[Sidenote:  Definition.]

307.  A preposition is a word joined to a noun or its equivalent to make up a qualifying or an adverbial phrase, and to show the relation between its object and the word modified.

[Sidenote:  Objects, nouns and the following.]

308.  Besides nouns, prepositions may have as objects—­

(1) Pronouns:  “Upon them with the lance;” “With whom I traverse earth.”

(2) Adjectives:  “On high the winds lift up their voices.”

(3) Adverbs:  “If I live wholly from within;” “Had it not been for the sea from aft.”

(4) Phrases:  “Everything came to her from on high;” “From of old they had been zealous worshipers.”

(5) Infinitives:  “The queen now scarce spoke to him save to convey some necessary command for her service.”

(6) Gerunds:  “They shrink from inflicting what they threaten;” “He is not content with shining on great occasions.”

(7) Clauses: 

     “Each soldier eye shall brightly turn
     To where thy sky-born glories burn.”

[Sidenote:  Object usually objective case, if noun or pronoun.]

309.  The object of a preposition, if a noun or pronoun, is usually in the objective case.  In pronouns, this is shown by the form of the word, as in Sec. 308 (1).

[Sidenote:  Often possessive.]

In the double-possessive idiom, however, the object is in the possessive case after of; for example,—­

     There was also a book of Defoe’s,... and another of
     Mather’s.—­FRANKLIN.

See also numerous examples in Secs. 68 and 87.

[Sidenote:  Sometimes nominative.]

And the prepositions but and save are found with the nominative form of the pronoun following; as,—­

     Nobody knows but my mate and I
     Where our nest and our nestlings lie. 
     —­BRYANT.

USES OF PREPOSITIONS.

[Sidenote:  Inseparable.]

310.  Prepositions are used in three ways:—­

(1) Compounded with verbs, adverbs, or conjunctions; as, for example, with verbs, withdraw, understand, overlook, overtake, overflow, undergo, outstay, outnumber, overrun, overgrow, etc.; with adverbs, there_at_, there_in_, there_from_, there_by_, there_with_, etc.; with conjunctions, where_at_, where_in_, where_on_, where_through_, where_upon_, etc.

[Sidenote:  Separable.]