on in at of their families if they wish. 2 (Preposition) - Answer Key.pdf · Preposition (Answer...

Preposition (Answer Key)

A preposition tells us about the relation between the noun it precedes and the noun, verb, adjective,

or adverb it follows:

The impact (noun) on the public was serious.

Jeff lives (verb) in London.

Louise is good (adjective) at English.

The elderly can now live independently (adverb) of their families if they wish.

Section 1: Common errors involving simple prepositions

Let’s begin by looking at some simple prepositions. These are single words e.g. about, at, by, from, in,

of, on, under, up, to, with etc.

In some languages the same word is used for ‘at’, ‘in’ and ‘on’, making it difficult to distinguish how

to use these in English.


Common errors: at, in and on

1. Wrong preposition (in and on):

I saw the news in the television. ×

I saw the news on the television.

Other examples:

The meeting is on progress. ×

The meeting is in progress.

The bus is exactly in time. ×

The bus is exactly on time.

In is mostly used to refer to location within a place, but it may also be used to describe states e.g. in

doubt, in ruins, in question, in love, in pain, in progress.

2. Wrong preposition (in and at):

There’s a party on Saturday in Peter’s house. ×

There’s a party on Saturday at Peter’s house.

Other examples:

There’s a good movie now showing in the cinema. ×

There’s a good movie now showing at the cinema.

She is good in English. ×

She is good at English.

At is mostly used with reference to points in time and space but it is also used in the pattern

adjective + at (e.g. good at above):


3. Wrong preposition (at and on):

My birthday is at April 1. ×

My birthday is on April 1.

Other examples:

Meet me on the entrance. ×

Meet me at the entrance.

Meet me at Platform 5. ×

Meet me on Platform 5.

On is mostly used with reference to location involving touching a surface, but it is also used to

describe processes e.g. on display, on fire, on sale, on duty, on leave.

Attempt both levels of exercises but check the answers to the Level 1 exercise before going on to the

Level 2 exercise.

Section 1: Level 1 Exercise

Write at, in or on in the gap.

1. The company is in financial trouble.

2. There’s a big news story on television today.

3. There was an accident this morning in the city centre.

4. Are you interested in that programme?

5. Yesterday I was still working at midnight.

6. I’ll see you on Saturday.

7. This book is in bad condition.

8. She spent all of yesterday at home.

9. He’s very happy; perhaps he’s in love.

10. Peter’s late but he is on the way here now.



Write at, in or on in the gaps.

1. Peter’s job is in doubt following his poor performance at the conference.

2. Maria and David are on the way to the office in Church Street.

3. Let’s meet at my place and then go to the talk on investment opportunities.

4. Mark’s career at ABC Investment is in ruins following the investigation.

5. Mark’s career in the investment industry is now at an end.

6. The final decision in the case is now on hold, following the discovery of new evidence.

7. At last, we can arrive at a final decision.

8. You need to upgrade your qualifications in first aid at least twice a year.

9. At the beginning of his illness he was in considerable pain.

10. On several occasions we were involved in legal proceedings.


Common errors: of, for and from

1. Omission of for:

Peter apologized his brother's behaviour. ×

The pattern verb + for + noun should be used.

Peter apologized for his brother's behaviour.

Correct examples:

She can't account for the missing money.

You should prepare for the worst.

Pay for everything before you leave.

But note the adjective + for + noun pattern below:

He is responsible for health and safety.

2. Omission of of

Mary is thinking going shopping. ×

Mary is thinking of going shopping.

Correct examples:

Peter’s brother is ashamed of his behavior.

Peter is tired of his excuses.

Air consists of several gases.

Air is comprised of several gases.


3. Omission of from

The facts of the case emerged a detailed investigation. ×

The facts of the case emerged from a detailed investigation.

Correct examples:

His story differs from yours.

He is suffering/recovering from flu.

He can learn a lot from you.

Please refrain/abstain from smoking.

Common errors: other simple prepositions

1. Using on after the verbs stress and emphasize:

He stressed/ emphasized on the need for hard work. ×

He stressed/ emphasized the need for hard work.

Note that the following noun-based expressions are correct:

He placed stress on the need for hard work.

He put emphasis on the need for hard work.

2. Using about after the verb discuss:

We discussed about the assignment. ×

We discussed the assignment.

Note that the following noun-based expression is correct:

He talked about the need for hard work.


3. Confusing by and with:

He killed the snake by a stone. ×

With tells us about the instrument used to do something:

He killed the snake with a stone.

By tells us about the action or agent involved:

He killed the snake by hitting it with a stone. (action)

The snake was killed by Tony. (agent)

Common errors: of, for and from

1. Omission of for:

Peter apologized his brother's behaviour. ×

The pattern verb + for + noun should be used.

