to smb - come up to someone

  She came up to me and said “Hi!”. She came up to me and said “Hello!”.

  • come into - inherit

  After my uncle died, I came into a fortune. “After my uncle died, I inherited a large fortune.

  • come up with smth come up with a solution

  We're in trouble. We have to come up with something - We are in trouble. We must come up with something.

  • come off - fall off

  I pulled at the drawer, and the handle came off

  • come out - turn out, find out

  It came out that he had no experience in sales - It turned out that he had no sales experience.

  • come over - visit

  Come over, I will make my special cake - Come to me, I will make my famous cake.

  • come apart

  The book just came apart in my hands - The book just fell apart in my hands.

  Cut

  • cut in front of smb - get out of line

  One lady let me cut in front of her in line at the grocery store. One woman let me stand in front of her at the grocery store.

  • cut smth off - isolate

  This island is cut off from the rest of the world - This island is cut off from the rest of the world.

  • cut down on smth

  We have to cut down on sweets if we want to stay slim - We have to eat less sweets if we want to stay slim.

  Dress

  • dress up (as smb/smt)

  This is a very informal party, you don't have to dress up

  Stacy dressed up as a zombie for Halloween. Stacey dressed up in a zombie costume for Halloween.

  End

  • end up

  Somehow they all ended up at my house - Somehow they all ended up at my house.

  That's how I ended up here - That's how I ended up here.

  Fall

  • fall down fall

  I fell down from the bike, but I'm fine. I fell off my motorcycle, but I'm fine.

  • fall for smb - fall in love

  I fell for Alex - I fell in love with Alex.

  • fall for smth - fall for the bait, let yourself be deceived

  Don't fall for this old trick - Don't fall for this old trick.

  • fall apart - fall apart, collapse

  My car is falling apart.– My car is falling apart. Their marriage finally fell apart. Their marriage ended up breaking down.

  • fall behind

  One of us fell behind and got lost in the jungle. “One of us got left behind and got lost in the jungle.

  Fill

  • fill in

  You need to fill in this form - You need to fill out this form.

  Get

  • get along with - get along, be on good terms

  Carla gets along with her neighbors - Carla gets along well with her neighbors.

  • get over - cope, overcome

  Ella can't get over her anger. Ella can't handle her anger.

  • get through - call

  I finally got through to Philip on his mobile - I finally got through to Philip on his mobile.

  • get off - get off, clean up

  Get the cat off my chair! Get the cat out of my chair!

  • get down - upset, oppress

  This weather is getting me down - This weather depresses me.

  • get on - continue, advance

  Vicky is getting on with her graduate work - Vicky continues to work on her thesis.

  • get by - make ends meet

  It’s hard to get by on her salary