Pokemon Learning League

Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases

Written By Timothy Whitfield

(Episode opens with Dawn, Piplup, Olivia, Ash, Pikachu, Chris, Brock, Misty, Nicky, and Marty walking around Viridian City looking around and Dawn says hello to the viewers.) Dawn: Hey, Im Dawn. And this is Piplup. Piplup: Piplup. Dawn: And here are my friends. Brock: Hi, Im Brock. Olivia: Hey, Im Nala. Chris: Hello, Im Chris. Ash: Hey, Im Ash. And this is Pikachu. Pikachu: Pika. Nicky: Hey, Im Nicky Misty: Hey, Im Misty. Marty: Hi, Im Marty. Dawn: My friends and I have signed up for a special Viridian City item hunt. Thats when someone goes out and hides some items out in the forest and the fields. Then, several teams or a single person will go out and try to find every hidden item on the list. The first team or person to find all of the items on the list is the winner. In this item hunt, were going to try to find every item on the list. Do you want to help us out? (She waits for an answer from the viewers.) Thats great. Lets go.

Misty: Okay, what are the items we need to find, Chris? Chris: Well, the items we need to find are a Poke Ball, a super potion, a kings rock, a leaf stone, a sun stone, a moon stone, moomoo milk, and fresh water. Ash: Cool. Then lets get searching. Marty: Okay, Chris, where do we search for the Poke Ball? Chris: It says that the Poke Ball is hidden somewhere in the Viridian Forest. Brock: All right, lets get to the forest. (They all walk to the Viridian Forest and begin to search all around.) Misty: I cant find the ball anywhere. Did you find it, Marty? Marty: No, I havent. What about you, Dawn? Dawn: No, Piplup and I havent found it yet, either. Piplup: Piplup. (Ash, Pikachu, Nala, Brock, Misty, and Chris meet up with them.) Dawn: Did you guys find the ball, yet? (They all shake their heads as if to say, No.) Pikachu: Pika. Misty: Man, this is going to be a little tougher than we thought.

Brock: Youre right, Misty. Hmm, I wonder if theres a clue that can help us find the Poke Ball. (Chris looks over the list, turns it over, and finds another list on the back.) Chris: Hey guys, I think I might have found the clues we need. Ash: Well, way to go, Chris. So, what does the first clue say? Chris: Hmm, thats odd. The clue says that The Poke Ball is bush the under. Theres also a picture of a bush. Olivia: Hmm, I wonder what Bush the under means. Brock: I dont know, Olivia. This is a very puzzling clue. Misty: Yeah, it is puzzling. I dont think that either of us can make heads or tails of this clue. Marty: I wonder how we can figure out what the clue means. Dawn: I know, lets give Lex a call. Maybe hell help us figure this out. (She pulls out the Pokepilot and calls Lex.) Hi, Lex. Lex: Hey, everyone. Whats going on? Nicky: Well, were participating in an item hunt and were going to try to find every item thats on the list. Its a very exciting event. Lex: It sure sounds like it. So, whats the trouble? Misty: Well, we found some clues thatll help us find the items, but they dont make any sense.

Lex: Okay, so how do they not make sense? Misty: Our first clue says that we need to look bush the under, and we have no idea what it means. So, we were hoping that you might know what it means. Lex: Well, all right, let me see the clue. Misty: Hey, Chris, let me have the clue list. Chris: Okay, Misty. (He hands the list to Misty and she shows it to Lex, who reads it.) Lex: Hmm, I have the answer. Ash: Well, what is it, Lex? Lex: It seems that the words in each clue are scrambled up and need to be unscrambled to figure out what it says. Dawn: Well, what does the unscrambled clue say, Lex? Lex: Okay, the clue says you need to look under the bush. Nicky: How did you figure it out so quickly, Lex? Lex: Well, I remembered that a preposition connects a subject to a sentence, and under was the preposition in the sentence. Brock: A preposition? Whats a preposition? Lex: Prepositions are words that connect nouns with pronouns and phrases. Words like across, beneath, down, for, and in are examples of prepositions.

