ACT Preparation / Unit 3 ACT 0227 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
Testing a Preposition
The idea
Idiom questions are answered in three steps. First, isolate the word the preposition follows, a verb or an adjective. Second, say that word with each choice of preposition, alone, without the rest of the sentence. Third, keep the pairing whose meaning fits the sentence, because some words take different prepositions for different meanings.
In practice
Worked example: "The committee was responsible (of, for) the budget and was capable (of, to) finishing early. It applied (to, for) a state grant." Alone: responsible for, capable of. Applied for means asked for something formally, which fits a grant; applied to has another meaning, as in "the rule applies to every member."
Where people slip
Hearing the pair alone is the method, because the surrounding words can make a wrong pairing sound acceptable. A wrong idiom breaks no rule that can be stated, so only the pairing itself reveals it.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Builds on
Unlocks
- Nothing yet depends on this.
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