NOTES OF LESSON
English Grammar — Prepositional Phrases
| Class | X (10th Standard) |
|---|---|
| Subject | English |
| Topic | Prepositional Phrases |
| Duration | 45 Minutes (1 Period) |
| Teaching Aids | Chart / Mind map, Word cards, Worksheet, Blackboard |
1. Learning Objectives
Through this lesson, the teacher aims to:
- Enable students to identify a prepositional phrase and distinguish it from a single-word preposition.
- Explain how a prepositional phrase functions as a unit to show relationships of place, time, direction, cause, manner, and condition.
- Introduce common two-and-three-word prepositional phrases (e.g. in front of, in spite of, on account of, in search of) used in everyday and formal English.
- Train students to use prepositional phrases accurately in sentence construction and in rewriting/combining exercises.
- Prepare students for the exam-pattern questions on prepositional phrases (fill in the blanks, choose the correct phrase, underline and identify, matching, and sentence rewriting) as seen in SSLC public examinations.
2. Learning Outcomes
By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
1022 uses grammatical items appropriate to the context in speech and writing.
1023 uses grammatical items as cues for reading comprehension such as tense, reported speech, conjunctions, and punctuation.
1024 uses words according to the context and delineate it in speech and writing.
1001 listens to announcements, instructions, read-aloud texts, audio, videos for information, gist and details; responds by answering questions accordingly.
- Recognise and use prepositional phrases correctly while speaking and writing in daily situations — giving directions, describing incidents, or narrating events.
- Apply appropriate prepositional phrases in official and personal communication such as letters, notices, and reports (e.g. 'on behalf of the class', 'in case of emergency').
- Improve accuracy in competitive exams, interviews, and public speaking where correct preposition usage reflects command over the language.
- Transfer this grammatical skill to real-life reading — understanding notices, signboards, instructions, and news reports that are rich in prepositional phrases.
3. Introduction
The teacher introduces the lesson by asking a few lead-in questions to activate students' prior knowledge and connect the topic to familiar experiences:
- Where do you usually sit in your classroom — near the window, in front of the board, or at the back?
- What do you do in case of a fire alarm at school?
- Have you ever waited in spite of the rain for a bus or an auto?
- Can you tell me what 'in front of', 'because of', and 'according to' have in common?
The teacher notes down the students' responses on the board and highlights the underlined groups of words, leading them to observe that these are not single prepositions but groups of words functioning together — thus introducing the term 'Prepositional Phrase'.
4. Reading and Understanding
The teacher reads out a short passage/set of sentences containing prepositional phrases, and students read along, noting new expressions and their meanings.
Definition:
A prepositional phrase is a group of words that begins with a preposition and includes a noun or pronoun (called the object of the preposition). It functions as a single unit, usually as an adjective or adverb, to show relationships such as place, time, direction, manner, cause, or condition.
Structure:
Preposition + (Modifier) + Noun/Pronoun → e.g. 'in front of the school', 'in spite of the rain', 'on account of illness'.
New words / phrases and their meanings:
| Word / Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| in front of | at the forward part of; facing |
| in spite of | despite; without being affected by |
| in addition to | along with; besides |
| on behalf of | as a representative of; in the name of |
| in case of | in the event of; if there happens to be |
| according to | as stated by; in agreement with |
| instead of | in place of; as a substitute for |
| in search of | looking for; trying to find |
| on account of | because of; due to |
| by means of | with the help of; through the use of |
| on the verge of | about to happen; on the point of |
| out of danger | safe; no longer at risk |
5. Mind Map
The lesson is presented visually as a branching mind map on the board / chart, with 'PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE' at the centre and eight branches representing its functions:
┌───────────────┐
│ PREPOSITIONAL │
│ PHRASE │
└───────┬───────┘
┌─────────────┬───────────────┬─────┼─────┬───────────────┬─────────────┐
│ │ │ │ │ │ │
PLACE CAUSE CONTRAST PURPOSE SUBSTITUTION CONDITION MANNER /
(in front of) (on account (in spite (in search (instead of) (in case REPRESENTATION
of) of) of) of) (by means of /
on behalf of)
This is also organised in tabular form for students to copy into their notebooks:
| Category | Function | Example Phrases |
|---|---|---|
| Place / Position | Shows where something is located | in front of, in the middle of, on the corner of |
| Cause / Reason | Shows why something happens | on account of, because of, owing to |
| Contrast / Concession | Shows an unexpected result | in spite of, despite, regardless of |
| Purpose / Search | Shows the aim of an action | in search of, for the sake of, in order to |
| Substitution | Shows replacement | instead of, in place of |
| Condition | Shows a possible situation | in case of, in the event of |
| Manner / Means | Shows how something is done | by means of, with the help of, on foot |
| Representation | Shows who speaks for whom | on behalf of, in the name of |
6. Consolidation and Presentation
The teacher summarises the lesson with the following key points, and a student is invited to present the mind map back to the class in their own words:
- A prepositional phrase begins with a preposition and ends with a noun or pronoun (its object).
