HOW TO PARSE PREPOSITIONS
327. Since a preposition introduces a phrase and shows the relation
between two things, it is necessary, first of all, to find the object
of the preposition, and then to find what word the prepositional
phrase limits. Take this sentence:--
The rule adopted on board the ships on which I have met "the man
without a country" was, I think, transmitted from the
beginning.--E.E. HALE.
The phrases are
(1) _on board the ships_,
(2) _on which_,
(3) _without a country_,
(4) _from the beginning_.
The object of _on board_ is_ships_; of _on_, _which_; of _without_, _country_; of _from_,_beginning_.
In (1), the phrase answers the question _where_, and has the office of
an adverb in telling _where_ the rule is adopted; hence we say, _on
board_ shows the relation between _ships_ and the participle
_adopted_.
In (2), _on which_ modifies the verb _have met_ by telling where:
hence _on_ shows the relation between _which_ (standing for _ships_)
and the verb _have met_.
In (3), _without a country_ modifies _man_, telling what man, or the
verb _was_ understood: hence _without_ shows the relation between
_country_ and _man_, or _was_. And so on.
The parsing of prepositions means merely telling between what words
or word groups they show relation.
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