English Grammar & Syntax Quiz: Identifying Prepositional Phrases
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Identifying Prepositional PhrasesQuestion 1 of 10

Consider the sentence: Before the interview, Nikhil looked over the résumé in the lobby and wrote down two questions about its final section. Which list contains all and only the words that begin prepositional phrases?

Before, in, and about
Before, over, in, and about
over, in, down, and about
Before, over, and down
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English Grammar & Syntax Quiz

English Grammar & Syntax Quiz: Identifying Prepositional Phrases

Practice Identifying Prepositional Phrases in English Grammar & Syntax with focused quiz questions that help you check what you know, review explanations, and build confidence with test-style prompts.

What this quiz covers

This quiz focuses on Identifying Prepositional Phrases, giving you a quick way to practice the rules, question types, and explanations that matter most for English Grammar & Syntax.

How to use this quiz

Try each quiz question before looking at the correct answer. Use the explanations to review missed ideas, then come back to similar questions until the pattern feels familiar.

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Question 1

Consider the sentence: Before the interview, Nikhil looked over the résumé in the lobby and wrote down two questions about its final section. Which list contains all and only the words that begin prepositional phrases?

  1. Before, in, and about (correct answer)
  2. Before, over, in, and about
  3. over, in, down, and about
  4. Before, over, and down
Explanation: Whenever you see a question about prepositional phrases, your job is to identify words that introduce a phrase — meaning the preposition must be followed by a noun or pronoun (its object) that completes the phrase. This is the trap the question is built around: several words here look like prepositions but are actually functioning as parts of phrasal verbs (verb + particle combinations). In this sentence, Before (the interview), in (the lobby), and about (its final section) each introduce a noun object, forming true prepositional phrases. That makes A the correct answer. Here's why the other choices mislead you. B adds over, but "looked over" is a phrasal verb meaning "reviewed" — over is a particle attached to the verb, not a preposition starting a phrase with a noun object. D includes both over and down for the same reason: "wrote down" is also a phrasal verb, where down is a particle, not a preposition. Neither over nor down here is followed by a noun that serves as its object — they modify the verb itself. C makes an even bigger error by dropping Before entirely and lumping both particles (over, down) in with the legitimate prepositions in and about, which reverses the whole logic of the question. A reliable strategy: when you spot a potential preposition, ask "Does this word have a noun object that completes a phrase?" If the word is fused to the verb's meaning — like look over or write down — it's a particle, not a preposition. That single test will protect you on questions like this.

Question 2

Consider the sentence: During the first lap, the runners circled around the fountain; during the second, they simply circled around. Which statement correctly distinguishes the two uses of around?

  1. Both begin prepositional phrases, although the second has an object that is merely implied.
  2. The first begins a prepositional phrase; the second functions adverbially without an object. (correct answer)
  3. The first is a verb particle; the second begins a prepositional phrase with an omitted noun.
  4. Both are verb particles attached to separate occurrences of the verb circled.
Explanation: When a word like around appears in a sentence, your first task is to ask: does it have a noun object following it, or does it stand alone modifying the verb? This distinction separates prepositions from adverbs, and it's exactly what this question tests. In the first clause, circled around the fountain, the word around is followed by the noun phrase the fountain. That noun is its object, making around the fountain a prepositional phrase telling you where the circling happened. In the second clause, they simply circled around, no object follows. Here around modifies the verb circled directly, answering how or in what manner — functioning as an adverb. That makes choice B correct. Choice A fails because it assumes the second around is still a preposition with a hidden object. Prepositions require objects; an implied or omitted object doesn't save the label. Without an explicit noun, around shifts grammatical category entirely. Choice C has it backwards — neither use of around is a verb particle. A particle fuses with a verb to create a new idiomatic meaning (like give up or look out); circle around retains its literal meaning throughout. Choice D compounds this error by claiming both are particles, which misidentifies both instances. A useful strategy: whenever you see a preposition candidate, look immediately to its right for a noun object. If there's one, it's a preposition; if there isn't, it's likely functioning as an adverb. The same word can play both roles depending on context — don't let the identical spelling fool you.

Question 3

Consider the sentence: At the reception, the director spoke with the donors from Boston and with the trustees from Denver. Which two phrases are coordinated complements of the verb spoke, rather than prepositional phrases embedded inside noun phrases?

