1. Paying attention to the meanings of the prepositions, fill in the
blanks with the most appropriate prepositions chosen from those given
in brackets. For example:
She made a speech _____ the future of the school. (about, around)
She made a speech about the future of the school.
D comes _______ C and E in the alphabet. (between, beyond)
D comes between C and E in the alphabet.
1. This train travels from London ______ Paris. (at, to)
2. We stood at the back ______ the theater. (of, on)
3. She went to Rome __________ France. (versus, via)
4. The store is open daily ________ Monday to Friday. (for, from)
5. I took my hat ________ the table. (of, off)
6. He looks ________ his brother. (despite, like)
7. The children ran ________ the school. (of, out of)
8. He opened the box ________ a screwdriver. (at, with)
9. I will work _________ five o'clock. (until, up)
10. We walked __________ the restaurant. (despite, past)
11. At three o'clock we reached the top _______ the hill. (of, off)
12. You have delivered all of the papers __________ this one. (between, but)
13. The bank is _________ the school. (opposite, out of)
14. __________ the danger, he decided to climb the mountain. (despite, except)
15. The treasure was hidden __________ the earth. (under, up to)
16. A comes __________ B in the alphabet. (before, behind)
17. I went to work ____________ my umbrella. (out of, without)
18. When it is heated, water changes _________ steam. (in, into)
19. Nocturnal animals usually sleep __________ the day. (during, underneath)
20. The squirrel ran _________ the wall. (along, among)
2. Paying attention to the uses of the prepositions among, at, beside, besides, between, for, in, on and since, fill in the blanks with the correct prepositions chosen from those given in brackets. For example:
They live __ 359 Southdale Avenue. (at, on)
They live at 359 Southdale Avenue.
The meeting will take place __ Tuesday. (at, on)
The meeting will take place on Tuesday.
We have been traveling ___ several days. (for, since)
We have been traveling for several days.
She has been working _____ six o'clock this morning. (for, since)
She has been working since six o'clock this morning.
1. He lives ______ 19 Tower Road. (at, on)
2. We will be gone ________ two days. (for, since)
3. Tom and his friend will divide the money ___________ themselves.
4. They will be returning ______ November. (in, on)
5. I have known him ________ three years. (for, since)
6. Many foods ____________ milk contain calcium. (beside, besides)
7. I will arrive ______ six o'clock. (at, in)
8. He has been gone __________ Friday. (for, since)
9. The store is located ______ North Street. (at, on)
10. She is leaving ______ five minutes. (at, in)
11. Bridget, Leslie and Sarah will discuss the matter _________ themselves. (among, between)
12. I have known her __________ last year. (for, since)
13. We expect them ______ Wednesday. (in, on)
14. The cat was sitting ___________ the stove. (beside, besides)
15. The play begins ______ seven thirty. (at, on)
16. We waited __________ fifteen minutes. (for, since)
17. Columbus crossed the Atlantic ______ 1492. (at, in)
18. There are many possibilities __________ the ones I have mentioned. (beside, besides)
19. She will call us ______ half an hour. (at, in)
20. His birthday is ______ the 8th of January. (in, on)
3. Fill in the blanks with the missing prepositions. For example:
She wants to leave __ once.
She wants to leave at once.
I brought the wrong book __ mistake.
I brought the wrong book by mistake.
1. Since the restaurant is usually crowded, it is advisable to make
reservations _________ advance.
