Summary.

A prepositional phrase consists of a preposition and its object.

A preposition is a word that is used with its object to form a phrase, and shows the relation of its object to the word the phrase modifies.

NOTE. - A prepositional phrase in its natural order consists of (1) the preposition and (2) its object.

The object of a preposition is found by asking the question made by putting whom or what after the preposition.

The object of a preposition may be simple or compound. The base word of the object may be a noun or a pronoun.

Exercise. Select the prepositional phrases in the following sentences. Tell what each phrase modifies. Divide each phrase into preposition and object. Find the base word of the object, and tell what part of speech it is.

1. This monster lives in a den under yonder mountain with a brother of his.

2. I carried both letters in my apron pocket.

3. At the age of ten years he fled from the multiplication table and ran away to sea.

4. In the dusk of spring evenings we sat on the window seat and watched the lights come out on the high bluff and the long bridge.

5.

The stormy March is come at last,

With wind, and cloud, and changing skies.

6. With a fair and strong breeze we soon ran into the little cove to the northward of Fort Moultrie.

7. On the projecting bluffs, and occasionally on the very mountain tops, stand the ruins of great castles of the olden times.

8. In the ancient city of London on a certain autumn day in the second quarter of the sixteenth century, a boy was born to a poor family of the name of Canty.

9. Now I was comforted by the thought of a tassel, and an ivory handle, and blue and gold changeable silk.

10. A polar storm can blow for ten days without a break.

11. The aërial path of Hushwing, from his nest in the swamp to his watchtower on the clearing's edge, led him past the pool and the crouching panther.

12.

All the little boys and girls,

With rosy cheeks and flaxen curls,

And sparkling eyes and teeth like pearls,
Tripping and skipping, ran merrily after

The wonderful music, with shouting and laughter.

What part of speech are these words: yonder, sentence 1, apron 2, multiplication 3, spring 4, very 7, autumn 8, break 10? What is peculiar about the object of at in sentence 5, and of to in sentence 6?

43. Good English requires accuracy in the use of prepositions. Study the following prepositions, and avoid errors in their use.

Among and between. The word between usually refers to only two persons or things, while among refers to more than two.

I walked between my father and my mother.

She walked among us like an angel.

At and in. We use in when speaking of countries and large cities, at when speaking of villages or buildings.

The train arrives in Los Angeles at noon.

The train stopped at every little station.

At and to. At conveys the idea of being in a place, and to conveys the idea of going to a place.

Were you at school yesterday?

I came to school early this morning.
My sister is at home.

We speak of going to school, to church, to the factory, to the store, to the office, etc., but we do not use to before home. We say "I am at home," or "Come home," in the latter case omitting the preposition entirely.

Beside and besides.

Beside means by the side of, and

besides means in addition to.

Little Em❜ly sat beside David.

Nobody remained besides the old nurse.

By and with. By refers to the agent, or doer of an action, and with to the instrument, or means employed.

The cherry tree was cut down by George Washington with a little hatchet.

In and into. In usually conveys the idea of rest, and into of motion.

We stayed in the library all the evening.

Our hostess took us into the Simmons Library.

I went into the Bank.

I put my money in the Bank.

Off. This preposition should not be followed by of. We should say,

The pitcher fell off the table.

I got off the car.

In place of the word onto we should use on or upon.

He climbed upon the roof of the pilot house.

He stepped on a loose board.

Some words are followed by certain prepositions to express certain meanings; as,

Agree with thine adversary.

Brutus agreed to the plan.

Brutus differed with Cassius.

My watch is different from yours.

Imogen parted from him with tears.

Imogen would not part with her bracelet.
Many people died of yellow fever.
I am sorry for the mistake.

Exercise. Supply the correct preposition in each of these sentences, and give your reason in each case:

1. The fugitive slave ran two large cypresses.

2. While we were

Charles Hotel.

the trees, and took his stand

New Orleans, we stayed

the St.

3.

And so

the silent sea

I wait the muffled oar.

4. In that Sunday school class there was no girl

5. This mark must have been made

6. When you are

a knife.

Gertrude.

Rome, you must do as the Romans do.

44. When we speak directly to persons, we often call them by name; as,

Anne, sister Anne, do you see any one coming?

We do this for several reasons, sometimes for politeness, sometimes to show clearly just whom we are speaking to. This name is not necessary to the structure of the sentence; that is, it forms no part of the subject or the predicate. We say, therefore, that it is independent. We call it a term of address.

45. Sometimes, instead of using a person's name, we invent a term of address, as when the Arab said to his horse, "We are far from home, O racer with the swiftest winds, but God is with us."

What noun is the base word of this term of address?

46. A term of address may come at the beginning of a sentence, or at the end, or somewhere within the sentence. It must be set off by commas to show that it is independent. 47. Sometimes a noun or a noun with modifiers is used as an exclamation; thus,

A rainbow! it is too late in the day for that.
Joy to the world! the Lord has come.

A noun used like rainbow and joy is called an exclamatory noun. What feeling does the exclamatory noun in the first sentence express? in the second?

Summary. A term of address is a word or a group of words used as a name to show to whom a remark is made. The base word of a term of address is usually a noun. An exclamatory noun is a noun used to express strong or sudden feeling. It may be modified or unmodified.

When a word or a group of words is no part of the subject or the predicate of a sentence, it is said to be independent. A term of address and an exclamatory noun are independent elements in a sentence.

A term of address is set off from the rest of the sentence by

a comma.

An exclamatory noun is set off by an exclamation point.

Exercise. Select the terms of address in the following sentences. Find the base word of each. Select also the exclamatory nouns, and tell what feeling they express.

1. Little brother, canst thou raise me to my feet?

2. "Now, my dears," said old Mrs. Rabbit one morning, "you