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Error Spotting – Prepositions  

   A preposition is a word or set of words that indicate the place, time, method and manner, reason and purpose, possession and direction and motion or some other relationship between a Noun or Pronoun or Noun Phrase or Pronoun Phrase and also other parts of a sentence. 

       A preposition usually indicates the temporal, spatial or logical relationship of its object (Noun or Pronoun which is used with a Preposition) to the rest of the sentence. After, around, at, before, between, above, across, against, along, among, at, for, on, to, in, into, onto, by, with, of, etc. are some examples of prepositions. 

Practice Questions

Directions (Qs. 1 - 20): The given sentence has been divided up into four different parts a, b, c and d. Select the portion of the sentence which contains an error (spelling, grammatical or contextual). If there is no error, choose option ‘e’ (no error) as your answer.

1. He along with (a)/ his friends took (b)/ leave of (c)/ a month (d)/ No error (e)

Explanation: The preposition ‘for’ should be used in case taking leaves for a particular period of time. “Leave for a month” should be used in the sentence here. ‘Leave for a week’, ‘leave for two days’ etc. are some other examples. So, ‘for’ should be used in place of ‘of’. 

Ans: c

2. The old man was in (a)/ the bathroom when (b)/ the burglars entered into (c)/ his house (d)/ No error (e)

Explanation: The verb ‘enter’ can be followed by the preposition ‘into’. But the words ‘entered’ and ‘enter into’ are used in different contexts with differing meanings. In general terms, the word ‘entered’ without the preposition ‘into’ is used for entering physical spaces, locations or buildings. ‘into’ should be removed from the sentence.

Ans: c

3. Their English teacher (a)/ emphasized on (b)/ the use of (c)/ correct grammar (d)/ No error (e)

Explanation: Emphasize means ‘to give special importance or value to something (here, grammar)’. That means we already had the preposition ‘to’ in the sentence. So, there is no need of using the preposition ‘on’ in the sentence. Here, 'On' should be removed from the sentence.

Ans: b 

4. While Rishikesh was returning (a)/ from his office, (b)/ a stalker attacked on him (c)/ with a knife (d)/ No error (e)

Explanation: The word ‘attacked’ means act against someone or something aggressively in an attempt to injure or kill. The usage of the preposition ‘on’ after the word ‘attacked’ is not necessary in the sentence. So, ‘on’ should be removed from the sentence.

Ans: c

5. Without thinking (a)/ for a moment, (b)/ the girl entrusted him in (c)/ all the responsibilities (d)/ No error (e)

Explanation: Entrust is a verb that needs an object, so ‘entrust with’ or ‘entrust to’ are the possible chances. The word ‘entrust with’ means to assign the responsibility for doing something to someone. So, ‘entrusted him with’ is the correct usage here. Here, ‘entrusted him with’ should be used in place of ‘entrusted him in’.

Ans: c 

6. The decline of (a)/ his moral values (b)/ has caused a lot of (c)/ pain to his parents (d)/ No error (e)

Explanation: We use the word ‘decline in’ to denote a decrease in popularity/ value/ number. So, ‘in’ should be used in place of ‘of’.

Ans: a

7. My mother is (a)/ fond off (b)/ cooking different (c)/ types of cakes (d)/ No error (e)

Explanation: The phrase ‘fond of’ means having a liking for or love of someone or something (here, cooking different types of cakes). So, ‘fond of’ should be used in place of ‘fond off’.

Ans: b

8. There appears (a)/ to be very little (b)/ understanding among (c)/ the two friends (d)/ No error (e)

Explanation: ‘between’ is used to compare two nouns/ pronouns, whereas ‘among’ is used to compare more than two nouns/ pronouns. So, ‘between’ should be used in place of ‘among’.

Ans: c

9. Shankar tells (a)/ Sunder that his (b)/ father deals with (c)/ stationery (d)/ No error (e)

Explanation: The phrasal verb ‘deal in’ means ‘to trade’. Since Shankar’s father is running a stationery store, ‘deals in’ should be the correct usage here. ‘Deals in’ should be used in place of ‘deals with’. 

Ans: c

10. Harish cannot (a)/ deal from (b)/ those unruly (c)/ children (d)/ No error (e)

Explanation: The phrasal verb ‘deal with’ means ‘to handle’. Since Harish cannot handle those children, ‘deal with’ should be the correct usage here. ‘Deal with’ should be used in place of ‘Deal from’. 

Ans: b

11. Mr. Nani was (a)/ debarred to attend (b)/ the monsoon session (c)/ of the parliament (d)/ No error (e)

Explanation: The verb ‘debarred’ is followed by the preposition ‘from’, which is again followed by a ‘gerund’ (Here, attending). So, ‘debarred from attending’ should be used in place of ‘debarred to attend’. 

Ans: b

12. She should refrain to (a)/ associating herself with (b)/ any political party because people (c)/ have faith in her integrity (d)/ No error (e)

Explanation: The verb ‘refrain’ means ‘stop oneself’ (from doing something). So, the appropriate preposition used should be ‘from’. ‘Refrain from’ should be used in place of ‘Refrain to’.

Ans: a

13. If an aspirant (a)/ puts his heart to it, (b)/ he will be (c)/ a winner (d)/ No error (e)

Explanation: The idiom ‘put one's heart into’ means ‘to do (something) in a wholehearted way’. 'Puts his heart into it' should be used in place of ‘puts his heart to it’. 

