PREPOSITIONS

1.
1. The factory owner is not in the habit of fraternising his workers.
2. All the animals in the forest fled the fire.
3. If you have a grievance the company, please lodge a formal written complaint.
4. My car is guaranteed rust for eight years.
5. The teacher told me to stop fidgeting and to sit still and concentrate.
6. I was furious my sister her always borrowing my clothes without my
permission.
7. His glee the news of his success was a joy to see.
8. You mustn’t grieve one trivial mistake.
9. He has a fixation becoming the best doctor in the world.
10. She does nothing but fret her being overweight yet never tries to diet.
11. His fidelity
the firm has won him great respect.
12. He is always
his meteoric rise as an actor.
gloating
13. He is certainly good maths, if not much else.
14. Her sales methods have been criticised as being odds with company policy.
15. I found the ring in the street purely luck.
16. I didn’t go to see him fear of catching his cold.
17. That house has been up sale for two years.
18. Come to the party, all means.
19. We regard this atrocity as an offence humanity.
20. all, I spent £500 on holiday.

2.
1. Surgeons operated her last night; her condition is said to be satisfactory.
2. The teacher was deaf Nick’s explanation of why he hadn’t done his homework.
3. It was so cold in the tent that the children had to huddle up to keep warm.
4. She haggled the shopkeeper over the price of the souvenir.
5. We still haven’t heard the insurance company about our claim.
6. Commuters found themselves faced a lengthy public transport strike.
7. I’ve received an invitation the annual nurses’ conference in Glasgow.
8. Mr Smith is becoming increasingly impatient this class as they never pay attention.
9. I’m indebted my husband for his support in my new business venture.
10. The computer in the reception is inferior the one in my office.
11. He says he’s feeling a bit colour today.
12. I’m afraid regard to your request, m a rot there’s nothing I can do about it.
13. She wasn’t allowed in the cinema because she was age.
14. The castaways were stranded an island for nearly a week.
15. He is a solicitor profession.
16. This coat was a sale when I bought it so it was very cheap.
17. He is arrears with his loan repayments.
18. I will lend you the money condition that you pay it back within the month.
19. Strawberries are only season in May and June.
20. He is an expert name only; he actually knows very little about the subject.

3.
1. Terry McWoddle has been named the new chairman of the football club.
2. Several flights were delayed and so the departure lounge was jam-packed angry
travellers.
3. The harassed mother juggled four bags of shopping, a pushchair and a dog in the middle
of the busy high street.
4. Many vegetarians argue that there is no justification eating meat in this day and age.
5. I’ve been asked to key this information the computer immediately.
6. The businessman insisted that he had no knowledge the missing currency.
7. When I was abroad I longed a traditional English Sunday lunch.
8. My husband’s always lazing while I’m always busy.
9. The donkey climbed the steep track laden bags of oranges.
10. Sarah is jealous her sister because she is much more popular.
11. She is looking for a new job, but hasn’t found anything yet.
12. No one is kinder children than he is.
13. I think we should limit this discussion the facts.
14. My uncle lectures the History of Art at the university.
15. You mustn’t judge people the way they dress.
16. Their new baby is being named his father.
17. The man kept his child his side throughout the journey.
18. He’s not very clever academically but he’s good D.I.Y.
19. Margot prefers not to buy goods credit.
20. He went to the meeting disguise so as not to be recognised.

4.
1. I muddled the jigsaw pieces and the children did the puzzle again.
2. I waved at a complete stranger in the street whom I mistook my cousin.
3. Nobody likes Rick because he’s so mean money.
4. I asked the assistant which make hi-fi he recommended.
5. All the evidence militated a conclusion in our favour.
6. I was born in Britain but was naturalised Italy.
7. I’ve been asked to notify the personnel my new address.
department
8. The doctor is not noted his tact when it comes to dealing with patients.
9. The swimming pool attendant was negligent his duties and the little girl almost drowned.
10. There were a lot of problems at the beginning of the school year, but the end everything
was all right.
11. He was so surprised by the news that he was a loss for words.
12. Our teacher was a bad mood today; he shouted everyone.
13. Try to get the photograph focus this time.
14. They were the trail of the Yeti when the blizzard started.
15. answer to your question, the meeting will take place next Tuesday.
16. Railway engineers joined three additional carriages the train to accommodate the extra
passengers.
17. Classes have increased size since falling levels of government funding have reduced the
number of teachers in the school.
18. He joined when he was seventeen and he’s been in the army ever since.
19. Impatient her arrival, he kept running to the window every time a car passed.
20. The organisers tried to get everyone to join the games.

