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Difficulty: MediumIdiomatic Prepositions

Read the sentence below.

The archival manuscript was entirely devoid from historical details that could verify the author's identity, leaving researchers to rely solely on stylistic analysis.

Which of the following choices produces a grammatically and idiomatically correct sentence?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. B
    devoid with
  3. devoid ofAnswer
  4. D
    devoid in

Answer

The correct option is 'devoid of' because the adjective 'devoid' idiomatically pairs with the preposition 'of'.
In standard English, the adjective 'devoid' must be followed by the preposition 'of' when indicating that something is entirely lacking a specific feature or quality. Therefore, the phrase 'devoid of' creates an idiomatically correct sentence.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the underlined expression and determine the target grammatical skill.
The underlined phrase is 'devoid from', which tests an adjective-preposition idiomatic combination.
ACT English frequently tests fixed prepositional idioms paired with specific adjectives, verbs, or nouns.
2
Recall standard English idiomatic usage for the adjective 'devoid'.
The adjective 'devoid' idiomatically requires 'of' (e.g., 'devoid of meaning' or 'devoid of details').
Although phrases like 'free from' use 'from', 'devoid' exclusively takes 'of' to express complete absence or lack.
3
Evaluate the choices to select the idiomatically correct preposition.
Replacing 'devoid from' with 'devoid of' restores standard idiomatic phrasing.
'Devoid of' is the only option that conforms to standard conventions of written English.

Key Concept

Idiomatic Prepositions
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Idiomatic Prepositions

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