This is a mobile optimized page that loads fast, if you want to load the real page, click this text.

Questions about Prepositions again

hirashin

Sempai
Donor
Joined
8 Apr 2004
Messages
2,721
Reaction score
63
Dear native English speakers,
which preposition could be put in each blank?
(a) Her father was shocked ( ) her final decision.
(b) He was excited ( ) the result of the game.
(c1) They were satisfied ( ) the result of the game.
(c2) They were happy ( ) the result of the game.
(c3) They were pleased ( ) the result of the game.

Thanks in advance.

Hirashin
 
(a) at, with, by
(b) at, with
(c1) with
(c2) with
(c3) with
 
Thanks, OoTmaster. Does everyone agree with his answers?
 
(a) Her father was shocked (by) her final decision.
(b) He was excited (by) the result of the game.
(c1) They were satisfied (with) the result of the game.
(c2) They were happy (with) the result of the game.
(c3) They were pleased (with) the result of the game.
 
Thanks, Ikumia and johnnyG.
It seems johnny G has a different view. In (a) and (b), would "at" or "with" sound off to you, johnnyG?
 
I don't like with in (b).
My first instinct was to include with in the possibilities. After posting it I was debating on if I should get rid of it. So I agree with your assessment as well.
 
Thanks, johnnyG and OoTmaster.
Is it that both "at" and "by" would be possible in (b)?
 
Thanks, johnnyG and OoTmaster.
Is it that both "at" and "by" would be possible in (b)?

In that link I posted, it seems that the deciding factor is whether the speaker (and people like me, who are looking at this sentence) are seeing it as a passive construction, or something else (that closely resembles a passive construction, but is also quite similar to other expressions/phrasings that are not passive).

I see (b) as a passive, so I chose by for the blank:
--The result of the game excited him.
--He was excited by the result of the game.

If I use "got" instead of the usual passive version of "to be", it sounds better:
He got excited at the result of the game.
("The result of the game got him excited") < not a passive

The sentence pair for that would be something like:
The result of the game caused him to get excited.
 
Well, I'll reject "about" in the (a) case, but accept it for (b):

**Her father was shocked about her final decision.
He was excited about the result of the game.
 
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn more…