Chapter 7
Little Words Packing a Lot of Power: Prepositions and Interjections
IN THIS CHAPTER
Recognizing prepositional phrases
Selecting the correct preposition for an intended meaning
Understanding the role of interjections
When I was a kid a few millennia ago, my English teacher made the class memorize a list of prepositions. Not liking detention, I sat down and recited the list until it was seared into my brain. It’s still there. Although I hated the assignment, I’m glad I can recognize prepositions and the phrases they appear in. It’s a useful skill when you’re attempting to write correct sentences.
In this chapter, you practice identifying prepositional phrases and choosing a preposition that expresses the meaning you desire. This chapter also helps you perfect your knowledge of interjections. Fantastic! (Fantastic, written that way, is an interjection.)
Pinning Down Prepositions
Prepositions are relationship words, connecting two ideas. If I mention the grammar book by Geraldine Woods, I’m connecting the source of my income (book) to myself (Geraldine Woods) with the preposition by. The book can sit on the shelf, relating an action (sit) to a place (shelf). If I’m lucky, ...
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