* Prepositional phrases are often distractions: They can look like verb phrases (especially if they include a participle like "running" or "walking"), but they actually function as adverbs or adjectives, modifying other words in the sentence. For example:
* Incorrect: "The dog running down the street is brown." (This incorrectly identifies "running down the street" as the verb)
* Correct: "The dog running down the street is brown." ("running down the street" is a prepositional phrase describing the dog)
* Prepositional phrases can hide the verb: Sometimes the verb is nestled inside a prepositional phrase, making it harder to spot. For example:
* Incorrect: "The bird in the tree is singing." ("in the tree" is a prepositional phrase)
* Correct: "The bird in the tree is singing." ("is singing" is the verb)
Here's a simple strategy:
1. Identify prepositional phrases: Look for words like "of", "on", "in", "to", "from", "with", "by", "at", "for", etc., followed by a noun or pronoun.
2. Eliminate them: Ignore those phrases, as they are not the verb.
3. Focus on the remaining words: The verb will be among the words left. It's likely to be an action verb (e.g., "run", "sing", "eat") or a linking verb (e.g., "is", "are", "was").
By identifying and eliminating prepositional phrases first, you can avoid being misled and quickly pinpoint the true verb of the sentence.