Complete the following sentences with an appropriate word or phrase.
1. Not until that day …………………………. able to recover her confidence.
When not until comes at the beginning, we use an inverted word order.
2. Can I stay …………………….. Saturday?
We use until to talk about a situation that will continue up to a certain moment.
3. I can repair your stereo …………………………….. Friday.
We use by to say that an action will happen at a future moment.
4. The nearest supermarket is about half a mile …………………………… the highway.
Sometimes both up and down can be used to mean along or further on.
5. You surprised ……………………………
There is no preposition between surprise and its verb.
6. We …………………………….. the railway station in half an hour.
There is no preposition after reach.
7. I am going to ……………………….. Mary some flowers.
Buy can be followed by a direct object and an indirect object. There is no preposition when the indirect object goes before the direct object.
8. Let’s …………………………. your plans.
Some verbs need a preposition before their object.
9. Why are you staring ………………………. like that?
Some verbs need a preposition before their object.
10. ……………………….. I am going to jump over the stream.
The preposition is dropped when there is no object.
11. We arrived ……………………………… the station in the morning.
A preposition is usually used before an expression of place.
12. We seem …………………………….. a problem.
Answers
1. Not until that day was she able to recover her confidence.
2. Can I stay until Saturday?
3. I can repair your stereo by Friday.
4. The nearest supermarket is about half a mile up/down the highway.
5. You surprised me.
6. We reached the railway station in half an hour.
7. I am going to buy Mary some flowers.
8. Let’s talk about your plans.
9. Why are you staring at me like that?
10. Look. I am going to jump over the stream.
11. We arrived at the station in the morning.
12. We seem to have a problem.
