English Prepositions and Vocabulary

When placing a blanket on someone, 'over' is the correct preposition because it implies covering the person. 'Above' suggests being at a higher level but not necessarily covering. 'Along' means moving in a constant direction on. 'Over' best conveys the action of covering the sleeping child with a blanket.

The sentence refers to ending a tax. 'Abode' means a home or residence. 'Abound' means to exist in large numbers. 'Abolished' means to officially end or do away with something, especially a law, tax, or system. 'Aborted' means to end prematurely, usually a process or pregnancy. 'Abolished' is the standard and correct term for ending a tax.

The sentence requires a past participle to complete the passive construction 'was [verb] in the deception'. 'Abet' means to encourage or assist, usually in wrongdoing. 'Abetted' is the past tense and past participle of abet. 'Abed' means in bed. 'Abduct' means to kidnap. 'Was abetted in the deception' means he was assisted or encouraged in the wrongdoing.

'Abdicate' means to formally give up a throne, position, or power. The sentence 'She was forced to abdicate the throne of Spain' means she was compelled to relinquish her royal position. This is the only option that makes sense with 'throne'. 'Abet' means to assist. 'Abed' means in bed. 'Abduct' means to kidnap.

'Aboard' means on or onto a ship, aircraft, or other vehicle. The sentence 'killing all passengers aboard' means all passengers who were on the plane died in the crash. 'Abode' is a home. 'Abroad' means in a foreign country. 'Abort' means to terminate prematurely. 'Aboard' is the only word that fits the context of passengers on a plane.

'Taken aback' is an idiomatic expression meaning to be surprised, shocked, or disconcerted. The sentence means she was completely surprised or shocked by his anger. 'Abase' means to humiliate or degrade. 'Abash' means to embarrass or make ashamed. 'Abate' means to reduce or lessen. 'Taken aback' is a fixed phrase that cannot be broken down.

'Abandoned' means left completely to someone's care, protection, or responsibility. The sentence expresses fear of being left entirely under strangers' care with no support. 'Absolved' means forgiven or cleared of guilt. 'Absorbed' means deeply engrossed or taken in. 'Absconded' means to escape or flee hurriedly. 'Abandoned' is the correct word for being left to someone's care.

'Absolved' means formally freed from guilt, responsibility, or obligation, especially in a legal or religious context. The court absolved him of responsibility means they cleared him of blame for the accident. 'Absorbed' means taken in or engrossed. 'Absconded' means to escape or flee. 'Absolved' is the correct legal term for clearing someone of responsibility.

Abate means to make something less intense or to reduce in severity. In the context of pollution, steps are taken to reduce or lessen pollution levels, making 'abate' the correct choice.

Absorbed means deeply interested or engaged in something. When work has absorbed someone for several years, it means the work has completely occupied their attention and energy during that time.

Absconded means to leave hurriedly and secretly, typically to avoid detection or legal consequences. When someone absconds with company funds, they have stolen the money and fled, which is the correct context here.

Abnormal means unusual, odd, or deviating from what is normal or expected. When people thought someone's behaviour was abnormal, they found it strange or not typical of normal behaviour.

Abode means a home, dwelling, or residence. When someone is welcomed to their humble abode, they are being welcomed to their modest home or living space.

Abound means to exist in large numbers or to be plentiful. When lakes abound with fish, it means the lakes are teeming with or have an abundance of fish.

Abominable means detestable, vile, or causing great disgust or hatred. When a judge describes an attack as an abominable crime, they are characterizing it as extremely wicked, reprehensible, or disgusting.

Abhorrent means causing disgust or hatred, or completely unacceptable. Racism is described as abhorrent to a civilized society because it is fundamentally incompatible with the values of equality and respect that define such a society.

Abide means to tolerate, accept, or endure something. When someone cannot abide the thought of being confined in an office, it means they cannot tolerate or stand the idea of such restriction.

Abroad means in or to a foreign country or countries. When someone is famous both at home and abroad, they are well-known both in their own country and internationally.

Ablaze means glowing with bright light or color, or burning fiercely. When trees are ablaze with autumn colors, they are brilliantly displaying the vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows of fall foliage.

Abide means to follow, comply with, or adhere to rules, laws, or agreements. To abide by the rules of the club means to follow and obey those regulations.

To abstract means to extract, summarize, or distill the essential points from something. When you abstract the main points from an argument, you're pulling out the key ideas while leaving out details. 'Absolved' means forgiven, 'absorbed' means taken in or engrossed, and 'absconded' means escaped - none of these fit the context of extracting points.

Absorption means deep involvement or complete attention to something. When someone is totally absorbed in sport, they're fully focused on it to the detriment of other responsibilities like work. 'Abration' is not a standard word, 'abrogation' means formal repeal, and 'absolution' means formal forgiveness - these don't fit the context.

Abandon means to leave something behind or give up on it. When snow forces drivers to abandon their vehicles, they have to leave their cars because they can't continue driving. 'Abase' means to humiliate, 'abash' means to embarrass, and 'abate' means to become less intense - none fit this context.

Abrasions are superficial injuries to the skin - scrapes, scratches, or grazes. When someone suffers cuts and abrasions to the face, they've been scratched and scraped. 'Abrogations' refers to repeals of laws, 'absolutions' means forgiveness, and 'absorbance' is a scientific term about light absorption.

'Rushing about' is a phrasal expression meaning moving around excitedly or busily in various directions. Children in a garden rushing about are running around energetically. 'By' indicates nearness, 'along' suggests movement in a line, and 'among' means being surrounded by something - none capture the sense of busy, multi-directional movement.