Marty: Well, how are prepositions used in a sentence, Lex? Lex: Prepositions can be used to show the relationship between the object and other words in a sentence. A good example would be how the word over is used in this sentence: The book is over by the table. You see, over is the preposition that locates book, which is the subject of the sentence. They can also be used to show the time or place of anything. Olivia: Okay, Lex, how else are prepositions used in sentences? Lex: Prepositions can also be used in phrases called prepositional phrases. A prepositional phrase can be used as an adjective or as an adverb. A common example of prepositional phrases would be small phrases like with me, by singing, at home, and in time. You see, each phrase has a preposition at the beginning and the object at the end. Ash: Oh, okay, I get what a prepositional phrase is. But how is a prepositional phrase used as an adjective? Lex: An adjectival prepositional phrase can be used when you are modifying a noun or a pronoun. For example, if you seeing something moving in the corner of the desk, you would say something like, Something in the corner of the desk was moving. See, the phrase in the corner modifies the noun something and of the desk modifies corner. Thats an adjectival prepositional phrase. Misty: Okay, well how about one as an adverb?

Lex: An adverbial prepositional phrase can be used to modify verbs, adjectives, and predicate adjectives. For instance, if you found a rock by a river, you would say that The rock was found near the river. As you can see, near the river modifies the verb was found. Chris: Wow, prepositions and prepositional phrases are very helpful words and phrases. Lex: They sure are. Would you like to help with a few of them? Everyone: Sure thing, Lex. Pikachu: Pika. Piplup: Piplup (Cut to Lexs Lab.) Lex: Okay, Im going to give you six sentences and youre going to tell me if each sentence has a preposition or a prepositional phrase and then you tell me what each one is doing in the sentence. Everyone: Okay. Lex: All right, heres the first sentence: The cup is under the table. Does this sentence have a preposition or a prepositional phrase? Dawn: I know. This sentence has a preposition in it. Lex: Very good, Dawn. Now, what is the preposition doing in the sentence?

Dawn: The word under, which is the preposition, is locating cup, which is the subject of the sentence. Lex: Good job. Now, heres the next sentence: The salesmen skimmed over the products original cost. Now, does it have a preposition or a prepositional phrase? Chris: Ive got it. This sentence has a prepositional phrase in it. Lex: Good work, Chris. Now, what is the phrase doing in the sentence? Chris: The prepositional phrase over the products original cost modifies the verb skimmed. Lex: Excellent. Okay, heres the third sentence: Ill see you on Friday. Does it have a preposition or prepositional phrase? Ash: I know. This one has a preposition in it. Lex: Very good, Ash. Now, what is the preposition doing in the sentence? Ash: Well, the preposition, which is on, is telling me when Im going to see you, which is on Friday. Lex: Good job. All right, heres the fourth sentence: The price of the promotion was much too steep. Okay, is this sentence using a preposition or a prepositional phrase? Olivia: I know. It has a prepositional phrase in it.

Lex: Good work, Olivia. Okay, what is the phrase doing in the sentence? Nala: The prepositional phrase of the promotion describes the noun price. Lex: Very good. All right, heres the fifth sentence: We are at the market. Is it using a preposition or a prepositional phrase? Misty: I know. This sentence has a preposition in it. Lex: Good job, Misty. Now, what is the preposition doing in the sentence? Misty: Well, the preposition, which is at, is telling me the location we are in, and the store is that location. Lex: Excellent job. Now, heres the last sentence: The rock climbers arrived late at night. Now, is this sentence using a preposition or a prepositional phrase? Brock: This sentence is using a prepositional phrase. Lex: Good job, Brock. Now, what is this phrase doing this sentence? Brock: The phrase at night modifies the adverb late. Lex: Very good. Great job, everyone. Everyone: Thanks, Lex. Pikachu: Pika.

