- I was sure of its being he. [Not: it.]
- I heard of Allen’s being elected. [Not: Allen.]
CHAPTER VII
PREPOSITIONS
354. A preposition is a word placed before a substantive to show its relation to some other word in the sentence.
The substantive which follows a preposition is called its object and is in the objective case.
A phrase consisting of a preposition and its object, with or without other words, is called a prepositional phrase.
- On the floor lay a heap of nuts.
- He stood behind the tree for some time.
- From morning till night he remained at his post.
- The fire destroyed everything except a few articles of furniture.
A prepositional phrase may be either adjective or adverbial.
Thus, in the first example, of nuts is an adjective phrase modifying the noun heap, and on the floor is an adverbial phrase modifying the verb lay. In the second sentence, the verb stood is modified by two adverbial phrases, behind the tree and for some time.
355. The following list includes most of the prepositions: