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Prepositional Phrases Exercises PDFSet 3: Noun + Preposition Collocations

20 questions·14 min·Answers included·Explanations included

Preview: Questions

Fill in the blank with the correct option.

1.What was the reason ___ the delay?

a) ofb) forc) aboutd) to

2.Pollution has a serious effect ___ people's health.

a) onb) toc) ind) for

3.Scientists are searching for a solution ___ the energy crisis.

a) aboutb) ofc) atd) to

4.There has been a significant increase ___ house prices this year.

a) ofb) inc) ond) at

5.She felt a deep sense ___ pride when her son graduated.

a) ofb) forc) aboutd) with

... and 15 more questions in the PDF

Preview: Answers

1.for

2.on

3.to

4.in

5.of

... and 15 more answers in the PDF

Preview: Explanations

1."for"(b)

'Reason for' is the standard collocation: reason for the change, reason for leaving. We do not say 'reason of'.

2."on"(a)

'Effect on' means impact or influence: effect on the environment, effect on the economy. Note: do not confuse with 'affect' (verb).

3."to"(d)

'Solution to' is the standard collocation: solution to the problem, solution to the puzzle. In everyday English, 'solution to' is strongly preferred.

4."in"(b)

'Increase in' is the standard collocation: increase in sales, increase in temperature. The same pattern applies to 'decrease in', 'rise in', 'drop in'.

5."of"(a)

'Sense of' is a fixed collocation: a sense of pride, a sense of humour, a sense of direction, a sense of responsibility.

... and 15 more explanations in the PDF

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