Piplup: Piplup. Lex: Youre welcome, guys. Well, I got to get going. Good luck with your item hunt. See you later. Everyone: Bye, Lex. Marty: Okay, lets get right back to the item hunt. Misty: Hold on a minute there, Marty. First, lets go over what we just learned. Chris: Thats a good idea, Misty. How about we ask our friends at home if they would like to go over it with us? Dawn: Good thinking, Chris. (She looks at the viewers.) Would you like to go over with us? (She waits for an answer from the viewers.) Okay, lets get right to it. Brock: Okay, what words are prepositions? (He waits for an answer from the viewers.) In, under, on, over, beneath and across are prepositions. Very good. Nicky: All right, how is an adjective prepositional phrase used? (She waits for an answer from the viewers.) Its used when youre modifying a noun or a pronoun. Good work. Ash: Now, how are prepositions used in a sentence? (He waits for an answer from the viewers.) They connect nouns with pronouns and phrase. Good one, guys. Everyone: Great work, everybody.

Pikachu: Pika. Piplup: Piplup. Misty: Okay, lets have a look at that list of clues. (They all look at the list.) Brock: Well, it seems that all the clues are scrambled up and we have to unscramble them. Nicky: Okay, Brock. But first, lets see if our friends at home want to help us unscramble the clues. Ash: Thats a good idea, Nicky. (He looks at the viewers.) Would you like to help us to unscramble the clues? (He waits for an answer from the viewers.) Well, all right, lets do it. (Cut to the list of clues.) Misty: Okay, we already know what the first clue is because Lex told us what it was, so we can skip it and move on the second one. The second clue says that the leaf stone is gym the near. Whats the preposition or prepositional phrase of this sentence and what is it supposed to be doing? (She waits for an answer from the viewers.) The preposition is near and it should locate leaf stone, which is the subject. So, the clue really says, The leaf stone is near the gym. Good work. Marty: All right, the third clue says The kings rock is pond the at. What is the preposition or prepositional phrase in this sentence? (He waits for an answer from the viewers.) The phrase pond the

at is a prepositional phrase. Good eye. But, whats wrong with this phrase? (He waits for an answer from the viewers.) Its all jumbled up. So, what can we do to fix this sentence? (He waits for an answer from the viewers.) We can put the preposition in the right place. Good idea. But whats the preposition in this phrase and what is it supposed to be doing? (He waits for an answer from the viewers.) The word at is the preposition and its supposed to locate the subject, Kings rock. So, the clue says, The kings rock is at the pond. Great job. Dawn: The next clue says The sun stone is tree the behind. Whats the preposition in this sentence and what is it supposed to be doing? (She waits for an answer from the viewers.) The preposition is behind and its supposed to be locating where the sun stone is. Great job. Ash: The next clue says The super potion is field the at. Whats the preposition for this clue and what is it supposed to be doing? (He waits for an answer from the viewers.) The word is at, and it supposed to be telling me where the super potion is. So, it should say, The super potion is at the field. Way to go, guys. Olivia: All right, the next clue says, The moon stone is table under a. Does this phrase make any sense? (She waits for an answer from the viewers.) No, I dont think so. Whats wrong with it? (She waits for an answer from the viewers.) A preposition is out of place. Very good. Now, whats the preposition in this clue and where it is supposed to go? (She waits for an answer from the viewers.) The preposition is under, and its supposed to come

before moon stone, which is the subject of the sentence. Excellent. Brock: This next clue says, The moomoo milk is grass the in. Whats the preposition of this sentence and where does it really go in the sentence? (He waits for an answer from the viewers.) The preposition is in and its supposed to come after moomoo milk, which is the subject its trying to locate. Great work, guys. Nicky: The last clue says, The fresh water is park fountain the near. Whats the preposition and where is it supposed to be in the sentence? (She waits for an answer from the viewers.) Right, the preposition is near and its supposed to locate where the fresh water is. Therefore, the clue really says, The fresh water is near the park fountain. (Cut back to the gang.) Everyone: Thanks for the help, guys. Pikachu: Pika. Piplup: Piplup. Brock: Okay, guys, lets split up so that we can find each of the items. Then, lets all meet in the town square and place all the items in this basket. (He holds up a basket.) Others: Okay! Misty: Well, lets get started. (They all split up and begin searching.)

