A, B and C Prepositions

Question 1

to abide by sth

Answer 1

to accept and / or obey sth - (the) law / rules / regulations / a decision / an agreement [Note: a law-abiding citizen: a person who obeys the law]
e.g. You may not agree with him, but he is the referee, and you must abide by whatever decision he makes.

Question 2

to be absorbed in sth

Answer 2

to be very interested in sth (a book / a film / your work / a video game, etc) and give all your attention to it
[Note: an absorbing book, film, etc: a very interesting film, book, etc.]
e.g. I was so absorbed in my work that I missed lunch.

Question 3

to account for sth / the fact that…

Answer 3

to explain (often used in academic essay titles)
The fact that she's been under a lot of pressure may well account for her strange behaviour.
e.g. 'Account for the fall of the Roman Empire.'

Question 4

In the aftermath of sth

Answer 4

in the period of time following a disaster (earthquake, bomb explosion, etc), tragedy or a war
e.g. The President declared a state of emergency in the aftermath of the earthquake.

Question 5

aside from sth / sb

Answer 5

except for / apart from, + noun or -ing form

e.g. Aside from one or two spelling mistakes, this really is an excellent composition.

Question 6

an asset to sth

Answer 6

very valuable to sth (company or institution)
e.g. Bill has been an asset to this company. Without his drive and creativity, we would not be the successful company that we are today.

Question 7

a ban on sth / doing sth

Answer 7

an official prohibition

e.g. The government intends to introduce a ban on unregulated building.

Question 8

to be barred from somewhere / doing sth

Answer 8

1) to officially be prevented from entering a place
2) to officially prevent a doctor from practising medicine or a lawyer from practising law
e. g. After the fight, he was barred from ever entering the restaurant again.
e. g. She was found guilty of professional misconduct, so she was barred from ever practising medicine again.

Question 9

to be based on sth

Answer 9

if one thing is based on another thing, the former is developed from / is founded on the latter
e.g. The film “Apocalypse Now” is based on a novel by Joseph Conrad.

Question 10

to bombard sb with questions

Answer 10

to ask sb a lot of questions

e.g. The minister was met by a wave of reporters who bombarded her with questions.

Question 11

to brag about sth

Answer 11

to proudly talk about sth in such a way that other people find it annoying
e.g. I wish he would stop bragging about how much money he earns.

Question 12

to cater for

Answer 12

to provide things / a service that sb needs or wants [Note: to cater for all tastes: to satisfy and provide for all likes / interests]
e.g. Our holiday company mainly caters for young professionals in search of adventure.

Question 13

to collide with sth / sb

Answer 13

to crash into

e.g. The London train collided with the Canterbury train as they were both pulling into Ashford station.

Question 14

to comment on sth / sb

Answer 14

to give an opinion about sth / sb

e.g. The minister’s wife was asked to comment on her husband’s resignation.

Question 15

to comply with sth

Answer 15

to do what you have to do or what you have been asked to do (for a rule / a regulation / a decision / a demand / a request)
e.g. Contestants are expected to comply with the rules of the competition.

Question 16

to confide in sb (about sth)

Answer 16

to tell sb sth which is private or personal

e.g. You should be able to confide in your family doctor.

Question 17

to cope with sth

Answer 17

to deal with a difficult situation or problem
e.g. It’s a lot of work but I’m sure she will cope with it.
She couldn’t cope with a nine-to-five job and raising a family at the same time.

Question 18

to be credited with sth / doing sth

Answer 18

to be considered responsible for sth good / important
e.g. Lipsin has always been credited with the invention of the turbo charger, but it now appears that it was his partner, Evans, who came up with the idea.

Question 19

to be cruel to sb / sth

Answer 19

to do / say sth that hurts (physically or mentally) a person / animal
e.g. I think that being cruel to animals in the name of scientific research is completely unacceptable.

Question 20

a cutback in sth

Answer 20

a reduction in the numbers of sth or the amount of money spent on sth
e.g. Cutbacks in staff have meant that on average there are now 34 pupils in a class.