Words whose use much resembles that of like are near and its comparative and superlative forms, nearer, nearest and next; as, “Near the foot of the walls there are magnificent groves of live oaks and pines.”—Muir.
In this sentence we consider near an adverb, modified by a phrase introduced by to understood. Indeed, the preposition is very often expressed; for example, “It was next to impossible for a peasant or artisan or even a merchant to pass that line.”—Lord.
A construction similar to this is found in the sentence, “To be the supreme authority in anything is a satisfaction to self-love next door to the precious delusions of dementia.”—Holmes. Here next door takes the place of next. It should be treated as one adjective element modifying satisfaction and itself modified by the adverbial propositional phrase following it.
The Prepositional Phrase modified.—We sometimes find a prepositional phrase accompanied by an adverb or by a noun used adverbially, as a sort of measure; thus, “Before his father and mother died, they had built, some way from their palace, a very beautiful temple.”—Old Deccan Days. In this sentence the verb built is modified by the phrase some way from their palace, the base of this being the prepositional phrase from their palace; this phrase is modified by some way, a noun element used adverbially to answer the question how far from their palace?
In this sentence from John Lord,—“Why did no great scholars arise, even in the church?” the adverb even modifying the phrase in the church has a very important office. Its presence in the sentence entirely changes the meaning. Without even, the sentence would tell us that no great scholars arose in one place, the church; but with even the sentence tells us that no great scholars arose anywhere, and that it was very strange that they did not arise in the church, where we should naturally expect to find them.
Two prepositional phrases joined by and are often each modified by the adverb partly, or even by the pronoun what used adverbially. What may also modify one prepositional phrase; thus, “What with teaching others and studying closely myself, I had hardly a spare moment.”
The Preposition modified.—So many prepositions were originally adverbs or may be used as adverbs, that it is not strange to find them taking adverbial modifiers. Hence we frequently meet such a succession of words as ever since, just outside, right over; as, “A horticulturist of eminence wanted me to sow lines of strawberries and raspberries right over where I had put my potatoes in drills.”—Warner.
Position of the Preposition.—The word preposition, meaning placed before, implies that this part of speech precedes its object, but this it not always the case. It is not uncommon in poetry to find the phrase inverted; for example,
“Pleasant it was when woods were green,
And winds were soft and low,