Intermediate English Grammar for ESL Learners - Robin Torres-Gouzerh 2016
Noun and pronoun objects
19 Prepositions
The object of a prepositional phrase can be either a noun or a pronoun. In most cases, when a noun is replaced by a pronoun, the pronoun must be of the same number and gender as the noun.
Ms. Harper spoke of her son quite often.
Ms. Harper spoke of him quite often.
He sat on the old mare and looked out over the valley.
He sat on her and looked out over the valley.
In spite of the impending storm, they set off for the park.
In spite of it, they set off for the park.
She never received the gift from Tom and me.
She never received the gift from us.
He danced with the same two girls all evening.
He danced with them all evening.
However, if a prepositional phrase introduced by in indicates a location, a pronoun object sometimes cannot replace a noun object. Instead, it is more common to use an adverb, such as here or there. This is particularly true of cities and large regions.
She loved living in Washington, D.C.
She loved living there.
We haven’t been in this town for very long.
We haven’t been here for very long.
Compare the examples above with those below.
The woman sat comfortably in a comfy chair.
The woman sat comfortably in it.
Richard found 50 dollars in the little box.
Richard found 50 dollars in it.
Something similar occurs with the preposition of when it shows possession and, on occasion, with the preposition by. Although pronoun objects are quite acceptable following of and by, there is a tendency to use a possessive pronoun in place of the prepositional phrase.
The color of the blouse is bright red.
Its color is bright red.
The roar of the huge lion gave me chills.
Its roar gave me chills.
The quality of his poems and short stories was highly regarded.
Their quality was highly regarded.
The lecture by Professor Helms had an impact on us all.
His lecture had an impact on us all.
The raid on the house by the police was carried out in secret.
Their raid on the house was carried out in secret.
Although each of these sentences could have contained a prepositional phrase with a pronoun object, the tendency is to use a possessive pronoun instead of a prepositional phrase.
Exercise 19.3 Rewrite each sentence, changing the prepositional phrase to one with a pronoun object or to an appropriate adverb.
Example No students were allowed in the professors’ lounge.
No students were allowed there.
1. We spent a lot of time in Brooklyn.
2. They have been in Mexico for over three years.
3. In the drawer, I found my sister’s diary.
4. City Hall has been located in this part of town for years.
5. What are you hiding in those little sacks?
Now, rewrite each sentence, changing the prepositional phrase to the appropriate possessive pronoun.
Example I met the brother of the governor of the state.
I met his brother.
6. Do you really like the smell of cabbage soup?
7. The gowns of all three bridesmaids looked like flour sacks.
8. A symphony by an old Viennese composer was recently found.
9. They said the poems of Emily Dickinson are their favorites.
10. The political goals of America are slowly changing.