Peter apologized for his brother's behaviour.

Correct examples:

She can't account for the missing money.

You should prepare for the worst.

Pay for everything before you leave.

But note the adjective + for + noun pattern below:

He is responsible for health and safety.


2. Omission of of

Mary is thinking going shopping. ×

Mary is thinking of going shopping.

Correct examples:

Peter’s brother is ashamed of his behavior.

Peter is tired of his excuses.

Air consists of several gases.

Air is comprised of several gases.

3. Omission of from

The facts of the case emerged a detailed investigation. ×

The facts of the case emerged from a detailed investigation.

Correct examples:

His story differs from yours.

He is suffering/recovering from flu.

He can learn a lot from you.

Please refrain/abstain from smoking.


Common errors: other simple prepositions

1. Using on after the verbs stress and emphasize:

He stressed/ emphasized on the need for hard work. ×

He stressed/ emphasized the need for hard work.

Note that the following noun-based expressions are correct:

He placed stress on the need for hard work.

He put emphasis on the need for hard work.

2. Using about after the verb discuss:

We discussed about the assignment. ×

We discussed the assignment.

Note that the following noun-based expression is correct:

He talked about the need for hard work.

3. Confusing by and with:

He killed the snake by a stone. ×

With tells us about the instrument used to do something:

He killed the snake with a stone.

By tells us about the action or agent involved:

He killed the snake by hitting it with a stone. (action)

The snake was killed by Tony. (agent)


Section 2: Common errors involving simple prepositions + verb…ing

We now turn our attention to simple prepositions used in a special pattern: adjective + preposition + verb…ing e.g. He is tired of working long hours.

1. Omission of of:

She is scared/frightened being alone at night. ×

She is scared/frightened of being alone at night.

Correct examples:

The banker was guilty of stealing money.

He is capable of winning a medal.

She is fond of having picnics.

She is afraid of speaking in public.

2. Omission of about:

She is anxious making the presentation. ×

Correct examples:

He was concerned about being late.

The teacher was excited about visiting Africa.

He was happy about his promotion.

But note:

He was sorry for being so late.

He was satisfied with his promotion.


3. Omission of to:

The organization is dedicated ending poverty. ×

Correct examples:

She is committed to improving her English.

The money will be devoted to protecting the environment.

He is addicted to watching TV.

4. Omission of from:

Omission of from in this pattern is common and acceptable.

Correct examples:

I stopped Mark causing trouble.

Mark prevented me doing my job.

But note that in passives the preposition must be used:

Mark was stopped from causing trouble.

I was prevented by Mark from doing my job.


Fill each gap with a suitable simple preposition.

1. He accused me of cheating in the exam.

2. The teacher banned the students from attending class.

3. I suspect Peter of telling lies.

4. She is interested in studying for a degree.

5. He participated effectively in the group discussion.


6. She is capable of passing the exam.

7. The student was sorry for arriving late.

8. Mark is guilty of taking money from the client's account.

9. The teachers here are all dedicated to their classes.

10. Mary was nervous of speaking at the conference.


Fill each gap with a suitable simple preposition.

1. He is capable of doing well in the debate but is very nervous about participating in it.

2. She was involved in lending the money so is committed to getting it back.

3. He is devoted to working hard for his family and is afraid of losing his job.

4. Peter is concerned about losing the race and is now sorry for not training harder.

5. Mark was thinking of leaving early but his manager wanted to talk about the new contract.

6. The report was written by Peter, with some help from Mark.

7. The Chair asked committee members to account for Mary’s absence form the meeting.

8. After recovering from serious illness, people often live in fear of future health problems.

9. Students need to prepare for the course carefully as it consists of several parts.

10. Mary was not happy about being prevented from applying for promotion.


Section 3: Common errors involving complex prepositions

Having considered simple prepositions, let’s move on finally to complex prepositions. There are

three kinds: the compound, the derived and the phrasal.

Common errors: compound prepositions

Most compound prepositions consist of two separate words:

as against, as for, apart from, because of, compared to/with, contrary to, due to, independently

of, instead of, rather than, regardless of, out of, owing to etc.

Others are single-word combinations, mostly of simple prepositions:

despite, into, upon, within etc.

1. Confusing because (a conjunction) and because of:

He missed the meeting because of he was ill. ×

He missed the meeting because of his illness.

2. Using despite as a conjunction:

Despite he is old, he is actually quite fit. ×

Despite being old/his age, he is actually quite fit.

3. Confusing owing to and due to:

Their failure was owing to inadequate preparation. ×

Their failure was due to inadequate preparation.

The prepositions share the same meaning, but owing to should not be used after the verb be.


4. Confusing instead of and rather than

Let’s eat out instead of stay at home. ×

Let’s eat out rather than stay at home.

