How to Diagram a Sentence with a Prepositional Phrase Acting as an Adjective
Sentence diagramming is a visual learning device for determining parts of speech. It is also useful as a self-check method for editing one's grammar. All writers, from a kindergarten student to a best-selling author, need to have a clear understanding and comprehension of sentence structure and word usage.
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Instructions
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Determine if the sentence being studied contains a preposition. A preposition is a word that links nouns, pronouns and phrases to other words in a sentence. The following are frequently used prepositions: aboard, about, above, across, after, against, along, amid, among, around, at, before, behind, below, beneath, beside, between, beyond, but, by, down, during, except, for, from, in, into, like, near, of, off, on, over, past, since, through, throughout, to, toward, under, underneath, until, unto, up, upon, with, within and without.
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Identify the sentence's prepositional phrase by locating the noun or pronoun following the preposition and any words which modify the object. For example, in the sentence "Our spare room above the garage was repainted," "above" is the preposition, "garage" is the noun or object and "above the garage" is the prepositional phrase.
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Ascertain the sentence's subject, or topic. In our sentence, the subject is "room." The pronoun "our" and adjective "spare" both describe "room," helping us to understanding which room is being referred to in the sentence.
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Locate the sentence's verb, or the action word of the sentence. In "Our spare room above the garage was repainted," the verb is a compound of the two words "was repainted."
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Start the diagramming of the sentence by drawing a horizontal line to rest the main body of the sentence on. Place a vertical line in the center to separate the subject from the verb. __________|__________
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Place the subject ("room") on the left side of the diagram's vertical line and the verb ("was painted") to the right of the vertical line.
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Add any adjectives by creating slanted lines under the horizontal line and slanting them up to the word they describe, which in this case is the subject. Draw a slanted line down from the word "room." Write the word "our" on the line, showing it modifies the subject, "room." Draw another slanted line underneath "room" parallel to the word "our" for the word "spare," to show spare also modifies the subject.
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Extend the diagrammed line for the preposition down from the word it describes in the sentence. Since the prepositional phrase is functioning as an adjective, it should be diagrammed the way the adjectives were diagrammed: draw a third slanted line down from the word "room" for the word "above garage."
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Tips & Warnings
If diagramming a sentence for a class or required assignment, ask your teacher or instructor if he has a preferred method of diagramming prepositional phrases.
References
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