Q3
EnglishParts of Speech
Insert the appropriate prepositions in the sentence: He has a preference ______ tea ______ coffee.
- a.over, for
- b.for, to
- c.for, over
- d.to, over
Answer: (C) for, over
No official PSC key exists for 2018, so the book's answer (B) is kept. Standard usage (Oxford/Cambridge: 'a preference for A over B') supports (C) 'for, over'. Remember, however, that with the noun 'preference' standard dictionaries give the pattern 'a preference for X over Y', which is option (C); the other fixed phrase is 'in preference to'. Options (A) and (D) fail at the first blank, because 'preference' must be followed by 'for'.