5.
1. They spent the summer a cruise travelling round the world.
2. We are favour of abolishing experiments on live animals.
3. When they got home, their house was fire.
4. her boss’s request, she has worked overtime nearly every day this month.
5. They estimated the candidates’ popularity means of opinion polls.
6. a guess, I’d say he weighs about 70 kilos.
7. Very short skirts worn with thick woollen tights are vogue at the moment.
8. She was brought up a farm so she is used to living in the countryside.
9. Paul has been leave from work for the past month.
10.10.
second thoughts, I don’t think I want to go to the concert.
11. Being new
the neighbourhood, they were unable to find where the greengrocer’s was.
12. That’s typical Peter to refuse to help!
13. I’m having trouble my car; it keeps stalling.
14. Jenny is terrified flying.
15. Our neighbours are very tolerant the noise we make.
16. My father is fascinated with cars. In fact, he’s in the garage tinkering the old Ford right
now.
17. Tuck your shirt your trousers!
18. The river was teeming trout.
19. She is so thirsty success that she would do anything.
20. He triumphed his competitors by flooding the market place with advertising.

6.
1. Mary was impatient the Christmas holidays to arrive.
2. Their school building is repair, so they are having lessons in the old library.
3. She was
the point of leaving when the phone rang.
4. People were
random to try the new product.
chosen
5. answer to your question, the meeting will take place next Tuesday.
6. Don’t be so impatient Sue. She’s only 10 and doesn’t understand things quickly.
7. no account must you open your book during the test.
8. Gill wasn’t her usual cheerful self today. She was the weather.
9. the whole, I think your work is quite satisfactory.
10. As there was little time left, he outlined his plans brief.
11. Jam oozed the doughnut when she bit into it.
12. He is proud his new sports car.
13. The driver was oblivious the red light and went straight through it.
14. The schoolchildren were overburdened homework.
15. My mother has an obsession cleanliness and is forever doing the housework.
16. The surgeon operated the woman with the fractured hip.
17. My brother is so mean that he hates to part a single penny!
18. The villagers left their homes in the valley and moved to higher grounds as a precaution
flooding.
19. The shop sent me the cooker approval as I wasn’t sure it was the model I wanted.
20. He has a proclivity being dishonest in business.

7.
1. We had to queue before we could get into the cinema last night.
2. Heavy rain resulted widespread flooding.
3. I was reminded my childhood when I heard that nursery rhyme.
4. Green vegetables are rich vitamins and minerals.
5. She is quick
doing mental arithmetic.
6. Queen Victoria
Britain and Ireland for more than sixty years.
reigned
7. The sight of the snake made him recoil horror.
8. His style of writing is reminiscent Thomas Hardy’s.
9. There has been a sharp rise unemployment this year.
10. Please keep touch after you’ve gone back to America.
11. As she didn’t have a lot of cash, she bought the fridge credit.
12. They live the outskirts of a large industrial town.
13. average, English students study at university for three years.
14. Mike is not really tune with the rest of the group.
15. The writer is very much favour with the public at the moment.
16. What is the agenda for today’s meeting?
17. the one hand, he’s a dependable worker, but he is also very slow.
18. Are you the mood for a walk on the beach?
19. Jackie is hopeless mathematics.
20. Mrs Heath pleaded her husband not to resign from his job.