  1. with the donors and from Boston
  2. from Boston and from Denver
  3. with the donors from Boston and with the trustees from Denver (correct answer)
  4. At the reception and with the trustees from Denver
Explanation: When analyzing sentence structure, your first task is to identify coordination — elements joined by "and" that share the same grammatical role — versus modification, where a phrase simply describes a nearby noun. In this sentence, the conjunction "and" links two parallel units: with the donors from Boston and with the trustees from Denver. Both are prepositional phrases beginning with "with," and both answer the question "spoke with whom?" — making them coordinated complements of the verb spoke. Notice that each phrase is internally complete: "from Boston" modifies "donors" within the first unit, and "from Denver" modifies "trustees" within the second. The coordination happens at the level of the whole "with + noun phrase" structure, not at the level of the smaller embedded pieces. This makes C correct. Choice A incorrectly splits one coordinated unit ("with the donors from Boston") in half, treating "with the donors" and "from Boston" as if they were parallel. But "from Boston" is a modifier inside the noun phrase "the donors from Boston," not a separate complement of spoke. Choice B makes a similar error by isolating only the two "from" phrases. These are postmodifiers within their respective noun phrases — they tell you which donors and which trustees, not what the director did at the reception. Choice D pairs the sentence's opening adverbial ("At the reception," which tells when/where) with only one of the verb's complements, ignoring the parallel structure entirely. The key strategy: when you see "and" connecting elements, zoom out to find the largest parallel units that share the same grammatical function before assuming coordination happens at a smaller level.

Question 4

Consider the sentence: One of the proposals from the regional offices has been circulating among the reviewers since Monday. If every prepositional phrase is removed while the core subject and complete verb are retained, what remains?

  1. One has been circulating. (correct answer)
  2. One of the proposals has been circulating.
  3. The proposals have been circulating.
  4. The regional offices have been circulating.
Explanation: When a question asks you to strip a sentence down to its core subject and complete verb, you need to identify and remove every prepositional phrase — any phrase beginning with a preposition like of, from, among, or since. Take the sentence apart layer by layer. The prepositional phrases are: of the proposals, from the regional offices, among the reviewers, and since Monday. Remove all four, and what's left is simply "One has been circulating" — making A the correct answer. The word one is the true subject, and has been circulating is the complete verb phrase (present perfect progressive). Here's why the other choices miss the mark. B keeps the phrase of the proposals, which is a prepositional phrase modifying one — it must be removed. C swaps in proposals as the subject and changes the verb to have, but proposals is never the subject; it lives inside a prepositional phrase and can't govern the verb. D makes the same structural mistake using regional offices, which is even further buried inside a nested prepositional phrase (from the regional offices). A classic trap in subject-verb agreement questions is letting a noun inside a prepositional phrase "steal" the subject role. Because proposals and offices are closer to the verb in the sentence, they feel like subjects — but they aren't. Study tip: Train yourself to bracket prepositional phrases and cross them out before identifying the subject. Whatever noun remains outside the brackets is your true subject, no matter how distant it appears from the verb.

Question 5

In the sentence below, the three occurrences of to are numbered: Before agreeing (1) to speak (2) to the board, Lena listened (3) to the recording without taking notes. Which occurrences begin prepositional phrases?

  1. Occurrence 1 only
  2. Occurrence 2 only
  3. Occurrences 1 and 3
  4. Occurrences 2 and 3 (correct answer)
Explanation: When analyzing the word to, your first job is to determine its grammatical role: is it a preposition (introducing a noun phrase) or part of an infinitive (paired with a verb)? A prepositional phrase follows the pattern to + noun/pronoun, while an infinitive follows the pattern to + base verb. Walk through each occurrence. Occurrence (1) follows agreeing — and the word immediately after it is speak, a base verb. That makes to speak an infinitive functioning as the object of agreeing, not a prepositional phrase. Occurrence (2) follows speak — and the word after it is the board, a noun phrase. So to the board is a classic prepositional phrase modifying speak (you speak to whom? — the board). Occurrence (3) follows listened — and the word after it is the recording, another noun phrase. So to the recording is also a prepositional phrase, completing the verb listened. That makes D — occurrences 2 and 3 — the correct answer. Choice A is wrong because occurrence (1) is an infinitive, not a prepositional phrase. Choosing it confuses two very different uses of to. Choice B is wrong because it correctly identifies (2) but misses (3), leaving out another clear preposition-plus-noun construction. Choice C is the most tempting trap: it includes (1) because to speak sounds like it could be directional, but remember — if to is followed by a verb, it's an infinitive, not a preposition. Your go-to strategy: always peek at the word immediately after to. Verb following? Infinitive. Noun or pronoun following? Prepositional phrase. That single check resolves almost every question like this one.

