Published by Creative Education P O Box 227 Mankato Minnesota 56002 Creative Education is an imprint of The Creative Company www thecreativecompany us Design and production by Liddy Walseth Art direction by Rita Marshall Printed by Corporate Graphics in the United States of America Photographs by Corbis Heidi Benser Bowers Museum of Cultural Art Getty Images Peter Cade Tim Flach Gone Wild Hulton Archive Martin Rogers Gail Shumway Kevin Summers Kim Taylor Paul Taylor David Troncoso Gandee Vasan iStockphoto Kseniya Abramova Jill Battaglia Nick M Do Hedda Gjerpen Andrew Howe Eric Isselée Maria Itina Jacqueline Kemp Angelika Schwarz James Steidl sumnersgraphicsinc Tomasz Zacharisz Illustrations on pages 30 31 2007 Etienne Delessert Copyright 2012 Creative Education International copyright reserved in all countries No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data for the hardcover edition Riggs Ann Adjectives and prepositions by Ann Riggs p cm Understanding grammar Includes bibliographical references and index Summary An examination of the rules behind English grammar focusing on the components known as adjectives and prepositions which modify and help describe the relationships between words in sentences ISBN 978-1-60818-091-2 hardcover ISBN 978-1-56660-055-2 eBook 1 English language Adjective 2 English language Prepositions 3 English language Grammar I Title II Series PE1241 R54 2010 428 2 dc22 2010028298 CPSIA 110310 PO1386 First Edition 246897531
TABLE of CONTENTS 4 INTRODUCTION CHAPTERS Preferential Treatment Limited Partnerships Comparing and Compounding Just What Is a Preposition Significant Sidekicks BUILD YOUR OWN SENTENCE ACTIVITIES 6 14 24 32 40 12 22 30 38 44 46 47 48 Questioning the Answer Modifier Maneuvers To Infinity and Beyond Lasting Relationships Phrasal Focus G L O S S A RY SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX
Music swells Siblings squabble Owls hoot I am Grammar is And just like that two words can become a SENTENCE The information in a short sentence can be expanded by adding more words that give vivid descriptions or specific reactions Where should those words be placed How does a writer know what PUNCTUATION to use What does all of that mean anyway Words fall into place more easily when one has an understanding of grammar a system of rules that gives writers the foun dation for producing acceptable formal expression It is that acceptable form that appropriate grammar which helps readers comprehend what has been written Grab a tennis ball and give it a toss That’s right toss it A probable result The ball flies through the air and slams into something Or we could say the ball a noun flies a verb through a preposition the an article air a noun and a conjunction slams a verb into a preposition the wall your buddy a plant or a window all nouns Each noun could be further described by an adjective In Latin ad means toward and jacere means throw and these form the root for the English word adjective which describes characteristics of nouns and their substitutes pronouns When you throw an adjective toward a noun you’re hoping it 4
will stick that it will modify and change the noun into whatever you want it to be whether that noun is a Ping-Pong ball a tennis ball a baseball or a medicine ball that connects with a freshly painted wall a snoozing buddy a blooming plant or perhaps a new window Like adjectives prepositions are also used to describe nouns But unlike adjec tives prepositions cannot stand on their own as MODIFIERS Words such as at by for and to need a noun or pronoun to complete their relationships to the other words in the sentence as in The salesman at the door was persistent The prepositional phrase at the door is related to sales man However sometimes prepositions are so firmly attached to adjectives in an expression that they almost sound like one word Wherever they appear in a sen tence though adjectives and prepositions work together to add meaning and value to the sentence as a whole 5