8.
1. He has an excellent lawyer acting him and is bound to win the case.
2. The board of directors is meeting today to appoint a replacement the retiring chairman.
3. He was very solicitous our comfort and made every effort to ensure we had a pleasant
journey.
4. We’d better go out for dinner; the food we have in the house isn’t sufficient the six of us.
5. When the dam broke, a surge water rushed down the mountain.
6. As soon as they met Joe and Elizabeth were smitten each other.
7. I can’t pay the electricity bill next week as money is short right now.
8. The manager was sympathetic their request for a non-smoking area.
9. Her colleagues intend to support her her fight against discrimination in the workplace.
10. They’re bringing out a sequel this television series next summer.
11. I acted impulse and bought my wife a large bunch of flowers.
12. He’s not only a comedian, but also an expert ventriloquism.
13. We agreed his plan and started making preparations immediately.
14. None of us could agree what to buy our teacher as a present.
15. Sam’s views are often so outrageous that people rarely agree him.
16. The secretary’s argument her boss led to her being fired.
17. There are strong arguments banning the use of aerosol sprays.
18. On our honeymoon we argued everything, from the food to the weather!
19. The explorer arrived the conclusion that he was the first person to reach the ancient site.
20. You must show your passport as soon as you arrive a new country.

9.
1. Don’t tell me you like his taste clothes! He looks terrible!
2. Working flexitime has many advantages regular working hours.
3. This summer, admission most cinemas is double what it was last year.
4. The customer was very angry the assistant’s casual attitude towards him.
5. Young children are awkward dancing as they can’t co-ordinate their movements well.
6. Her admission guilt shocked everyone; no one thought she was capable of fraud.
7. My husband is so awkward a needle and thread that I have to sew on all his shirt buttons
myself.
8. I was very angry being woken up in the middle of the night by an alarm bell.
9. My new computer has the advantage being more compact than my old one.
10. The government was anxious the influx of refugees into the country.
11. Our visa is valid one year and will subsequently need renewing.
12. She felt very uneasy leaving the baby with Miriam for the evening.
13. After suffering a major illness, he was very vulnerable minor ailments such as colds.
14. He didn’t just express his aversion cloning but also argued it in a very
persuasive way.
15. I can vouch Sandra’s integrity, so I recommend we include her in our discussions.
16. The boys ran down to the garden and vaulted the fence at the bottom.
17. Clara is unswerving her determination to become a lawyer.
18. While running to answer the telephone, I tripped my brother’s briefcase.
19. She’s patient children and so is a very good teacher.
20. The food at that restaurant was labelled “unfit human consumption” by the environmental
health officer.

10.
1. I’m very wary riding that horse; it’s been known to shy at traffic.
2. The schoolboy winced the sight of the cane in the headmaster’s hand.
3. She yearns a relaxing holiday in the sun.
4. You won’t solve your problems by wallowing self-pity.
5. The student wrestled the difficult mathematics problem.
6. Wind and rain have whittled away the old stone wall for the past three centuries.
7. Ray winked us to show that he wasn’t being serious.
8. After six months in the countryside, Alan has a yen the bright lights of the city.
9. The woman yelled the boys when they ran through her garden.
10. She tried not to yield temptation and have another piece of cake.
11. The spy had little choice the matter but to destroy the microfilm.
12. There’s no point crying things you can’t change.
13. We had to choose a hotel in Rome and a villa in Tuscany for our last holiday.
14. The restaurant menu offered a choice trout, beef or chicken.
15. Membership of the society has decreased number since last year.
16. The national debt has been decreased £10 billion this year.
17. Do you mean you still haven’t decided your holiday yet?
18. She can’t decide what style of wedding dress to buy.
19. If you clean the hall, we’ll deal the kitchen together.
20. My uncle deals antique furniture.

