Question

Complete the sentence with the most suitable word:
The old woman could not get ------- the shock.

Answer 1

Hint: Prepositions are inserted into a sentence, in order to establish a relation between words of the same or another clause. In order to give a beautiful flair to sentences, idioms (phrases with metaphorical or exaggerated meanings) are used. Certain phrases can be formed with the help of prepositions. In this case, half of the phrase is given. We are asked to fill the appropriate preposition that would go with it.

Complete step-by-step answer:

When forming sentences, it makes the idea, to be conveyed, much more influential, in the presence of various types of figures of speeches. These phrases help the person to give emphasis, magnify the intensity, and bring the reader’s attention to the focal issue.
Now, in the above sentence given, the emphasis is given on how intense the shock is to the point that she cannot get past the situation and move forward. Since, we refer to shock as a mental block, in the above sentence, we can use the idiom, “cannot get over”. The shock is being referred to as an event in the past, hence the past tense of the can, that is, could is used.
Therefore, the correct word to fill the blank would be “over”.

Note: Do not confuse it with “get past”. Get past refers to moving ahead of something or someone or even forgetting a past traumatic incident. Get over refers to overcoming the obstacle and search or apply a proper solution for the same.