SAT Verb-Preposition Idioms

Question 1

What is an idiom error on the SAT writing section?

Answer 1

Idiom errors are when verbs are incorrectly paired with prepositions.

Question 2

Find an idiom error in the following sentence.

The drunk driver ran through a pedestrian in the crosswalk and was charged for manslaughter.

Answer 2

The correct idioms should be:

• ran over
• charged with

Although “ran through” is a perfectly good idiom, it does not work not in this case; “ran over” is the correct idiom.

“Charged for” is also not correct; it should be “charged with”

Question 3

What makes idiom errors hard to spot on the SAT?

Answer 3

Idiom errors are challenging because verbs require close checking of form, agreement, and tense. With all the other things to keep in mind, idioms often slip past. Also, sensitivity to idioms favors the native born.

Question 4

How does the SAT confuse you about idiom errors?

Answer 4

The SAT often confuses you by underlining both the verb and preposition, when only the preposition would need to be changed to fix the idiom error.

Question 5

How should you approach preparing for idiom errors on the SAT?

Answer 5

You should adopt a proactive approach by studying verbs that are common idiom errors on the SAT.

Over 85% of this deck presents those common idioms on the SAT. Learn the way they are paired, but more importantly learn to recogninze the verbs from the list when they occur on the test.

Question 6

Once you learn the common verbs that the SAT uses for idiom errors, how do you use that knowledge on the test?

Answer 6

As you read the sentence correction item…

• recognize the verb from the target list
• find the preposition paired with it in the sentence
• check memory or try other prepositions to ID a possible error

Question 7

What are the most challenging verbs on the idiom verb target list?

Answer 7

The most challenging verbs on the idiom list are verbs that have multiple prepositional partners for different meanings.

Question 8

What determines which preposition pairs with a verb that has more than one possible partner?

Answer 8

The correct preposition is determined by sentence context.

Though I am, of course, very similar to my twin brother, Robbie, I differ from him a great deal when it comes to politics.

“differ with” is also a usable idiom, but is not correct here.

Question 9

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Discriminate + which preposition?

His grandfather, however, was not free of those prejudices that caused him to discriminate (against, about, for, over) immigrants who had joined his community.

Answer 9

discriminate…against

Question 10

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Consist + which prepostion?

The colonel realized that the strike team needed to consist (in, by, about, of) specialists with plenty of operations experience.

Answer 10

consist…of

Question 11

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Contribute + which prepostion?

Key turnovers, inclimate weather, and a bad call by head coach in the second half all contributed (in, to, into, up) the undefeated team’s first loss.

Answer 11

contribute…to

Question 12

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Respond + which prep?

Despite numerous appeals from the demonstrators, the mayor refused to respond (about, at, over, to) their demands.

Answer 12

respond…to

Question 13

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Recover + which preposition?

Pete couldn’t recover (about, from, into, under) his mistake telling Jackie that he wasn’t ready to marry.

Answer 13

recover…from

Question 14

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Worry + which preposition?

All throughout her husband’s last year of deployment in Iraq, Pilar worried (over, of, with, about) his safety.

Answer 14

worry…about

“Worry over” is also acceptable, though not prefered in most circumstances.

Question 15

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Blame + which preposition?

After the failure of the compromise legislation, both sides blamed the other (about, with, for, in) the impasse.

Answer 15

blame…for

Question 16

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Believe + which preposition?

Edward believed (at, in, over, through) his father’s ability to convince his mother of anything.

Answer 16

believe…in

Question 17

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Accuse + which prepostion?

The police detective accused him (at, in, of, with) a crime without enough evidence even to indict.

Answer 17

accuse…of

Question 18

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Apologize + which preposition?

Though facing death threats, Almon didn’t feel any obligation to apologize (about, after, for, upon) his comments.

Answer 18

apologize…for

Question 19

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Insist + which preposition?

Kelvin insisted (about, upon, on, over) having breakfast cereal with Greek yogurt after reading the article.

Answer 19

insist…on/upon

Question 20

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Approve + which preposition?

The queen could not approve (about, on, of, over) some of the dalliant pursuits of her son, the prince.

Answer 20

approve…of

Question 21

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Arrive + which preposition?

With so many plastic cups in the trash and empty bottles and cans in recycling, mom and dad arrived (at, on, to, upon) the conclusion that their “darling” children had thrown a party without permission.

Answer 21

arrive…at

Question 22

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Cover + which prepostion?

The apples, covered (by, in, over, with) caramel and nuts, stood waiting for the carnival goers to devour them.

Answer 22

cover…with

Question 23

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Complain + which preposition?

The spoiled girl complained (about, at, of, over) every detail of her birthday party.

