Chicago Style Workout 52: Prepositions

/ February 23, 2021

Two snowpersons gesture at each other on a snowy field. One says to the other, "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" The other responds: "No, Bill, you shall not."

The Object of This Quiz Is Prepositions

For this month’s quiz we return to the grammar chapter—specifically, paragraphs 5.172–95, which cover prepositions. The main job of prepositions is to set up other words, an important job that usually goes unnoticed (except, maybe, at the end of a sentence).

The first half of the quiz tests your general knowledge of prepositions; the second half considers certain words and the prepositions they’re usually paired with.

(Hint: The first paragraph of this post begins with a preposition; the second ends with one.)

Subscribers to The Chicago Manual of Style Online may click through to the linked sections of the Manual (cited in the answers). (We also offer a 30-day free trial of CMOS Online.)

Note: Style guides and dictionaries sometimes disagree. This quiz is designed to test your knowledge of The Chicago Manual of Style.

[Editor’s note: This quiz relies on and links to the 17th edition of CMOS.]

Chicago Style Workout 52: Prepositions

1. The object of a preposition is usually
2. Sometimes the best place for a preposition is at the end of a sentence.
3. The word “than” functions as a preposition in only one of the following two sentences. Which one?
4. “We’d love to see the cathedrals of Paris.” In this sentence, the prepositional phrase “of Paris” functions as
5. In “we sat down,” the word down is a preposition whose object is understood.
6. In “the discussions centered _____ editing,” the verb centered is best followed by the preposition
7. The verb “compare” is followed by “to” when the comparison is
8. In most cases, “different from” is preferable to “different than.”
9. We never fully reconciled ____ the lack of Wi-Fi in our basement apartment.
10. The author was vexed ____ all the changes involving prepositions.

 

Photo © nickolya / Adobe Stock. Text added for post.

Ready for another quiz? Click here for the full list.

Please see our commenting policy.

Related posts

One thought on “Chicago Style Workout 52: Prepositions”

  1. “Traditionally, than I, than she, etc. were considered more polished than than me, than her, etc., but the prepositional uses are now common, especially in spoken English.” So we’re supposed to be less polished today? And we don’t copyedit spoken English!

Comments are closed.