Detailed explanation
Abstract nouns often combine with conventional prepositions. These combinations are frequent in academic, professional and administrative English because they compress complex relationships into concise noun phrases: an increase in demand, access to records, evidence of bias, a response to criticism, responsibility for implementation.
The preposition usually identifies the semantic role of the complement. In an increase in prices, prices are the quantity that increased. In an increase of ten per cent, ten per cent gives the amount. In the reason for the delay, the delay is the situation requiring explanation. In the cause of the delay, the delay is the result produced by the cause. These distinctions are small but important.
Some nouns allow several prepositions with different meanings. A solution to a problem is the means of resolving it; a solution for rural areas is a solution intended for those areas. A relationship between variables presents both variables as linked entities; a relationship with a client describes one party’s connection to another. Demand for a service means that people want the service, while demands on staff are pressures placed upon them.
Nominal style can increase density, but it should not obscure agency. “The implementation of the policy by local authorities” is grammatical, yet “Local authorities implemented the policy” may be clearer. Use noun–preposition structures when they help organise information, refer to an established concept, or connect ideas across sentences.
To improve accuracy, learn the noun together with a typical phrase and compare nearby alternatives. Dictionaries often list the relevant preposition, but context determines which sense is active. When editing, identify the head noun and ask what role the following phrase plays: topic, cause, recipient, amount, object, source or responsibility.
How to form it
Use noun + preposition + noun phrase or -ing clause. Common patterns include reason for, increase in, increase of + amount, access to, evidence of, response to, responsibility for, solution to and demand for. Where several prepositions are possible, match the complement to the intended semantic role.