SC Guide - Eliminating middlemen & warmups

[prepper]

This is from SC Guide 4th edition, page 37.
To find the subject in a sentence, it is recommended to generally eliminate prepositional phrases. Prepositional phrases are preposition with noun or verb. In the examples used I find the left over subject also to be a prepositional phrase.

Ex: Near Galway, the houses on the road to Spiddle is/are gorgeous.
By eliminating prepositional phrases it is shown that 'the houses' is the subject. However isnt 'the houses' also a prepositional phrase, and hence in danger of elimination? It made sense when I read it - but when applying the rule it was in danger of elimination.

Similarly in the following example on the same page, 'the executive' can also be eliminated.

How can I differentiate those phrases so as to no eliminate them?

[tim]

it sounds like you need to review what a preposition is. "the" is not a preposition..