LOCATING PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES

Copy every sentence. Cross out the prepositional phrase. Underline the subject once. Underlne the verb phrase twice.

EXERCISE 1

  1. Viganella is a tiny village at the bottom of the Alps in Italy.
  2. Due to its physical position between the mountains, the town of Viganella suffered from an unusual problem.
  3. The sun’s rays never reached the village from the middle of November to the first week in February.
  4. The mountains kept the little town in shadow without any direct sunlight for several months each year.
  5. Then Giacomo Bonzani found a high tech solution to Viganella dreary situation.
  6. In 2006, engineers installed a huge mirror thousands of feet above Viganella on the side of one of the mountains around it.
  7. A computer at the mirrors location keeps track of the suns movements.
  8. The computer’s software rotates the mirror into the perfect position to reflect sunlight into the village square.
  9. The mirror began its work in December of 2006.
  10. Now the sun shines on the town of Viganella during all months of the year.

EXERCISE 2

  1. The many cases of food poisoning in America each year alarm people.
  2. Some food scientists point to food irradiation as one possible solution.
  3. The irradiation of food kills bacteria through exposure to gamma rays.
  4. With irradiation, farmers spray fewer pesticides on their crops.
  5. And irradiated food lasts longer on the shelf or in the refrigerator.
  6. However, many scientists and consumers worry about the risks of food irradiation.
  7. Irradiation reduces vitamins and changes nutrients in food.
  8. The radioactive materials at the irradiation plants are also potentially dangerous.
  9. Critics predict accidents in the transportation and use of these radioactive substances.
  10. In the United States, the controversy about food irradiation continues.

EXERCISE 3

  1. Romeo and Juliet is a famous play by William Shakespeare.
  2. It remains one of the most popular love stories in the world.
  3. Many movies use aspects of it in their plots.
  4. One thing about Shakespeare’s version of the story surprises people.
  5. Both Romeo and Juliet have other love interests in the play.
  6. Romeo has a crush on Rosaline before Juliet.
  7. Juliet elopes with Romeo in secret.
  8. Then Juliet accepts a marriage proposal from another man against her will.
  9. Friar Lawrence helps Romeo and Juliet with a plan for their escape.
  10. However, the complicated timing of his plan has tragic results on the lives of the famous couple.

EXERCISE 4

  1. As a change of pace, I shopped for my mother’s day gift at an antique mall.
  2. I found old Bakelite jewelry in every shade of yellow, red, blue, and green.
  3. There were even linens from the pioneer days.
  4. One booth sold drinking glasses with advertising slogans and cartoon characters on them.
  5. Another stocked old metal banks with elaborate mechanisms for children’s pennies.
  6. In the back corner of the mall I found a light blue pitcher with a familiar dark blue design.
  7. My mother had one just like it in the early years of my childhood.
  8. My sisters and I drank punch from it on hot days in the summer.
  9. I checked the price on the tag underneath the pitchers handle.
  10. I reached for my credit card without hesitation.