Chapter 12 - Prepositions

Synopsis

The following bulleted statements review the use of prepositions.

Prepositions are words that connect nouns or pronouns to other words in

sentences. Examples: about, after, by, in, of, on, to.

Use objective-case pronouns as objects of prepositions. Example: Send the

message to him and her. Remember that like, between, but, and except may
function as prepositions.

Do not substitute should of or could of for should have or could have.

Do not substitute off for from. Example: He borrowed the book from (not off)
Lisa.

Use to to mean "in a direction toward" and too to mean "additionally," "also," or
"excessively." Example: The report was too long.

Generally, use among for three or more persons or things; use between for two
individuals. Example: Divide the money among (not between) the three heirs.

Use beside to mean "next to"; use besides to mean "in addition to." Example:
Besides paper we need printer cartridges.

Use except to mean "excluding" or "but"; use accept to mean "to receive."
Example: Everyone except (not accept) Jose was late.

Don't omit necessary prepositions. Example: She will graduate from college in
June. (Don't omit from.)

Careful writers avoid ending a sentence or clause with a preposition.

Every language has idioms. These are word combinations that are peculiar to
that language. Study the use of idiomatic prepositions in this chapter.

True or False

1. Prepositions are connecting words that show the relationship of an adverb or

adjective to other words in a sentence.

True
False

2. Some of the most common prepositions are at, for, by, and in.

True
False

3. Between, but, except, and like cause confusion because when these words function
as prepositions they are not always recognized as prepositions.

True
False

4. You may use the verb phrases could of and should of occasionally in your writing
because they sound the way people talk.

True
False

5. The preposition to (which means "in a direction toward") should never be substituted
for the adverb too (which means "additionally," "also," or "excessively").
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 True
False

6. The preposition like may be used to introduce a clause, as in it looks like it may rain
today.

True
False

7. The preposition accept means "excluding" or "but."

True
False

8. The prepositions among and between are interchangeable, as in divide the profits
among (or between) the three owners.

True
False

9. Careful writers avoid ending a clause or a sentence with a preposition, but a terminal
preposition is no longer considered a grave grammatical sin.

True
False

10. Only the English language has idioms (word combinations that are peculiar to it)
that must be memorized by those learning that language.

True
False

Multiple Choice

11. Which of the following sentences is incorrect?

Ron felt that he should have received a better grade.

Sherilyn said she could have studied better by herself.
Considering the length of the chapter, everyone should of expected a hard test.
The instructor could have made it a take-home exam.

12. Which of the following sentences is incorrect?

Government, too, must learn to live within its budget.

Although the two of us were tired, we had too much work to do to quit.
The budget deficit is to great for the legislature to consider tax cuts at this time.
If your payments are too high, you must ask to restructure the loan.

13. Which of the following sentences is incorrect?

Two sales representatives asked to demonstrate their products.

Some demonstrations have been to long to hold the audience's attention.
The president, too, agreed to attend the equipment demonstration.
If I had to give a reason, I would say that they spent too much time on these two
items: equipment specifications and trouble-shooting.

14. Which of the following sentences is incorrect?

Fax copies were sent to everyone except the manager and her.
No one except Rick and me knows the combination to the safe.

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 I can accept anyone you nominate except Tamara or him.
Everyone except Jason and I will be able to attend the conference.

15. Which of the following sentences is incorrect?

Just between you and I, who do you think will be transferred?

All employees except Shaundra and me worked overtime.
If I had to choose between Tim and her, I'd put my money on her.
Just between you and me, has anyone except the manager and him been
mentioned?

16. Which of the following sentences is incorrect?

Disciplinary action against employees like Ellen and her is rare.

Because too many customers are complaining, we plan to divide the staff in two.
All law enforcement officers except Reed and him will be reassigned.
Officers like John and she are to be commended on their exceptional service.

17. Which of the following sentences is incorrect?

You, too, might be able to borrow the book from Angela.

I tried to borrow a book off of her a month ago.
She said that she was only too happy to help friends like you and me.
It seems that everyone except you and me already owns that book.

18. Which of the following sentences is incorrect?

Have you asked anyone besides Dr. Harris to contribute?

A person seated beside me continually got up to go to the lobby.
The car parked beside mine was too close for me to open my door.
How many regular blood donors do we have beside Mrs. Anderson?

19. Which of the following sentences is incorrect?

For your demonstration we are having your computer moved in the conference
room.
Our printer has already been moved into the conference room.
The fire engine roared into the intersection just as the light changed.
Rena stuck her head in to ask a quick question before lunch.

20. Which of the following sentences is incorrect?

I couldn't help laughing when the boxes tumbled out of the storage closet.
Too many boxes were moved into that storage room last winter.
When Eric opened the door, everyone couldn't help from laughing.
Some of those items should be moved into the two rooms beside the elevator.

21. Which of the following sentences is incorrect?

After graduating from college last June, Perry began a vigorous job search.
Dawn graduated college three years ago.
Besides graduating from college, Ann served in the military.
Too often, graduates spoil their job interviews with sloppy speech.

22. Which of the following sentences is correct? (Switch gears here! Look for a correct
sentence!)

Please write up Rick's performance evaluation today.

Where is the committee meeting scheduled at?
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 Where is the committee meeting scheduled?
Gina asked that her name be taken off of the list.

23. Which of the following sentences is correct?

The enrollment period is now over with.

Where will the president and manager meet at?
Please send my assistant in my office immediately.
Please leave the packages inside the door at the main office.

24. Which of the following sentences is correct?

After three years, Nicole felt like she should be promoted.

The mayor acts like nothing else can be done to save the park.
Several members of the council act as if they are willing to work to save the
park.
Mayor Smith campaigned like he would try to preserve our parks.

25. Which of the following sentences is correct?

The consultant waited to long to submit his proposal.

You must eat something beside popcorn if you wish to stay healthy.
Do you know where Tim's favorite pizza parlor is at?
It looks as if it will rain tonight.

26. Which of the following sentences contains an expression that is not used
idiomatically?

I am very angry at David for forgetting our date.

I am also angry at this terrible traffic jam.
The judge inferred from the witness's statement that no crime had occurred.
This antivirus program is quite different from the previous program.

27. Which of the following sentences contains an expression that is not used
idiomatically?

The candidate was not very effective when he talked to large audiences.
He was more persuasive when he talked with individuals.
Please talk with your dog about not jumping on visitors.
Our manager talked with each employee privately about his or her performance
review.

28. Which of the following sentences contains an expression that is not used
idiomatically?

This class is totally different than what I expected!

If the camera is different from what the advertisement suggested, you should
return it.
My political opinions are radically different from his.
Although I differ with you on some matters, we agree on major items.

29. Which of the following sentences contains an expression that is not used
idiomatically?

We've been standing in line for over 30 minutes.

Visitors to Disneyland complained about standing on line for popular rides.
Some benefits will be retroactive to January 1.
Output from our new inexpensive printers is similar to output from our more
expensive printers.
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 30. Which of the following sentences contains an expression that is not used
idiomatically?

Applicants who are negligent of their appearance risk being overlooked.

Dr. Ito was an expert in negotiating trade agreements in China.
Do the symbols on the package correspond with those in our manual?
We now correspond with our overseas office by fax or e-mail.

Score Report Clear

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