Ans: b

14. He is (a)/ good in Maths (b)/ but his (c)/ friends aren't (d)/ No error (e) 

Explanation: If someone is skillful in doing something (here, maths subject), we use the phrase “good at”. So, ‘good at’ should be used in place of ‘good in’. 

Ans: b

15. He had a suspected (a)/ tumour, so he was (b)/ admitted to (c)/ the hospital (d)/ No error (e) 

Ans: e

16. He is accused with (a)/ committing the (b)/ murder of (c)/ his wife (d)/ No error (e)

Explanation: The preposition ‘of’ in the word ‘accused of’ specifies the reason why he was accused. So, ‘accused of’ is the correct usage.  ‘Of’ should be used in place of ‘with’. 

Ans: a

17. One should (a)/ always listen the (b)/ advice of one's (c)/ well- wishers (d)/ No error (e)

Explanation: The word ‘listen’ is followed by the preposition ‘to’, if we specify the direct object of the sentence (here, the advice of a well-wisher). Here, ‘to’ should be added after ‘listen’.

Ans: b

18. On the time (a)/ of the opening ceremony (b)/ of the shopping mall, (c)/ a large crowd had assembled (d)/ No error (e)

Explanation: In the sentence, we are talking about a particular point of time (the time of the opening ceremony). Therefore, ‘at’ should be the suitable preposition here. ‘At’ should be used in place of ‘on’. 

Ans: a

19. I (a)/ prefer coffee (b)/ than (c)/ tea (d)/ No error (e)

Explanation: We use the phrase ‘prefer to’ to say that we like one thing or activity more than another. So, 'to' should be used in place of 'than'.

 Ans: c

20. Nobody denies (a)/ that my (b)/ ideas are (c)/ different than yours (d)/ No error (e)

Explanation: When we compare two or more items (here, ideas of yours and mine), the word ‘different’ is usually followed by the preposition ‘from’. So, ‘different from’ should be used in place of ‘different than’.
Ans: d

Types of Prepositions 

Prepositions of time: The prepositions of time are useful to define a period of time. From, on, until, at, in, since, for, during, within, after, around, at, before, between etc. are some examples of prepositions of time.

Example sentences:

 He came here at 10 O’clock.

The shop will be open on Tuesday.

I slept for 5 hours.

What will you do during the summer vacation?

This factory has been running since 1985.

Call me after you get back home.

I will continue teaching until I find another job.

We can plan for it within a day.

Divide the candy between the two.

Distribute the sweets among the children.

Prepositions of place/ position: The prepositions of place/ position are used to describe the position of a person or thing in relation to another person or thing. At, behind, below, beneath, beside, between, beyond, by, down, in, inside, into, near, off, on, opposite, out, over, past, through, to, toward, under, underneath, around, above, across, against, along, among, amid, amidst, amongst etc. are some examples of prepositions of place/ position.

Example sentences:

 They are at home.

He lives in Mumbai.

The aeroplane is flying above the clouds.

She’s the best dancer amongst our friends.

There was a tough fight among the boys.

He was pale beneath the golden skin.

She hid herself behind the curtain.

A slow smile worked its way across his face and into his eyes.

Don't hide boxes or shoes underneath your bed.

Are you sure you want to go through with this?

He was sitting beside Suresh.

Raman is sitting amidst us.

Prepositions of direction/ movement: The prepositions of direction/ movement are defined as words that are accompanied in front of nouns and pronouns to indicate the direction which something moves. At, for, on, to, in, into, onto, between, towards, against, along, across etc. are some examples of the prepositions of direction/ movement.

Example sentences:

 I am going to the park.

We are heading towards airport.

They were walking along the street.

There is a ladder against the wall.

My mum got me onto this new diet.

The milk is above the soda in the refrigerator.

My friend lives across the street from me.

The ducks are eating along the river.

The girl was sitting among her friends.

They told stories around the campfire.

Meet me at the stop sign.

The employees parked behind the store.

I hung the poster below the mirror.

Prepositions of manner/ method: The prepositions of method/ manner are used to explain in what way something is done. By, on, in, like, with etc. are some examples of prepositions of manner/ method.

Example sentences:

He will die by the sword.

He faces danger with courage.

She left the room in tears.

She spoke as if she was the head of the team.

He acted like there was no other option.

They travelled on foot.

I have worked as a teacher and counsellor.

She came to the wedding party by train.

My brother opened the lock with a hairpin.

Posted Date : 07-01-2022

గమనిక : ప్రతిభ.ఈనాడు.నెట్‌లో కనిపించే వ్యాపార ప్రకటనలు వివిధ దేశాల్లోని వ్యాపారులు, సంస్థల నుంచి వస్తాయి. మరి కొన్ని ప్రకటనలు పాఠకుల అభిరుచి మేరకు కృత్రిమ మేధస్సు సాంకేతికత సాయంతో ప్రదర్శితమవుతుంటాయి. ఆ ప్రకటనల్లోని ఉత్పత్తులను లేదా సేవలను పాఠకులు స్వయంగా విచారించుకొని, జాగ్రత్తగా పరిశీలించి కొనుక్కోవాలి లేదా వినియోగించుకోవాలి. వాటి నాణ్యత లేదా లోపాలతో ఈనాడు యాజమాన్యానికి ఎలాంటి సంబంధం లేదు. ఈ విషయంలో ఉత్తర ప్రత్యుత్తరాలకు, ఈ-మెయిల్స్ కి, ఇంకా ఇతర రూపాల్లో సమాచార మార్పిడికి తావు లేదు. ఫిర్యాదులు స్వీకరించడం కుదరదు. పాఠకులు గమనించి, సహకరించాలని మనవి.

 

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