Question 6

Consider the sentence: Because of delays in the permit process, the crew worked until dusk in spite of the cold. Which choice correctly brackets all of the sentence's maximal prepositional phrases?

  1. [Because of delays in the permit process] [worked until dusk] [in spite] [of the cold]
  2. [Because of delays] [in the permit process] [until dusk] [in spite of the cold]
  3. [Because] [of delays in the permit process] [until dusk] [in spite of the cold]
  4. [Because of delays in the permit process] [until dusk] [in spite of the cold] (correct answer)
Explanation: When analyzing prepositional phrases, your goal is to identify maximal prepositional phrases — meaning you should capture the largest possible unit starting with a preposition, including any phrases nested inside it. A prepositional phrase begins with a preposition and ends when no more grammatically attached material remains. The sentence contains three prepositional phrases. "Because of delays in the permit process" is one maximal unit: "because of" acts as a compound preposition, and "in the permit process" is a smaller phrase nested inside it (modifying "delays"). Since it's embedded within the larger phrase, you shouldn't break it out separately. "Until dusk" is a clean, standalone prepositional phrase. "In spite of the cold" is a compound-preposition phrase functioning as a single adverbial unit. This makes D correct — it captures all three maximal phrases without over-splitting or under-splitting. Choice A fails on two counts: it incorrectly brackets "worked until dusk" (which includes the verb "worked," not part of any prepositional phrase) and splits "in spite of the cold" into two fragments, treating "in spite" and "of the cold" as separate phrases when they form one indivisible unit. Choice B breaks the large opening phrase into "because of delays" and "in the permit process" separately — but since "in the permit process" is subordinate to (nested inside) the larger phrase, splitting it violates the maximal rule. Choice C isolates "because" alone as a bracket, which is wrong — "because" here is part of the compound preposition "because of," not a standalone subordinating conjunction. Your study tip: always ask whether a smaller phrase is nested inside a larger one before bracketing it separately. If it's embedded, keep it inside the maximal phrase.

Question 7

Consider the sentence: The notebook with the torn cover that Ava found under the bench belongs to Miguel. Which list identifies all and only the prepositional phrases?

  1. the torn cover; under the bench; belongs to Miguel
  2. with the torn cover; that Ava found; under the bench; to Miguel
  3. with the torn cover; under the bench; to Miguel (correct answer)
  4. with the torn cover that Ava found; under the bench; to Miguel
Explanation: When identifying prepositional phrases, remember the formula: preposition + noun phrase (the object). A prepositional phrase always begins with a preposition (words like with, under, to, from, in) and ends with its object. It never contains a verb as its core element. Scanning the sentence — The notebook with the torn cover that Ava found under the bench belongs to Miguel — you can spot three prepositional phrases. With the torn cover begins with the preposition with and ends with the noun phrase the torn cover. Under the bench begins with under and ends with the bench. To Miguel begins with to and ends with Miguel. These three, which is exactly what C lists, are your answer. Choice A fails immediately because the torn cover is just a noun phrase — it drops the preposition with that makes it prepositional. It also misidentifies belongs to Miguel as a single prepositional phrase, when belongs is a verb, not a preposition. Choice B includes that Ava found, which is a relative clause (it has a subject Ava and a verb found) — relative clauses are not prepositional phrases, no matter where they appear. Choice D makes a similar mistake by bundling the relative clause that Ava found into with the torn cover, creating a hybrid that doesn't match the definition of a prepositional phrase. A reliable test-day strategy: whenever you think you've found a prepositional phrase, check that it starts with a preposition and contains no verb. If there's a verb, you're looking at a clause, not a prepositional phrase.

Question 8

Consider the sentence: In the final photograph, the tallest student is behind the principal near the doorway. Which analysis of behind the principal is correct?

