Question

Fill the blank with the most appropriate word.
My hat is different _____ yours.
A) To
B) As
C) Like
D) From

Answer 1

Hint: The words given in the options are all prepositions. These are words that show the relation of the subject to the object or the position of nouns. The object, when used after a preposition, is known as a ‘prepositional object’. Some examples of prepositions are; over, under, beside, behind, with, at etc.

Complete answer:
In this sentence, the hat of the speaker is being compared to that of the second person. To make comparisons we use certain phrases like same as, distinct from, similar to, etc. In all these phrases we have an adjective and a preposition. The adjective that we have in the question is ‘different’ and hence we must choose the preposition from the options accordingly.

Now let us look into the given options:
Option A) To – The word ‘to’ is a preposition and is used for indicating direction. For e.g. Take her to the doctor. Or it is also used in phrasal verbs. For e.g. look forward to, object to. It is not used as a phrase with the word ‘different’ while comparing two things. Rather it is used with “similar to”. Thus, this option is incorrect.
Option B) As – ‘As’ can be used as a conjunction to connect two phrases or clauses. For e.g. She arrived as I was leaving. ‘As’ is also used as a preposition to indicate a role. For e.g. She worked as an air hostess for a few years. In the sentence, a comparison is being made. For making comparisons ‘as’ is used in the following manner; “my hat is as bad/good as yours. Thus, this option is wrong.
Option C) Like – The word ‘like’ is used to compare things that are similar. For e.g., Your hat looks like mine. In the statement given in the question, it has already been established that the hats are different. Therefore, we cannot use ‘like’, and this option is incorrect.
Option D) From – This word is a preposition and is used to indicate the origin of something or its starting point. For e.g. I am from India. The train starts from Jaipur. Also, ‘from’ is used to make comparisons when things are different. For e.g. Their characteristics are distinct/different from each other. “My hat is different from yours.” Thus, this is the correct option.

Thus, the correct answer is Option (D) My hat is different from yours.

Note: Another way of making comparisons is by using the comparative degree of adjectives. The comparative degree of an adjective is always associated with the word ‘than’. For e.g., My hat is better than yours. In some comparative degrees, we use the adverbs ‘less’, ‘more’. For e.g., My hat is more beautiful than yours. My hat is less expensive than yours.