Question

Fill in the blank with the most appropriate word.
He soon got involved ___ serious difficulties.
a) in
b) on
c) at
d) by

Answer 1

Hint: The verb phrase ‘to get involved’ ends with a certain preposition. The object will determine the correct preposition to be used, as well as the context of the sentence.

Complete answer:
Prepositions are words that are used to show positions, locations, direction, and time. They are usually in front of nouns and gerunds. Example - In the sentence ‘There is a lamp on the table’, the word ‘on’ describes the location of the lamp. So, it is a preposition.
There are many verb + preposition combinations in English, which are easy to learn, like ‘go up’.

Depending on which preposition is used after a verb, the meaning of the sentence can completely change. The preposition used makes a big difference. For example, ‘turn back’ and ‘turn off’ have two completely different meanings, even though the root verb is the same.
These prepositions are fixed in the English language. For example, the phrase ‘go up/down’ the stairs are fixed. It conveys a specific meaning that cannot be subjected to change.
The phrase ‘to reply ___ something/someone’ also has a fixed preposition for this meaning. When you reply, you give an answer ‘to’ a question. So, you reply to something/someone.
Now, let’s look at the available options-
a) in - This preposition completes the given verb phrase, and it is grammatically correct. So, this is the correct option.
b) on - You cannot get involved ‘on’ something. This is grammatically incorrect. So, this is an incorrect option.
c) at - You cannot be involved ‘at’ something. This is grammatically incorrect. So, this is also an incorrect option.
d) by - You cannot be involved ‘by’ something. This is also grammatically incorrect. So, this is an incorrect option.

Note:
Differentiate between the meanings that each preposition gives the sentence. Choose the option that makes the most sense. It is important to note that the sentence should retain its meaning.