Prepositions
A preposition is a word that comes before a noun or pronoun, expressing a relation to another word or element in the clause. For example:

"the man on the platform"     or     "She arrived after dinner"

Other prepositions include:

Above, after, among, around, as, at, before, behind, below, beneath, beside, besides, between, by, despite, down, during, following, for, from, in, inside, into, near, of, off, on, onto, outside, over, past, round, since, than, through, to, toward, under, until, up, upon, with, within, without

Vocabulary:

Ritual (n) – an act that is performed for a specific purpose

Routine (n) – a sequence of actions regularly followed

Unique (adj.) - being the only one of its kind

Cleats (n) – sports shoes with spikes on the bottom

Visualize (v) - form a mental image of

Habit (n) - settled or regular practice

Superstition (n) – a belief in supernatural powers

Blame (v) – to make a person responsible for a fault or wrong

Prevent (verb) – to stop something from happening

Sequence (n) - a particular order in which related events

Preference (n) – to like something more than something else

Game Time!

            Athletes often have their own rituals and routines they will do before a game. From a young age, athletes will practice these routines. Every athlete has their own unique routine and they sometimes can be really odd. One routine that a former teammate of mine would go through is before every game he would hit is cleats against the ground three times and then rub the bottoms. Another teammate would take a nap all the way up to the time warm ups began. I too had a routine of my own. Toward the end of warm ups before a game, I would sit by myself, close my eyes, and visualize everything I needed to do during the game.

            Many athletes complete these routines because of habit, but other athletes believe that if they don’t then it will bring them bad luck during their game. This superstition causes many athletes to continue doing their routines every game. Despite their routines, athletes will still have bad games here and there. Athletes tend to blame a misstep in their routine as to why they may have under performed.

            Following games, athletes also complete routines to prevent injuries. Each athlete is different in how they decide to cool down after a game. Common routines include icing sore body parts, taking a shower, stretching, and eating. These routines are also different from athlete to athlete. Some athletes think it is better to take an ice bath, then shower, and finally stretch. Other athletes will sometimes do the complete reverse order of that routine. The sequence in how these routines are completed is based all on personal preference. Whenever I finish playing a game, I would always like to shower, then stretch, and finish by icing while I ate. No matter the routines prior to a game, during a game, or after a game, it is the goal of every athlete to stay healthy and win every game!

Vocabulary Activity:

Create your own original sentence for each of the vocabulary words above. You are allowed to use more than one vocabulary word in the same sentence. Underline the vocabulary words you use!

Build the Skill:

Using the prepositions you know and the ones listed above, label the following pictures using as many prepositions as you can. Also describe each picture in one sentence using at least one preposition.

**If you would like, you can create your own comic strip!**