  1. It is a prepositional phrase functioning as a predicative complement that locates the subject after the linking verb. (correct answer)
  2. It is a noun phrase functioning as the direct object that receives the action expressed by the linking verb.
  3. It is an adverb clause modifying the spatial setting already established by the opening prepositional phrase.
  4. It is a verb particle attached to is, followed by a noun phrase that completes a compound predicate.
Explanation: When analyzing prepositional phrases, your first move should be identifying the verb type and asking what role the phrase plays relative to the subject. Here, is is a linking verb — it connects the subject (the tallest student) to information that describes or locates it rather than expressing action. Behind the principal is a prepositional phrase (preposition behind + noun phrase the principal) that tells us where the subject is. Because it follows a linking verb and directly characterizes the subject's location, it functions as a predicative complement — sometimes called a locative complement or predicate adjunct. Answer A captures this precisely and is correct. B fails on two counts: behind the principal is a prepositional phrase, not a noun phrase, and linking verbs don't take direct objects. Direct objects receive the action of transitive verbs, which is is not. C misidentifies both the form and the function. Behind the principal contains no subject or finite verb, so it cannot be a clause of any kind. An adverb clause requires at least a subject and a verb (e.g., whenever she stood near the doorway). Additionally, the opening phrase In the final photograph establishes setting but doesn't prevent another phrase from locating the subject further. D invents a grammatical structure that doesn't exist here. Behind is a preposition heading its own phrase, not a verb particle bonded to is. Verb particles bond with verbs to create phrasal verbs (e.g., give up, turn down) — that's not what's happening. Your study tip: whenever you see a prepositional phrase after a form of be, ask whether it describes or locates the subject — if so, it's functioning as a predicative (locative) complement, not an object or clause.

Question 9

Consider the sentence: After the auditors had left, Mara placed the unsigned forms beside the folders on the lower shelf. Which choice contains only prepositional phrases from the sentence?

  1. beside the folders on the lower shelf; on the lower shelf (correct answer)
  2. After the auditors had left; on the lower shelf
  3. the unsigned forms; beside the folders
  4. had left; beside the folders on the lower shelf
Explanation: When identifying prepositional phrases, remember the formula: preposition + noun phrase (object). A prepositional phrase always begins with a preposition (words like after, beside, on, under, in) and ends with its object — never a verb or verb phrase. In the sentence, scan for prepositions first. You'll find three: after, beside, and on. This gives you three prepositional phrases: after the auditors had left, beside the folders, and on the lower shelf. Notice that beside the folders on the lower shelf is actually a nested prepositional phrase — on the lower shelf modifies folders and sits inside the larger phrase beginning with beside. Both are valid prepositional phrases. Choice A is correct because both beside the folders on the lower shelf and on the lower shelf are genuine prepositional phrases — one containing the other — making this the only option with exclusively prepositional phrases. Choice B fails because After the auditors had left is an adverbial clause, not a prepositional phrase. It contains a subject (auditors) and a verb (had left), which prepositional phrases never do. Choice C fails because the unsigned forms has no preposition at all — it's simply a noun phrase functioning as the direct object of placed. Choice D fails because had left is a verb phrase (past perfect tense), not a prepositional phrase. Verbs can never be the starting point of a prepositional phrase. Your go-to strategy: always locate the preposition first, then confirm there's a noun object and no subject-verb pair inside the phrase. If you spot a verb, it's a clause, not a prepositional phrase.

Question 10

Consider the sentence: Since the renovation ended, the café across the street has remained open since dawn. Which occurrence of since begins a prepositional phrase?

  1. Only the first occurrence, before the renovation ended
  2. Only the second occurrence, before dawn (correct answer)
  3. Both the first occurrence and the second occurrence
  4. Neither the first occurrence nor the second occurrence
Explanation: When you see a question about since, your job is to identify its grammatical role — because since can function as a subordinating conjunction (introducing a dependent clause) or as a preposition (introducing a noun phrase). Here's the key distinction: a preposition takes a noun or noun phrase as its object. A subordinating conjunction connects a dependent clause — one that contains its own subject and verb — to the main clause. Look at the second occurrence: since dawn. The word dawn is simply a noun with no subject-verb pair attached. That makes since a preposition here, with dawn as its object. This is the prepositional phrase the question is asking about, confirming that B is correct. Now examine why the other choices fail. A identifies the first since — in since the renovation ended — as the start of a prepositional phrase. But the renovation ended contains a subject (the renovation) and a verb (ended), which means since is functioning as a subordinating conjunction, not a preposition. It introduces a dependent adverbial clause, not a noun phrase. C claims both occurrences begin prepositional phrases, but as shown above, the first does not — it heads a subordinate clause. D argues neither occurrence is a preposition, which would be wrong because the second since clearly takes a bare noun (dawn) as its object, the textbook definition of a prepositional use. Your takeaway: whenever you evaluate since, ask yourself what follows it. A subject-verb combination means conjunction; a standalone noun or noun phrase means preposition.