Prepositions and Phrases — Answer Key
Part A: Fix the Sentence
Each sentence has an error. Rewrite it correctly on the line.
1. Fix the sentence:
I went to the park without with my brother on Saturday.
Corrected: I went to the park with my brother on Saturday.
With and without are opposites, so use just one to show whether the brother joined.
2. Fix the sentence:
Everyone ate cake by Tom, who is allergic to chocolate.
Corrected: Everyone ate cake except Tom, who is allergic to chocolate.
Except means not including; it shows Tom was the only person who did not eat cake.
3. Fix the sentence:
She finished the project except hard work and careful planning.
Corrected: She finished the project with hard work and careful planning.
With shows the means used to do something, fitting hard work as the method here.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. The whole team played without their captain because she was sick at home.
Without means lacking; the captain was absent, so the team played without her.
2. Everyone in our class loves pizza except Jamal, who prefers tacos.
Except shows Jamal is left out of the group that loves pizza in the class.
3. She traveled to the museum by train because the weather was rainy.
By shows the means of transportation, which is the train in this rainy day sentence.
4. Liam went to the movie with his cousins, who arrived early to grab seats.
With shows accompaniment, indicating Liam joined his cousins at the movie together.
Part C: Short Answer
Answer each question in one or two complete sentences.
1. Write a sentence using except to describe a class rule or routine at school.
Sample answer: All students must wear sneakers in gym class except those with a doctor's note today.
Except shows exclusion, so a sentence with a group and one exception fits perfectly.
2. Write a sentence using by to show how someone travels somewhere on a weekend.
Sample answer: On Saturday, my grandmother visits us by bus from the next town over.
By plus a noun shows the means used; here, bus tells how the grandmother travels.