Question

Choose the appropriate preposition and fill in the blank –
I have applied _____ a job at the factory. I don’t know if I will get it.
A) About
B) For
C) Of
D) After

Answer 1

Hint: A preposition is a word placed before a Noun or Pronoun to show its relation to some other word in the sentence. Some examples of prepositions are words like "in", "at", "on", "of", and "to". Prepositions in English are highly idiomatic.

Complete answer:
A preposition should always have an object. It can have its Object - a Noun, a Pronoun, a Gerund, an Infinitive or a Noun Clause. Here is a list of commonly used prepositions: above, across, against, along, among, around, at, before, behind, below, beneath, beside, between, by, down, from, in, into, near, of, off, on, to, toward, under, upon, with and within.

Let us analyze the given options:
Option A) About is the incorrect answer.‘About’ means concerning something. Thus, it can be used as a preposition to mean ‘on the subject of’ or ‘concerning’. The preposition ‘about’ is also used to make an approximate estimation of something. Here, it has no use.
Option B) For is the correct answer. The preposition ‘for’ usually conveys the use of something, a reason or purpose. Here, the person says the purpose of the application, that is, a job at the factory. Thus, it is the correct answer.
Option C) Of is the incorrect answer. Even though the preposition ‘of’ is the preposition of reason and purpose (mainly, reason), it usually shows a connection or belonging. Here, the usage of this preposition is inappropriate as it doesn’t give any sense to the situation.
Option D) After is the incorrect answer. The preposition ‘after’ is the preposition of time. It shows later than something; following something in time, or next to and following somebody or something in order or importance, or in contrast to something. Here, it has no use.

Therefore the correct answer is option ‘B’.

Note: Although the Preposition is usually placed before a Noun, Pronoun, sometimes it comes after the word which it governs. For example: Here is the book that you were looking for. In addition to single-word Prepositions, there are some group words that function as Prepositions, called Phrase Prepositions or Conglomerate Prepositions. They are in front of, in spite of, by means of, in order to, owing to, instead of, for the sake of, on behalf of, in the course of, with regard to, etc.