OOPT - Oxford Online Placement Prepositions and Conjunctions Flashcards

Choose the word that correctly completes the sentence: "Hardly had the meeting begun ___ the fire alarm went off."

Answer: when

The inverted structure 'Hardly/Scarcely had + subject + past participle' is completed with 'when'. 'Than' goes with 'No sooner had...', which is a different pattern. Mixing the two ('Hardly... than') is a common mistake that tests often check.

Choose the option that correctly completes the sentence: "Talented ___ she is, she still struggles to meet deadlines."

Answer: as

The pattern 'adjective + as/though + subject + verb' is a formal way to say 'Although she is talented'. 'So' and 'such' don't work in this fronted structure, and 'despite' is a preposition, so it can't be followed by a clause with a subject and verb ('she is').

Choose the correct pair of prepositions: "Prices have risen ___ 15% ___ last year."

Answer: by / since

'By' gives the size of a change (risen by 15%). 'Since' marks the starting point of a period that continues to now, which fits the present perfect 'have risen'. 'For' would need a length of time ('for a year'), not a point in time like 'last year'.

Choose the conjunction that best completes the sentence: "I'll lend you my car ___ you return it with a full tank by Sunday."

Answer: provided that

'Provided that' sets a condition that must be met: the loan happens only if the car comes back fuelled. 'Unless' flips the meaning. 'In case' means 'as a precaution against something', and 'even if' means the condition doesn't matter. Neither fits a lending condition.

Choose the word that correctly completes the sentence: "The new regulations apply to all employees, ___ they work full-time or part-time."

Answer: whether

'Whether... or' introduces two alternatives and means the outcome is the same either way. 'Either... or' links words or phrases, not a full clause in this way. 'If' can't be paired with 'or' to mean 'regardless of', and 'unless' would wrongly exclude people.

Choose the preposition that correctly completes the sentence: "Despite our objections, she insisted ___ paying for the whole meal."

Answer: on

'Insist' takes the fixed preposition 'on', followed by a gerund (insist on paying). 'Insist to pay' is a common learner error, probably influenced by verbs like 'want to' or 'decide to'. 'In' and 'for' are never used with 'insist'.