Why We Start with Prepositions: The Secret to Strong Grammar Foundations

When most people think about teaching grammar, they assume you start with nouns or verbs. But at Blue Horizons Knowledge Academy, we begin in a different place — one that might surprise you: prepositions.

This is more than just a quirky choice. It’s a smart, research-supported strategy built into the Easy Grammar program — my favorite grammar curriculum and the one we use every day in our classrooms. And here's why it works so well.

🌟 What’s So Special About Prepositions?

Prepositions are the little words that show relationships: in, on, at, over, under, with, through, and so on. They introduce prepositional phrases, which often provide extra information in a sentence but are not part of the core structure.

By learning prepositions first, students gain a powerful tool for unlocking sentence structure. And once they master that skill, everything else in grammar becomes easier.

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The Top Benefits of Learning Prepositions First

✅ 1. It Clears the Sentence for Understanding

Prepositional phrases are like sentence “decorations.” They add detail but often distract students from the main idea. When students can quickly spot and set aside these phrases, they’re able to clearly identify the subject, verb, and key components of the sentence.

✅ 2. It Prevents Common Errors

One of the most frequent mistakes students make is thinking the object of a prepositional phrase is the subject of the sentence. (Example: “The group of students are…” — Is it group or students that’s the subject?) Learning prepositions first stops this confusion before it starts.

✅ 3. It Builds Pattern Recognition

Prepositions are predictable. Learning to recognize them helps students develop strong pattern awareness, which supports reading fluency, comprehension, and editing skills later on.

✅ 4. It Strengthens Writing

Understanding prepositions allows students to show relationships between ideas — of time, space, and cause. This gives them greater control and flexibility in their writing, from simple sentences to more sophisticated ones.

✅ 5. It Makes Advanced Grammar Easier

When students can mentally “eliminate” prepositional phrases from a sentence, they’re free to focus on the more important pieces: clauses, modifiers, verbals, and more. This gives them a huge head start when grammar becomes more complex.

✅ 6. It Builds Confidence Right Away

Let’s be honest — grammar can feel intimidating. But prepositions are short, concrete, and easy to master. Starting here gives students an early win. They begin grammar instruction feeling capable, not confused.

A Smarter Start Leads to Better Writers

Grammar is not just about passing tests — it’s about building the tools students need to become clear, confident communicators. When students understand how language works, they write with greater purpose, clarity, and creativity.

Unfortunately, in many public school settings, grammar is only taught sporadically — squeezed in between test prep or writing assignments that lack structure. At Blue Horizons Knowledge Academy, grammar is taught daily, with intention, clarity, and care. Because when grammar is taught well from the start, everything else — reading, writing, thinking — becomes stronger.

That’s why we start with prepositions.And that’s why Easy Grammar works.