Exercise in Identifying Prepositional Phrases

Babe 1995
(Universal Studios/Getty Images)

A prepositional phrase is a group of words made up of a preposition, its object, and any of the object's modifiers.

Instructions

Each of the following movie quotations contains at least one prepositional phrase. Identify the prepositional phrase(s) in each sentence, and then compare your answers with those on page two.

  1. "Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."
    (The Wizard of Oz, 1939)
  2. "May these horses bear you to better fortune than their former masters."
    (The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, 2002)
  3. "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."
    (Casablanca, 1942)
  4. "It does not do to dwell on dreams, Harry, and forget to live."
    (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, 2001)
  5. "You know, I always thought that I rescued you from the Dragon's Keep."
    (Shrek Forever After, 2010)
  6. "In this town, the fewer people who know something, the safer the operation."
    (The Dark Knight, 2008)
  7. "Son, you got a panty on your head."
    (Raising Arizona, 1987)
  8. "Joey, do you like movies about gladiators?"
    (Airplane! 1980)
  9. "What we do in life echoes in eternity."
    (Gladiator, 2000)
  10. "Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes."
    (The Godfather, 1972)
  11. "Tonight most people will be welcomed home by jumping dogs and squealing kids."
    (Up in the Air, 2009)
  12. "Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates."
    (Forrest Gump, 1994)
  13. "I love the smell of napalm in the morning!"
    (Apocalypse Now, 1979)
  14. "In the matter of Harry Potter, the law clearly states that magic may be used before Muggles in life-threatening situations."
    (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, 2007)
  15. "For sixty years the ring lay quiet in Bilbo's keeping, prolonging his life, delaying old age."
    (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, 2001)
  16. "Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth."
    (The Pride of the Yankees, 1942)
  17. "On the night Lord Voldemort went to Godric's Hollow to kill Harry, and Lily Potter cast herself between them, the curse rebounded."
    (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2, 2011)
  18. "Winter must be cold for those with no warm memories."
    (An Affair to Remember, 1957)
  19. "The man who can wield the power of this sword can summon to him an army more deadly than any that walks this earth."
    (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2003)
  20. "And though every single human in the stands or in the commentary boxes was at a complete loss for words, the man who in his life had uttered fewer words than any of them knew exactly what to say."
    (Babe, 1995)

Answers to the Exercise in Identifying Prepositional Phrases

In the following sentences, the prepositional phrases are in bold print.

  1. "Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."
    (The Wizard of Oz, 1939)
  2. "May these horses bear you to better fortune than their former masters."
    (The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, 2002)
  3. "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."
    (Casablanca, 1942)
  4. "It does not do to dwell on dreams, Harry, and forget to live."
    (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, 2001)
  5. "You know, I always thought that I rescued you from the Dragon's Keep."
    (Shrek Forever After, 2010)
  6. "In this town, the fewer people who know something, the safer the operation."
    (The Dark Knight, 2008)
  7. "Son, you got a panty on your head."
    (Raising Arizona, 1987)
  8. "Joey, do you like movies about gladiators?"
    (Airplane! 1980)
  9. "What we do in life echoes in eternity."
    (Gladiator, 2000)
  10. "Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes."
    (The Godfather, 1972)
  11. "Tonight most people will be welcomed home by jumping dogs and squealing kids."
    (Up in the Air, 2009)
  12. "Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates."
    (Forrest Gump, 1994)
  13. "I love the smell of napalm in the morning!"
    (Apocalypse Now, 1979)
  14. "In the matter of Harry Potter, the law clearly states that magic may be used before Muggles in life-threatening situations."
    (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, 2007)
  15. "For sixty years the ring lay quiet in Bilbo's keeping, prolonging his life, delaying old age."
    (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, 2001)
  16. "Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth."
    (The Pride of the Yankees, 1942)
  17. "On the night Lord Voldemort went to Godric's Hollow to kill Harry, and Lily Potter cast herself between them, the curse rebounded."
    (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2, 2011)
  18. "Winter must be cold for those with no warm memories."
    (An Affair to Remember, 1957)
  19. "The man who can wield the power of this sword can summon to him an army more deadly than any that walks this earth."
    (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2003)
  20. "And though every single human in the stands or in the commentary boxes was at a complete loss for words, the man who in his life had uttered fewer words than any of them knew exactly what to say."
    (Babe, 1995)
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Nordquist, Richard. "Exercise in Identifying Prepositional Phrases." ThoughtCo, Aug. 26, 2020, thoughtco.com/exercise-in-identifying-prepositional-phrases-1692214. Nordquist, Richard. (2020, August 26). Exercise in Identifying Prepositional Phrases. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/exercise-in-identifying-prepositional-phrases-1692214 Nordquist, Richard. "Exercise in Identifying Prepositional Phrases." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/exercise-in-identifying-prepositional-phrases-1692214 (accessed March 29, 2024).