2. Because we have no car, we go everywhere ________ foot.
3. I was __________ breath after running up the long flight of stairs.
4. We walked out of the room ________ tiptoe, so as not to disturb the sleeping baby.
5. Inside your passport, you should write the name of your next ______ kin.
6. We made out the report ________ triplicate.
7. Citrus fruits, _________ example oranges and lemons, require a long growing season.
8. The movie seemed to go on forever, but _______ last it was over.
9. She is so busy, she always seems to be _______ a hurry.
10. Many people believe birds are incapable of reasoning, but ______ fact, some birds are quite intelligent.
11. Since he is not very trustworthy, I advise you to take what he says ________ a pinch of salt.
12. I went to the library, but the book I wanted was out _______ loan.
13. To save money, we usually buy flour and rice _______ bulk.
14. Since he could offer us no proof, we had to take his story ______ trust.
15. She knows hundreds of poems _______ heart.
16. Since we cannot find a place to live, ________ the time being, we are staying at a cheap hotel.
17. Little _______ little, the clouds dispersed and the sun became brighter.
18. Because of its importance, we studied the report ______ detail.
19. All of the clothes sold in this store were made _______ hand.
20. At an intersection, pedestrians usually have the right _______ way.
4. For each underlined word or phrase, substitute an idiom containing the preposition indicated in brackets. For example:
She came punctually. (on)
She came on time.
His remarks were brief and relevant. (to)
His remarks were brief and to the point.
1. Incidentally, I heard that there is a sale at the bookstore. (by)
2. What do you do as a profession? (for)
3. The boy left his books at school deliberately. (on)
4. There is a great deal to be won or lost. (at)
5. Before long, the ship had cast off and was moving. (under)
6. The violin strings are not at the correct pitch. (out of)
7. Her paintings are being exhibited at the library. (on)
8. The university operates with a very small amount of money. (on)
9. Occasionally we have a picnic by the river. (in)
10. There are no job openings in the company now. (at)
11. We have a large variety of produce available. (on)
12. I want to speak to you not in front of other people. (in)
13. Under those circumstances, we should proceed cautiously. (at)
14. Gradually, we began to unravel the mystery. (by)
15. At the beginning, it was not obvious what to do. (at)
16. When looking back over past events, we can see that important changes have taken place. (in)
17. The two friends sat beside one another. (by)
18. I could see immediately that something was wrong. (at)
19. I see her occasionally. (from)
20. Does the store have any paint brushes available? (in)
5. Paying attention to the nouns which are usually followed by certain prepositions, fill in the blanks with the correct prepositions chosen from the pairs given in brackets. For example:
Do you have any objection ___ my plan? (on, to)
Do you have any objection to my plan?
She has a good attitude ______ her job. (of, toward)
She has a good attitude toward her job.
1. We played a joke ______ him. (of, on)
2. Who else has access ______ the computer files? (of, to)
3. I have no recollection ______ the event. (of, on)
4. Missing the bus is no excuse _______ being late. (for, of)
5. I have confidence _______ his ability. (for, in)
6. That is only one example ______ what I mean. (in, of)
7. Pay close attention _______ the traffic signals. (for, to)
8. She takes an active interest ______ community events. (in, of)
9. Do you have any proof ______ that? (of, to)
10. You should make allowances _______ their lack of experience. (for, on)
11. There is a lack _______ information on this subject. (for, of)
12. The report should shed some light _______ the situation. (for, on)
13. He has a talent _______ putting people at ease. (for, with)
14. I received no reply _____ my letter. (on, to)
15. We soon took command _______ the situation. (of, with)
16. They are constantly finding fault _______ other people. (of, with)
17. I have faith ______ their good intentions. (in, to)
18. She has a reputation _______ having the ability to deal with any
situation. (for, of)
19. People often make fun ______ what they do not understand. (of, to)
20. We will take a survey ______ the participants. (of, on)
6. Paying attention to the adjectives which are usually followed by
certain prepositions, fill in the blanks with the correct prepositions chosen from the pairs given in brackets. For example:
We were curious _____ what they were doing. (about, for)
We were curious about what they were doing. (about, for)
The design of most computers is based __ binary arithmetic. (for, on)
The design of most computers is based on binary arithmetic.
