Prepositions, if done right, can enhance your English score tremendously. More often than not, students tend to ignore studying English and even why they do, emphasis is given to Literature rather than Grammar.
So here is a list of some prepositions that may help you sail through some tricky questions:
Partake of
Partake of is a commonly used phrasal verb. Questions of the following sort may be asked:
All the ministers are arriving to partake of the feast.
Almost always, the word partake is followed by of.
Pass up
Pass up is used in the context of giving away a chance or opportunity to someone else. One sentence in which pass up can feature in is:
Ria will never pass up a chance of a free meal.
In time
The phrase “on time” is used more often colloquially. It suggests that something happens at an exact moment in time. However, while talking about reaching a place or doing something before a deadline, the phrase in time is used. For example:
Make sure to reach school in time.
Born of
Consider the following sentence:
Raju is born___ rich parents.
Most students tend to answer “to”. However, the appropriate answer will be of. Born of is a phrasal verb and should be used accordingly, keeping the context in mind.
Live down reputation
Most students are familiar with the phrase “Living up to someone’s reputation”. Living down reputation, however, has a different connotation. Consider the sentence:
The rude student will find it difficult to live down his reputation.
This denotes that the student has a reputation of being rude and will find it difficult to escape that opinion people have formed about him.
Hankers after
Yet another phrasal verb, hankers after might feature in a question paper in a very typical sentence. It means to strongly wish for something. Here is one sentence for you to understand the usage of this phrasal verb:
The businessman hankers after money.
Bring forth
Bring forth means to cause or give rise to. It is a phrasal verb and should be used accordingly, keeping context in mind.
Here is an example:
Good rains bring forth good crops.
Take out
This phrasal verb is in reference to a legal document or insurance policy. Following is the usage:
Everyone is advised to take out an insurance policy.
Set apart VS Set aside
To set aside means to nullify or to keep. Usage is as follows:
I have set aside money in case of an emergency. OR The court set aside the petition.
On the other hand, set apart refers to reserving something. For example, 20% seats are set apart for the disabled.
Laid up
Sometimes, students might say the following: I was laid down with a bad cold. Such usage comes from the mental image of a person lying down in bed due to some illness. However, the correct phrase is “laid up”. For example, Rahul was laid up in bed with high fever.
Go through with the plan
To go through with a plan means to carry on with it. Do not use “go on” in place of “go through”. Usage: Despite many hurdles, the company decided to go through with the construction plan.
Draw on
This verb is used here w.r.t experience. Usually, one might say: The teacher draws from experience, trying to convey that the teacher’s views are due to her past experiences. However, the correct usage is: The teacher draws on her tremendous experience.
Call in
Call in means to summon. This phrase is mainly used w.r.t summoning a person, like a doctor. Here is a very common sentence:
Please call___ a doctor.
Some people may tend to answer “for”. However, the correct sentence will be:
Please call in a doctor
Come in to property
Coming in to property refers in inheriting property. From the perspective of the ISC Examinations, this phrase, if asked, might be in the context of property only. An example:
Raj came into his grandfather’s property.
Bear out
To bear out means to confirm. Phrasal verbs containing the word “bear” are commonly used. An example of bear out:
My friend will bear out my testimony in court.
Drawn up
The phrase drawn up is used while referring to legal documents and should be used accordingly. An example is:
The old man had his will drawn up.
We hope this short list will ease your study for the Grammar paper! In case of any queries, feel free to contact us; we would be happy to help. Happy studying!
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