_The order of parsing a_ PREPOSITION, is--a preposition, and why?--what
does it connect?--what relation does it show?
"He saw an antelope _in_ the _wilderness."_
_In_ is a preposition, a word which serves to connect words, and show
the relation between them--it connects the words "antelope" and
"wilderness"--and shows the relation between them.
_Wilderness_ is a noun, the name of a place--com. the name of a sort or
species--neut. gend. it denotes a thing without sex--third pers. spoken
of--sing. num. it implies but one--and in the objective case, it is the
object of a _relation_ expressed by the preposition "in," and governed
by it, according to
RULE 31. _Prepositions govern the objective case_.
The genius of our language will not allow us to say, Stand before _he_;
Hand the paper to _they_. Prepositions _require_ the pronoun following
them to be in the objective form, position, or case; and this
requisition amounts to _government_. Hence we say, "Stand before _him_;"
"Hand the paper to _them_." Every preposition expresses a relation, and
every relation must have an _object_: consequently, every preposition
must be followed by a noun or pronoun in the objective case.