The prepositions share the same meaning , but instead of should not be followed by a bare verb.

If followed by a gerund, these prepositions have exactly the same meaning:

Instead of/Rather than staying at home, let’s eat out.

5. Confusing contrary to and regardless of

Regardless of popular belief, not all politicians are untrustworthy. ×

Contrary to popular belief, not all politicians are untrustworthy.

Contrary to means going against something, while regardless of means ignoring something.


Common errors: derived prepositions

This is a very small group of prepositions whose form is derived from the present participle

verb…ing, and which are mostly used in writing:

according to, depending on, concerning, regarding, relating to,.

1. Confusing concerning and regarding/with regard to:

Concerning your request, I attach the document you asked for. ×

Regarding/With regard to your request, I attach the document you asked for.

It is better not to use concerning at the beginning of a sentence to introduce a topic. Instead, use

it as a more formal substitute for about:

A number of questions have been raised concerning the dangers of the new vaccine.

Alternatively, you can use relating to:

A number of questions have been raised relating to the dangers of the new vaccine.

2. Unnecessary subject + verb after according to:

According to my calculations, they show the company will make a profit this year. ×

According to my calculations, the company will make a profit this year.

This is also common in academic references:

According to Brown (2014, p.3), he suggests that English is not easy to learn. ×

According to Brown (2014, p.3), English is not easy to learn.


Common errors: phrasal prepositions

These prepositions consist of simple preposition + abstract noun + simple preposition, and are

mostly used in writing:

as opposed to, by means of, in accordance with, in addition to, in comparison to/with, in

opposition to, in relation to, in spite of, in terms of, with regard to etc.

1. Using in spite of as a conjunction:

In spite of he is old, he is actually quite fit. ×

In spite of being old/his age, he is actually quite fit.

In spite of and despite have exactly the same meaning.

2. Confusing in terms of and with regard to

In terms of your application, please send us a recent photo. ×

With regard to your application, please send us a recent photo.

With regard to introduces a topic, while in terms of specifies an aspect of a topic:

Russia is the biggest country in the world in terms of land mass.

I prefer to measure success in terms of happiness rather than financial gain.



Fill each gap with a suitable simple, compound, derived or phrasal preposition.

1. The error in the bill was due a computer problem.

2. Despite / In spite of it being Saturday, Mary went to the office.

3. We will be able to buy a house this year, according to my bank manager.

4. Some queries have been raised regarding / with regard to / concerning the

implementation of the new policy.

5. The answer to the question changes depending on who you ask.

6. Apart from a few small debts, he has very few problems.

7. Regardless of the cost, we’ll eat at an expensive restaurant.

8. According to most experts, we need brief but regular exercise to stay fit.

9. Instead of / Rather than staying at home he decided to go out.

10. Tonight I think I’d like to see a movie rather than go dancing.



Fill each gap with a suitable simple, compound, derived or phrasal preposition.

1. Rather than put up prices, the company decided to save money by reducing staff costs.

2. In terms of size of population, China is the world’s largest country, according to

statistics.

3. Contrary to rumour, I am not seeking promotion, and this is due to urgent family

matters.

4. Regarding / With regard to your enquiry, I have attached some useful information in

terms of the company.

5. Rather than / Instead of material progress, a country’s success should be measured in

terms of its citizens’ happiness.

6. Despite / In spite of its importance, exercise is only one part of a weight-loss plan,

according to recent research.

7. Apart from moral considerations, are we acting in according to the law by bringing in

new regulations?

8. Rather than go to university I’d prefer to get a job for the practical experience involved.

9. Apart from its cost, questions have also been raised about / regarding with regard to

the effectiveness of the new medicine.

10. According to White (2014, p.5), despite / in spite of the stable bird population, large

mammals are dying out quickly.


Answer key


1. in

2. on

3. in

4. in

5. at

6. on

7. in

8. at

9. in

10. on


1. in/at

2. on/in

3. at/on

4. at/in

5. in/at

6. in/on

7. at/at

8. in/at

9. at/in

10. on/in



1. of

2. from

3. of

4. in

5. in

6. of

7. for

8. of

9. To

10. of


1. of/about

2. in/to

3. to/of

4. about/for

5. of/about

6. by/with

7. for/from

8. from/of

9. for/of

10. about/from



1. due

2. despite/in spite of

3. according to

4. regarding/with regard to/concerning

5. depending on

6. apart from

7. regardless of

8. according to

9. instead of/rather than

10. rather than


1. rather than/by

2. in terms of /according to

3. contrary to/due to

4. regarding/with regard to + relating to/about

5. rather than/instead of + in terms of

6. despite/in spite of + according to

7. apart from/in accordance with

8. rather than/for

9. apart from + about/regarding/with regard to

10. according to + despite/in spite of

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