Select the appropriate preposition to fill in the blank in the following…
2014
Select the appropriate preposition to fill in the blank in the following sentence:
He is separated ____ his family.
- A.
with
- B.
to
- C.
of
- D.
from
Attempted by 1 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Concept: Certain adjectives and verbs in English combine with one specific preposition by fixed convention, and the meaning of that combination is not simply the sum of the word plus a free-choice preposition. The adjective "separated" (from the verb "separate") conventionally combines with "from" to show that one person or thing has become apart or distant from another.
Application: In "He is separated ____ his family", the blank must connect the state of being separated to the family the subject lives apart from. This matches the fixed collocation "separated from", used to describe someone no longer living with or connected to a person or group. So the blank takes "from": "He is separated from his family."
Cross-check — how each preposition combines with "separated":
"with" combines with words of accompaniment or means, as in "agree with" or "compare with", not with separation.
"to" combines with words of direction, addition, or attachment, as in "belong to" or "attached to", not with separation.
"of" combines with words of origin, composition, or possession, as in "consist of" or "afraid of", not with separation.