Directions: Match the underlined word in each of the following sentences with the correct parts of speech and indicate your response accordingly.Put the fork and knife in the cutlery box.

Question

Prepp Team · Accepted Answer

Understanding Parts of Speech: Analyzing the Word 'in'

Let's break down the sentence provided and determine the part of speech for the underlined word, 'in'.

The sentence is: "Put the fork and knife in the cutlery box."

The underlined word is 'in'. We need to identify its function within this specific sentence.

Analyzing the Function of 'in'

Consider what 'in' tells us in this sentence. It shows the relationship between where the fork and knife are being put and 'the cutlery box'. It indicates location or position – specifically, inside the cutlery box.

Let's look at the definitions of the parts of speech provided in the options:

Preposition: A word that connects a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase to some other word in the sentence, often showing a relationship of location, direction, time, or cause.
Verb: A word that describes an action, occurrence, or state of being.
Conjunction: A word used to connect clauses or sentences or to coordinate words in the same clause.
Determiner: A word (such as 'a', 'the', 'some', 'my') that comes before a noun and is used to show which thing or person is being talked about.

Evaluating the Options for 'in'

Based on our analysis:

'in' is not describing an action or state, so it is not a Verb.
'in' is not connecting words, phrases, or clauses like 'and' or 'but', so it is not a Conjunction.
'in' is not coming before a noun to specify it like 'the' or 'a', so it is not a Determiner.
'in' connects the verb 'Put' (or the implied location of the objects) to the noun phrase 'the cutlery box', showing the location. This fits the definition of a Preposition.

Therefore, in the sentence "Put the fork and knife in the cutlery box," the word 'in' functions as a preposition, indicating the position or location.

Conclusion: Identifying the Part of Speech

The word 'in' in the given sentence is a preposition because it shows the spatial relationship between the action (put) and the location (the cutlery box).

Revision Table: Parts of Speech

Part of Speech	Function	Examples
Noun	Names a person, place, thing, or idea	dog, city, book, happiness
Pronoun	Replaces a noun	he, she, it, they
Verb	Describes an action or state of being	run, is, feels
Adjective	Describes a noun or pronoun	happy, big, red
Adverb	Describes a verb, adjective, or other adverb	quickly, very, here
Preposition	Shows relationship (location, time, etc.) between a noun/pronoun and another word	in, on, at, to, from
Conjunction	Connects words, phrases, or clauses	and, but, or, because
Interjection	Expresses strong emotion	Oh!, Wow!

Additional Information: Understanding Prepositions

Prepositions are fundamental to showing relationships in sentences. They typically come before a noun or pronoun (called the object of the preposition) to form a prepositional phrase.

Examples of prepositional phrases:

in the box
on the table
at the party
to the store
from my friend

Prepositions can sometimes be tricky because the same word can function as a different part of speech depending on how it is used in a sentence. However, in the sentence "Put the fork and knife in the cutlery box," 'in' clearly functions as a preposition showing location.