11.
1. He doesn’t seem to be very happy his new job; he always looks rather worried and
depressed these days.
2. As she handed over the gift, she said that she hoped we would be very happy our new
home.
3. It will be good Thomas to have a strict teacher; he’s never had any discipline at home.
4. The dispute occurred because the manager is so hopeless people; he has absolutely no
idea of how to handle his workforce.
5. We’ve just heard his unexpected promotion.
6. Nervous about facing an interview panel, she hesitated the door and took a deep breath
before entering the room.
7. A strong draught blew into the room through the gap the door.
8. Ruth was a genius mathematics and was awarded a scholarship to Cambridge when she
was only fourteen years old.
9. Have you heard the lake “Loch Ness” in Scotland?
10. He’s a genius a pencil and can capture a likeness in a few deft strokes.
11. His new stereo system was expensive but it’s guaranteed fifteen years so it was
worthwhile paying more.
12. My friend is worried because she hasn’t heard her sister for days.
13. She has a real genius languages and has already mastered the rudiments of Greek!
14. There is a popular superstition which says that anyone who has a gap their two front
teeth will be lucky throughout their life.
15. She hesitated taking any action, hoping that there was no real cause for alarm.
16. I can’t honestly say that I’m happy your decision to emigrate to France.
17. She’s very good animals and takes food out to the stray dogs in the street every morning.
18. The new wonder watch from Seiko is guaranteed any type of breakage, including water
damage and accident.
19. The baby was crying its milk.
20. Having always been good at maths, he decided to study it at university.

12.
1. Although we were all rather irritated by the situation at the time, we laughed it afterwards.
2. Tom lectured his son the dangers of riding a motorcycle.
3. The summer dress was lined light cotton to make it less transparent.
4. He was listening the radio when he heard the news of the earthquake.
5. I’m expecting an important call; could you listen the telephone while I pop out to the
shops?
6. He doesn’t have any savings and, since being made redundant, has been living his family.
7. The neighbours are very anxious their missing daughter to phone home.
8. Mark was saved drowning by the heroic action of his brother.
9. Since passing his accountancy exams, George has had his salary increased 10%.
10. Susan’s quest a satisfying job was at last realised.
11. everyone’s astonishment, she arrived at the party in a Rolls Royce.
12. My cousin has a flair languages and can speak more than six.
13. You should not use aerosols because they’re harmful the environment.
14. I’m sure there’s a jinx this dress. Whenever I wear it I have a terrible time.
15. I began to get impatient his continual lack of punctuality.

13.
1. Tom’s absorption his studies means he has no social life.
2. Eating too much fat and sugar is detrimental your health.
3. The amount of water absorbed cotton wool is greater than that paper.
4. The bank wrote to me to advise me their new overdraft facilities.
5. If you need advice exam techniques, any of our trained staff will help you.
6. He cared the environment and gave an inspiring speech the issue.
7. At the Chinese restaurant we started spare ribs, then had chicken soup and coconut ice
cream to finish.
8. The doctor advised us travelling to Egypt without having the proper inoculations first.

14.
For questions 1-12 read the text below and think of the word which best fits each gap. Use only
one word in each gap. In this exercise, each missing word is a proposition. There is an example
at the beginning (0).
GIFT OF THE GAB
Chatting to babies in a particular way boosts their intelligence and gives them a head start (0) in
life, a new study has found. Speech and language therapist Dr Sally Ward selected 140 nine-month-old
children from Manchester. She then gave 70 of the parents detailed advice (1) the best way
to communicate (2) their child and left the other 70 without guidance. The “communicating”
parents were told to spend at least 30 minutes every day talking to their child, (3) any
background noise, about subjects which their infant might take an interest (4) . More than six
years later, and after regular checks had been kept (5) their progress, the children had IQ
tests. Those in the talking group were, (6) average, a year and three months ahead (7)
the other group. Nine children had IQs in the gifted category, whereas none in the non-
talking group was as bright.
In a separate study at the American Academy of Paediatrics, experts have warned (8)
the dangers of children under the age of two watching television. Research has shown that
exposure to television is responsible (9) anything from delayed speech to Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder. The problem (10) television is that it confuses infants, who block out
the background noise coming from it. They consequently learn to ignore all noise, and this includes
speech. Paediatric and language specialists also disapprove (11) radio, which has much the
same effect (12) a child’s language development.