Answer 23

complain…about

Question 24

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Distinguish + which preposition?

Though customers in the focus group swore their brand tasted the best, they failed to distinguish it (about, for, from, upon) any other brand in a blind test.

Answer 24

distinguish…from

Question 25

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Escape + which preposition?

Presently, the urge to escape (at, for, from, to) the attention of Frau Drossler overwhelmed him.

Answer 25

escape…from

Question 26

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Excel + which preposition?

Hilda was chosen to be the spokesperson because she excelled (at, by, on, upon) persuasion and rhetoric.

Answer 26

excel…at

Question 27

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Forget + which preposition?

Oscar was the kind of husband who was likely to forget (about, at, over, to) insults his wife may have said during a heated argument.

Answer 27

forget…about

Question 28

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Forgive + which preposition?

Sebastian would never forgive Elaine (about, for, from, over) the way she embarassed him at the party.

Answer 28

forgive…for

Question 29

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Hide + which preposition?

The curate seeks a place to hide (at, from, into, under) the Martians which attack all human beings with their heat ray.

Answer 29

hide…from

Question 30

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Hope + which preposition?

Instead of self-defeating thoughts that can only intensify suffering during the crisis, Cheryl focused on hope (about, for, in, under) better days to come.

Answer 30

hope…for

Question 31

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Object + which preposition?

The lawyer objected (about, at, for, to) what he considered judge’s consistent bias against his client.

Answer 31

object…to

Question 32

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Participate + which preposition?

When the stigmatism about AIDS was at its zenith, the afflicted were discouraged from participating (at, by, for, in) regular social activities.

Answer 32

participate…in

Question 33

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Pray + which preposition?

The sisters prayed (about, at, for, over) some recognition of their need for proper sepulchral arrangements for members of their order.

Answer 33

pray…for

Question 34

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Prevent + which preposition?

Friar Lawrence ultimately could not prevent Juliet (at, by, from, with) moral destruction.

Answer 34

prevent…from

Question 35

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Prohibit + which preposition?

In that office, all staff were prohibited (at, by, from, with) close personal relationships of a physical nature.

Answer 35

prohibit…from

Question 36

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Protect + which preposition?

The innoculation was designed to protect (against, by, into, over) a certain deadly infection.
Being dipped into the river protects him (at, from, under, with) all harm throughout his life, but leaves his heel vulnerable.

Answer 36

protect…against

protect…from

These two are almost always interchangeable. Do NOT mark either of these wrong on the test.

Question 37

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Rescue + which preposition?

He was too late to rescue her (above, among, from, onto) her self-destructive behavior.

Answer 37

rescue…from

Question 38

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Stare + which prepositional?

The doe could only stare (against, at, into, through) the headlights until the car struck her.

Answer 38

stare…at

Question 39

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Stop + which preposition?

His friend tried to stop him (at, by, from, with) cutting corners on his research.

Answer 39

stop…from

Question 40

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Subcribe + which preposition?

Ambrose Bierce’s character subscribes (at, into, to, with) the villianous dictum about love and war.

Answer 40

subscribe…to

Question 41

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Substitute + which preposition?

Through exhaustive trial, the team looked for a substitute (by, for, on, with) the polymer that had hitherto been proved to be toxic.

Answer 41

substitute…for

Question 42

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Succeed + which preposition?

Viv succeeded (at, by, for, in) finding a new apartment with a pleasant roommate much more quickly than she thought possible.

Answer 42

succeed…in

Question 43

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Thank + which preposition?

Mrs. Gifford sent a batch of cookies just to thank the family (about, by, for, on) their support during her husband’s hospitalization.

Answer 43

thank…for

Question 44

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Vote + which preposition?

In the primaries, political parties encourage the citizens to vote (by, for, in, up) candidates that are “electable”.

Answer 44

vote…for

Question 45

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Work + which preposition?

Danny “Sugarland” Moreland worked (by, for, on, toward) improving his footwork in the offseason.

Dr. Reynolds looked forward to working (at, on, through, with) other eminent men in the field.

They worked through the night (at, by, over, toward) an agreement that by morning they were very close to reaching.

Answer 45

work…on (a task)

work…with (a person)

work…toward (a goal)

Question 46

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Count + with preposition?

Jackson knew that he could count (by, for, on, upon) his friends to protect his reputation.

Answer 46

count…on

count…upon

These are interchangeable. Either would always be correct.

Question 47

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Decide + which preposition?

The menu had so many of Sam’s favorites that she found it hard to decide (about, from, over, upon) an entree.

Answer 47

decide…upon

decide…on

There is no difference between “on” or “upon” except individual preferrence.

The SAT will use the “on/upon” trap for students who rely ( on, upon ) ear training to answer all of these errors.