- It functions as one unit in a sentence, acting like an adjective or an adverb.
- Prepositional phrases add precise meaning about place, time, cause, contrast, purpose, condition, or manner.
- Common exam-relevant phrases include: in front of, in spite of, in addition to, on behalf of, in case of, according to, instead of, in search of, on account of, and in the middle of.
7. Reinforcement
The teacher adds the following extra information to deepen understanding:
- Distinguish a prepositional phrase from a single preposition: 'on' (single word) vs. 'on account of' (phrase of three words functioning as one unit).
- Some prepositional phrases can appear at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence without changing their meaning: 'In spite of the rain, they played.' / 'They played in spite of the rain.'
- Point out common errors: confusing 'in spite of' with 'despite of' (incorrect — 'despite' never takes 'of').
- Show real-life usage: notices ('In case of fire, use the stairs'), news headlines ('Officials speak on behalf of the government'), and everyday conversation.
- Encourage students to maintain a small personal 'Phrase Bank' notebook to collect new prepositional phrases they encounter in reading.
8. Evaluation
The teacher evaluates understanding through three graded questions:
a) Lower Order Thinking Question (Remembering):
Fill in the blank with a suitable prepositional phrase: 'The fire extinguisher is kept ready ______ an emergency.' (in case of)
b) Middle Order Thinking Question (Understanding / Applying):
Identify and underline the prepositional phrase in the sentence: 'In spite of the heavy traffic, we reached the airport on time.' Then state what relationship it expresses (contrast).
c) Higher Order Thinking Question (Analysing / Creating):
Rewrite the following two sentences as one, using the prepositional phrase given in brackets: 'He could not attend school. He was sick.' (on account of) — and explain why this phrase is more effective than simply saying 'because'.
9. Remedial Teaching
For slow learners, the teacher adopts the following strategies:
- Provide a simplified reference card listing only the 10 most frequent prepositional phrases with one example sentence each, in the students' first language alongside English (bilingual support).
- Use colour-coded flashcards — one colour for phrases showing cause, another for contrast, another for place — to help students group phrases by meaning rather than memorising them in isolation.
- Give oral drill practice with simple substitution sentences (e.g. 'The school closed ______ heavy rain / an accident / a holiday') so students practise the same phrase in varied contexts.
- Pair slow learners with peer tutors for guided practice on the fill-in-the-blank and matching exercises before attempting the sentence-rewriting tasks independently.
- Reduce the initial exercise set to 5 short, high-frequency sentences, gradually increasing to the full worksheet once confidence improves.
10. Writing
Students are asked to write 5 sentences of their own, each using a different prepositional phrase from the list taught in class (e.g. in front of, in spite of, on account of, in search of, according to), describing a day in their own life.
Students then exchange notebooks with a partner and underline the prepositional phrase used in each other's sentences, reinforcing peer-checking skills.
11. Follow-up
The teacher assigns the following homework / activity for the next class:
WORKSHEET: Click here
- Complete the 'Prepositional Phrases Worksheet' (Sections I–VI) covering fill-in-the-blanks, multiple choice, identification, matching, paragraph completion, and sentence rewriting.
- Find and note down 5 prepositional phrases from a newspaper article, textbook lesson, or public notice, and bring them to the next class for discussion.
- Prepare a one-page illustrated mind map of prepositional phrases (in the student's own design) as a creative follow-up activity.
