Compound preposition exercises

1. Compound prepositions: categories

Group each compound preposition into the category listed in the table.

Compound prepositions	Categories
ahead of
except for
instead of
owing to
apart from
in addition to
near to
on account of
thanks to
as well as
in place of

2. Multiple-choice questions

Choose the correct preposition to complete each sentence.

1. He is _________ everyone in the race.

a) outside ofb) in place ofc) in spite ofd) up toe) ahead of

He is ahead of everyone in the race.

2. _________ Tom, who is away, all his close friends were invited to the wedding.

a) Owing tob) Except forc) In spite ofd) As fore) Thanks to

Except for Tom, who is away, …

3. _________ the report, it will be ready tomorrow.

a) Because ofb) In spite ofc) Except ford) As fore) Owing to

As for the report, …

4. She parked her car _________ the building.

a) out ofb) owing toc) inside ofd) ahead ofe) in front of

She parked her car in front of the building.

5. _________ her advice, I got a promotion.

a) As forb) Except forc) Thanks tod) Ahead ofe) Because of

Thanks to her advice, …

6. He enjoys cooking _________ reading.

a) as well asb) owing toc) in place ofd) except fore) because of

He enjoys cooking as well as reading.

7. The flight was delayed _________ heavy fog.

a) up tob) as well asc) due tod) ahead ofe) in spite of

The flight was delayed due to heavy fog.

8. Did they check the _________ the car?

a) in place ofb) thanks toc) out ofd) inside ofe) up to

Did they check the inside of the car?

9. That’s not _________ me to decide.

a) ahead ofb) up toc) because ofd) owing toe) out of

That’s not up to me to decide.

10. I didn’t go _________ the rain.

a) in front ofb) except forc) because ofd) due toe) as for

I didn’t go because of the rain.

3. Fill in the blanks

Choose the correct compound preposition from the list.

Apart from - Owing to - As for - thanks to - on account of - in spite of - because of - in addition to - near to

1. Monday, I’ll be in the office next week.

2. Monday, I won’t be in the office.

3. She was offered the position her strong communication skills.

4. She was not offered the position her strong communication skills.

5. the recent outbreak of cholera, we decided to cancel our trip to Comoros.

6. He decided to buy the house its proximity to the beach.

7. They went to Comoros the recent outbreak of cholera.

8. He works as a teacher being a CEO.

9. I was despair after I got divorced.

10. The pope could not travel anymore his advanced age.

Tip: cause → because of / owing to / on account of / thanks to. Contrast → in spite of. Addition → in addition to. Topic → As for. Exception → Apart from. Near state → near to.

Score: 0 / 19

4. Compound preposition worksheet

Choose the correct compound preposition to complete the sentences in the worksheet. Check the answers on this page after you have completed the exercises.