1. We are ready _______ anything. (for, to)
2. I was anxious ________ her. (about, to)
3. Photographic film is sensitive ______ light. (of, to)
4. Seals are adapted ______ life in the water. (at, to)
5. He is descended ________ Mary, Queen of Scots. (from, of)
6. Cotton is more resistant _______ fire than nylon is. (for, to)
7. After the show, the radio station was besieged ________ telephone
calls. (from, with)
8. She was praised _______ her achievements. (for, to)
9. The public library is accessible ________ everyone. (to, with)
10. Are you familiar ________ the procedures? (for, with)
11. They were overjoyed ______ the news. (at, to)
12. We are proud _______ our accomplishments. (for, of)
13. I was pleased ________ the results. (of, with)
14. Are you aware ________ the risks involved? (of, with)
15. Lack of exercise can be detrimental ______ one's health. (of, to)
16. We are satisfied ________ the arrangement. (for, with)
17. She is interested _______ animals. (for, in)
18. He is well qualified _______ the job. (for, to)
19. Young children are often suspicious ______ strangers. (of, to)
20. A knowledge of mathematics is essential ________ an engineer. (to, with)
7. Paying attention to the verbs which are usually followed by certain prepositions, fill in the blanks with the correct prepositions chosen from the pairs given in brackets. For example:
He likes listening __ music. (on, to)
He likes listening to music.
They cooperated ____ one another. (of, with)
They cooperated with one another.
1. Heat and light radiate ________ the sun. (from, of)
2. Where the event will be held depends ______ the weather. (of, on)
3. She loves to quote ________ Shakespeare's plays. (from, to)
4. You need to concentrate ________ what you are doing. (into, on)
5. The students protested __________ the high student fees. (against, from)
6. A balanced meal consists _______ vitamins, minerals, proteins and carbohydrates. (of, with)
7. Twenty people applied ________ the job. (for, with)
8. She likes to participate ________ extracurricular activities. (in, with)
9. He paid ________ the meal. (for, on)
10. We do not approve ________ that type of behavior. (of, in)
11. He subscribes ______ four magazines. (of, to)
12. The dog barked ______ the mailman. (at, to)
13. Please refrain ________ smoking. (from, to)
14. Do you concur ________ my conclusions? (for, with)
15. The problem stems ________ a lack of proper training. (for, from)
16. We apologized ________ our absence. (for, to)
17. He is engaged _______ starting a business. (in, on)
18. The two children stared ______ each other. (at, to)
19. They registered _______ the course. (for, of)
20. We rely ________ the city bus service. (on, with)
ANSWERS TO THE EXERCISES for Chapter 26|
Answers to Exercise 1:
1. to 2. of 3. via 4. from 5. off 6. like 7. out of 8. with
9. until 10. past 11. of 12. but 13. opposite 14. Despite 15. under 16. before 17. without 18. into 19. during 20. along
Answers to Exercise 2:
1. at 2. for 3. between 4. in 5. for 6. besides 7. at 8. since
9. on 10. in 11. among 12. since 13. on 14. beside 15. at 16. for
17. in 18. besides 19. in 20. on
Answers to Exercise 3:
1. in 2. on 3. out of 4. on 5. of 6. in 7. for 8. at 9. in
10. in 11. with 12. on 13. in 14. on 15. by 16. for 17. by 18. in
19. by 20. of
Answers to Exercise 4:
1. By the way, 2. for a living. 3. on purpose. 4. at stake.
5. under way. 6. out of tune. 7. on display 8. on a shoestring.
9. Once in a while 10. at the moment. or at present. 11. on hand.
12. in private. 13. At that rate, 14. Bit by bit or By degrees or Little by little, 15. At first 16. In retrospect, 17. side by side. 18. see at a glance. 19. from time to time. 20. in stock?
Answers to Exercise 5:
1. on 2. to 3. of 4. for 5. in 6. of 7. to 8. in 9. of 10. for
11. of 12. on 13. for 14. to 15. of 16. with 17. in 18. for 19. of
Answers to Exercise 6:
1. for 2. about 3. to 4. to 5. from 6. to 7. with 8. for 9. to
10. with 11. at 12. of 13. with 14. of 15. to 16. with 17. in 18. for
19. of 20. to
Answers to Exercise 7:
1. from 2. on 3. from 4. on 5. against 6. of 7. for 8. in
9. for 10. of 11. to 12. at 13. from 14. with 15. from 16. for
17. in 18. at 19. for 20. on