Directions : Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow…
2019
Directions : Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow by selecting the correct/most appropriate options :
There’s an air of excitement on the platform as the train’s departure time draws close. You’ve found your name on the passenger’s list, together with the names of those in the compartment with you; so you already know your ‘fellow passengers’ names, ages, sex and destination. People are pushing past you to get on, as you show your coupon to the conductor and he tells you to board.
Your fellow passengers are settling in, staking out their claims to territory with too much luggage. A bell clangs but there is no slamming of carriage doors, no blowing of whistles and no shout of “All aboard !” as in the states. The train simply draws out of the station while people stroll alongside and with studied nonchalance, clamber on, one after the other through the still-open doors.
You claim your own seat, pleased to be on the move. Since you have a long journey ahead in the company of strangers, what happens next will govern your enjoyment of the trip. You can start up a conversation and make friends, allies quickly, or be anti-social and lonely for the whole of the journey. Of course, it depends on your personality but if you are travelling alone you’ll need an ally, someone you feel you can trust to watch your luggage when you go to the washroom. You can’t isolate yourself completely on a train so if that’s your style, train travel isn’t for you.
I get a thrill out of the start of every train journey. It’s not just the excitement of moving on to a new place, there’s the anticipation of what’s going to happen during the journey; the pleasure at the new acquaintances I’m going to make; the dissolving of city skyline into lush, rural landscape beyond the windows; and the heightened emotions of everyone on board. Indians love to travel by train; they are used to it and prepare properly so it becomes a picnic on wheels. I get excited when I am part of it, you will too.
Which part of speech is the underlined word in the following sentence ? People are pushing past you.
- A.
Preposition
- B.
Adverb
- C.
Adjective
- D.
Verb
Attempted by 2 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
A preposition is a word that shows the relationship (of place, direction, time, or manner) between a noun or pronoun and another word in the sentence; it always precedes and governs an object. An adverb modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb but takes no object of its own. An adjective describes or qualifies a noun. A verb expresses an action or state and carries tense/subject agreement.
In the sentence "People are pushing past you," the finite verb group is "are pushing." The word "past" comes immediately before the object pronoun "you" and expresses the spatial relationship between the people doing the pushing and "you" — it shows direction/position relative to an object. Because "past" governs "you" as its object, it functions as a preposition here, not as an adverb (which would need no object), an adjective (which would need to describe a noun), or a verb (the sentence's verb is already "are pushing").
Substituting another preposition of position/direction in the same slot, such as "near you" or "beside you," keeps the sentence grammatical in exactly the same way, confirming "past" occupies a preposition slot governing an object. Unlike a true adverb (which could be dropped without breaking any object relationship, e.g. "pushing quickly"), "past" cannot be removed without losing the link to "you," ruling out the adverb reading.
The underlined word "past" is a Preposition.