Misty: Ive got the Poke Ball. (Cut to Ash and Pikachu at the pond, searching.) Ash: Hmm, I wonder where that Kings rock could be. (Pikachu spots the Kings Rock next to the pond and picks it up.) Pikachu: Pika, Pika, Pika! Ash: Way to go, Pikachu! You found it. (Cut to Nicky looking in the field.) Nicky: Ah-hah. Theres the super potion (Cut to Brock searching in the grass.) Brock: That moomoo milk is going to be hard to find in this tall grass. (He looks through the tall grass and spots something white in the grass.) Brock: Hmm, whats this? (He picks up the item and sees its a bottle of moomoo milk.) This must be the moomoo milk I was looking for. (Cut to Nala looking around the park fountain.) Olivia: I wonder where the fresh water is. (She looks at the fountain and sees a bottle on it.) Oh, theres the fresh water, sitting on the edge of the fountain. (Cut to Marty looking under a picnic table.)

Marty: Ah-Ha! Ive found the moon stone. (Cut to Dawn and Piplup standing near the gym.) Dawn: Come on, Piplup. Lets see if we can find the leaf stone. Piplup: Piplup. (They both start searching around the gym.) Dawn: Hmm. I wonder where that leaf stone is. (She and Piplup look around the corner and see the stone on the gyms side wall.) Dawn: Look, Piplup. I found the stone. Piplup: Piplup. (Cut to Chris looking behind the tree.) Chris: Ah, heres the sun stone. All right, next stop: town square. (Cut to everyone meeting at the town square.) Brock: Okay, did everyone get each one of the items? Others: We sure did. Brock: Well, then, lets put them in the basket and get going to the Pokemon center. (They all put the items in the basket.) Ash: All right, lets get to the Pokemon center and turn the items in. (They all walk to the Pokemon center.)

Everyone: Hey, Nurse Joy. Nurse Joy: Hey, everybody. Did you find all the items on the list? Ash: We sure did, Nurse Joy. (He presents the basket to Nurse Joy.) Nurse Joy: Oh, my, you all did a great job getting them. Everyone: Thank you. Nurse Joy: Youre welcome. Now, why dont you all go and wait for the other trainers to get back and Ill announce the winner. Dawn: Okay, well do that. (They all go to a lounge area and wait. A few minutes later.) Nurse Joy: All right, here are the winners of the item hunt. In third place, we have Giselle and Joe with a total of five items found and three left unfound. (Giselle and Joe give each other a high-five.) (Everyone gives a small applause.) Nurse Joy: In second place, we have Duplica, who had collected six out of eight items. Duplica: All right. (Everyone gives a small applause.) Nurse Joy: And our first place winners are Ash and his friends, who collected every single item on their list.

Everyone: Oh, yeah! Pikachu: Pika! Piplup: Piplup! (Everybody applause for Ash and the gang.) Ash: Wow, I cant believe we did it. Misty: Yeah, it was hard, but we all did it as a team. Chris: Yeah, and it was a lot of fun. Dawn: It sure was. Brock: You know it was a very good thing that we learned about prepositions and prepositional phrases. Nicky: It sure was a good thing. Because if we hadnt learned about them, then we wouldnt have been able to figure out the clues. (Everyone turn to the viewers.) Everyone: Thanks a lot, everybody. Pikachu: Pika. Piplup: Pip. (Cut to the gang standing outside the Pokemon center.)

Ash: Well, we had a good time. Did you have a good time? (He waits for an answer from the viewers.) Thats good. I liked that we did the item hunt. Nicky: I liked that we unscrambled the clues. Chris: I liked that we learned about prepositions and prepositional phrases. Misty: I liked that we got to find each of the items. Marty: I liked that we did the examples with Lex. Dawn: I liked that we finished the item hunt. Brock: I liked that we got all of the items. Olivia: I liked that we learned what prepositions and prepositional phrases do in a sentence. Everyone: Thanks again for the help, everybody. See you on the next adventure. (They all wave goodbye to the viewers and it irises out to black, ending the episode.)