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Difficulty: EasyPrepositions and Prepositional Phrases

Read the sentence below:

"After reviewing the applicant's credentials, the hiring officer decided to insist _____ inspecting the original certificates before issuing an offer letter."

Which preposition appropriately fills the blank space in the sentence above?

  1. onAnswer
  2. B
    at
  3. C
    in
  4. D
    with

Answer

The correct preposition is 'on'.
The verb 'insist' takes the dependent preposition 'on' (or 'upon') when followed by a gerund clause such as 'inspecting'. Therefore, 'on' is the only grammatically accurate choice to complete the sentence.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the head verb requiring a dependent preposition.
The verb in question is 'insist'.
In Standard English, specific verbs require specific dependent prepositions to complement their meaning.
2
Determine the standard collocate/dependent preposition for 'insist'.
'Insist' takes the preposition 'on' (or 'upon') when introducing a gerund or noun clause.
The established grammatical rule dictates the prepositional complementation pattern: 'insist on doing something'.

Key Concept

Dependent Prepositions with Verbs
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Topics

Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases

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