Available Answers

1. 1.

   Complete these sentences with the correct prepositions. There may be more than one correct answer.

   1. Mr Patel lives in  Ahmedabad with his family.
   2. Mr Shah works __________ a firm __________ accountants.
   3. They always take a holiday __________ the coast.
   4. Lack __________ money is a problem __________ many people.
   5. He has written an article __________ agriculture __________ India.
   6. This is the shirt I bought __________ Chawla's shop.
   7. The man __________ the umbrella is a friend __________ my father's.
   8. Put that book __________ top __________ the others.
   9. Michael sailed __________ the lake __________ a small boat.
   10. What is the difference __________ a mule and a horse?
2. 2.

   Complete these sentences by choosing the correct prepositional phrases from the box.

   in practice	by chance	at first	by sight
   in the end	on business	in theory	on duty
   by name	on holiday	by no means

    

   1. At first Mohan made a fuss and refused to stand for the school union elections, but _______________ he agreed.
   2. We met _______________. The meeting was wholly accidental and pre-planned.
   3. Your idea sounds alright _______________, but I'm not sure it will work _______________.
   4. "What brings you here? Are you here _______________ or _______________ ?" "Neither business nor holiday. I'm here in my official capacity as the Collector of the district. I am _______________."
   5. I'm sorry, I don't know those people. Some of them I recognise _______________, but I don't know any of them _______________.
3. 3.

   Circle the correct prepositional phrases to complete these sentences.

   1. She bought a dress (with white polka dots/in white polka dots) for tomorrow's event.
   2. The birds (at the trees/on the trees) chirped loudly.
   3. The library (from the brick buildings/between the brick buildings) was built a hundred years ago.
   4. (Before the next monsoons/Beyond the next monsoons), we must complete the house.
   5. The players (by both teams/on both teams) were in a celebratory mood.
   6. (After lunch/From lunch), I'm going to meet my friends.
   7. The man (behind the front door/at the front door) has brought a package for you.
   8. The bicycle (in the yellow sticker/with the yellow sticker) is mine.
4. 4.

   Replace the underlined parts in these sentences with appropriate prepositional phrases from the box. Take care not to change the meaning of the sentences.

   out of employment	out of stock	out of danger
   out of order	out of print	out of control

   1. These men have been unemployed for months.
      These men have been out of employment for months.
   2. He was dangerously ill, but now he is no longer in danger.
   3. The crowd broke through the police cordon and soon the situation became unmanageable.
   4. The telephone is not in working order.
   5. The book you are looking for is not available with us. I'm afraid the book is no longer printed.
5. 5.

   Read this story and underline all the prepositional phrases in it.

   Mr Joseph came home from work one night feeling tired. He took off his coat and put it on a chair, then sat down on a chair in the courtyard so he could relax. His wife was away at a friend's place. His children were playing close to him, so he did not get the rest he wanted.

   After half an hour, he gave up and went into the house. He took a packet of tea from the kitchen cupboard to make himself some tea.

   He put the water on the cooker to boil and then went back to the courtyard where he played with his children for an hour or so. He completely forgot about the water in the kitchen. When his wife returned she found that the saucepan had melted in the heat and the molten metal had run all over the cooker!