D to J Prepositions

Question 1

to disapprove of sb / sth

Answer 1

to dislike sb / sth, not to approve of sb / sth

e.g. I strongly disapprove of the way advertisers control the commercial TV channels.

Question 2

to dissuade sb from doing sth

Answer 2

to persuade sb not to do sth

e.g. We tried to dissuade him from joining the army.

Question 3

to be disqualified from sth

Answer 3

to be prevented from taking any further part in a competition / sporting event because you have broken a rule
e.g. He was disqualified from the tournament because they found traces of a banned substance in his blood.

Question 4

to have an effect on sb / sth

Answer 4

to affect or influence sb / sth

e.g. I don’t care what you do in your spare time as long as it does not have an adverse effect on your work.

Question 5

to elaborate on sth

Answer 5

to explain sth in more detail

e.g. Would you care to elaborate on that statement?

Question 6

to embark on a journey

Answer 6

to start a long journey

e.g. In 1778 he embarked on a journey that was to take him halfway round the world.

Question 7

to endeavour to do sth

Answer 7

(formal) to try to do sth

e. g. I shall endeavour to do my best.

Question 8

to excel at sth

Answer 8

to be very good at sth

e.g. At school she excelled at everything except maths.

Question 9

an excerpt / extract from sth

Answer 9

a short passage taken from a book / film / piece of music

e.g. An extract from his latest novel was printed in the local newspaper.

Question 10

an expert in / on

Answer 10

sb who knows a great deal about sth

e.g. Doctor Jansen is an expert in ancient Greek philosophy.

Question 11

to be familiar with sth

Answer 11

to know sth or understand it well

e.g. Are you familiar with the works of Chester Himes?

Question 12

to fish for compliments

Answer 12

to say / do sth so that sb pays you a compliment

e.g. “Do you think I’m getting fat.” She said. She knew she wasn’t. She was fishing for compliments.

Question 13

to have a flair for sth

Answer 13

to have a natural ability to do sth well

e.g. She has a flair for languages.

Question 14

a flaw in sth

Answer 14

an imperfection or weakness, especially in an argument
e.g. You say that Marlowe wrote Shakespeare’s plays. There’s just one flaw in your argument: Marlowe died before most of Shakespeare’s plays were written.

Question 15

fluctuations in sth

Answer 15

sudden changes in sth (price or temperature)

e.g. Fluctuations in prices are more usual in times of recession.

Question 16

to be fraught with

Answer 16

if a situation is fraught with problems or danger, it involves a lot of them
e.g. The life of a war correspondent is fraught with danger.

Question 17

to be glued to the television

Answer 17

to watch the television with great interest and all your attention
e.g. During the World Cup final, millions of people around the world will be glued to their televisions.

Question 18

to haggle over the price of sth

Answer 18

to argue with sb over the price of sth in order to get a better price.
e.g. That seems a good price to me, so I shan’t haggle over it.

Question 19

to be hopeless at sth

Answer 19

to be very bad at sth

e.g. Don’t ask me. I’m hopeless at geography.

Question 20

to be identical to sth / sb

Answer 20

to look exactly the same as sth / sb

e.g. She’s identical to her sister.

Question 21

to have an impact on sb / sth

Answer 21

to have a big effect on sb / sth

e.g. The discovery of Mad Cow Disease had a massive and immediate impact on the British meat industry.

Question 22

to be impressed by / with sth

Answer 22

to think that sth is exceptionally good and to admire and respect it as a result
e.g. We have been impressed with the progress you have made since you joined this company.

Question 23

to be indicative of sth

Answer 23

to clearly show sth

e.g. The fact that he does so little is indicative of his lack of interest in his work.

Question 24

to have / be a good / bad influence on sb / sth

Answer 24

to affect / have a positive / negative effect on sb / sth

e.g. James is a very bad influence on Mark. That is why I have sat them at opposite ends of the class.

Question 25

information on / about

Answer 25

information regarding

e.g. I’d like some information on your Spanish courses.

Question 26

to ingratiate yourself with sb

Answer 26

to try and make sb (generally a person in a position of power) like you
e.g. It’s no good trying to ingratiate yourself with me by using flattery.

Question 27

to be intent on doing sth

Answer 27

to be determined to do sth (often sth that other people think you should not do)
e.g. He seems to be intent on joining the army.

Question 28

to invest in sth

Answer 28

to give or lend money for a useful or profitable purpose

e.g. Would you like to invest in my company?

Question 29

judging by sth

Answer 29

based on what I can see / have seen / have heard, this is my opinion
e.g. Judging by the look on his face, I’d say that he has just received some very good news.

Question 30

to be justified in doing sth

Answer 30

to have a good reason for doing sth

e.g. The local council were perfectly justified in evicting them - they hadn’t paid their rent for months.