Question 48

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Depend + which preposition?

Just before midterms, Teddy found he could not depend at all (by, for, on, until) his study group to provide good outlines and notes.

Answer 48

depend…on

depend…upon

Never mark “on” wrong in preference for “upon”.

Question 49

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Insist + which preposition?

The Don tells Tom not to insist (after, at, over, upon) selection of personnel, because their business contact would have thought of that.

Answer 49

insist…on

insist…upon

Never mark “upon” wrong in preferring “on”.

Question 50

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Rely + which preposition?

In the traveling carnival community, carnies rely (among, for, on, onto) each other for mutual protection.

Answer 50

rely…on

rely…upon

Question 51

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Abide + which prepositions?

Newcomers to the prison environment learn very quickly to abide (at, by, upon, under) certain rules: written and unspoken.

The survivors of the assault abided (by, in, through, under) the foliage until reinforcements arrived.

Answer 51

abide…by

abide…in

“Abide by” means “follow the rules”. “Abide in” means “remain, stay”.

“Abide” can also mean “tolerate”, and takes no prepostion to complete its meaning in that sense.

Question 52

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Agree + which prepositions?

Not surprising anyone in the meeting, Horace agreed (at, by, to, with) his supervisor on every point.

The parties agreed (at, by, into, to) set aside the issue of relocation for another day and complete the deal at hand.

Answer 52

agree…with (someone)

agree…to (something)

Question 53

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Apply + which prepositions?

Celia had too much pride to apply (about, by, for, to) direct abatement of her student loans.

The directions said that for best results the glue should be applied (about, by, for, to) both sides of the contact surface.

Answer 53

apply…for (something)

apply…to (task, or someone, something)

Question 54

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Argue + which preposition?

Ned, of course, didn’t want to argue (at, about, into, through) his religious upbringing.

On minority initiatives, Gregor argued (about, for, from, with) just about anyone.

Answer 54

argue…about/over (a subject)

argue…with (a person)

Question 55

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Care + which prepositions?

The members agreed that they needed a leader who cared (at, about, for, to) the cause enough to make significant personal sacrifices.

While running his business, he also spends considerable time caring (at, about, for, to) his three small children.

Grandpa said he didn’t care (at, about, for, to) go to the theater that evening.

Answer 55

care…about (something)

care…for (someone)

care…to (do something)

Question 56

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Charge + which prepositions?

Mr. Wells was charged (about, for, in, with) all of the damages to public and private property as a result of his driving incident.

George Bailey is charged (about, for, in, with) misappropriating funds and malfeasance from the building and loan.

Answer 56

charge…for (something to be paid)

charge…with (a crime)

Question 57

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Compare + which prepositions?

Hilda compared the bratwursts at the stadium (at, for, to, with) those she remembered eating in Regensburg on her vacation.

Compared (at, for, to, with) a greyhound, an ostrich can run a bit faster.

Answer 57

compared…with

compared…to

Very small difference here. Use “compare with” when the comparisons are of similar things (like two kinds of bratwurst).

Use “compare to” when the comparisons are of one aspect of different things (greyhound + ostrich compared in running speed only).

Question 58

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Excuse + which prepositions?

Elaine was excused (by, for, from, off) her final exams due to impeccable grades and her hospitalization.

The elder Mr. Dawes refused to accept the excuse (by, for, from, with) Michael’s behavior that caused the run on the bank.

Answer 58

excuse…from

excuse…for

Question 59

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Arrive + which prepositions?

With the same evidence, Croft managed to arrive (at, by, for, in) the wrong conclusion.

Arriving (at, by, in, with) time to make the train and phone the office put him in the right frame of mind for a productive day.

Answer 59

arrive…at (location/specific time)

arrive…in (time)

Question 60

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Wait + which preposition?

Due to the power outage at the station, Daphne waited hours (for, in, near, on) her train.

Because Lydia didn’t show up for her shift, Thomas was forced to wait (at, by, in, on) the patrons of the boutique instead of going on his date.

Answer 60

wait…for

wait…on

Question 61

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Differ + which prepositions?

There are multivarious varieties of bananas, but they do not differ significantly (about, from, in, with) each other in terms of nutritional content.

The casting director differed (from, on, towards, with) his producer over the choice of the protagonist for the vampire movie.

Answer 61

differ…from

differ…with

Question 62

Choose one of the prepositions in the parenthesis to complete the idiom.

Differ + which prepositions?

The school board members differ (on, over, through, toward) the choice of curriculum materials for 8th grade Math.

In terms of fashion, Gillian and her friends only differ (about, by, from, with) whether or not to wear dresses with glitter and sequins.

Answer 62

differ…over

differ…about