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Difficulty: Very hardPrepositions and Prepositional Phrases

Complete the sentence below by supplying the appropriate prepositions to fill the blanks correctly.

Answer:The presiding judge asserted that public officials must not act in a manner derogatory 【to】 their office, nor should they be complicit 【in】 financial malfeasance.

Answer

The correct prepositions to complete the sentence are 'to' for the first blank and 'in' for the second blank.
The adjective 'derogatory' governs the preposition 'to' when referring to actions that detract from status or reputation. The adjective 'complicit' governs the preposition 'in' when describing involvement in illegal or wrongful acts. Therefore, 'to' and 'in' are the strictly correct prepositions for the respective blanks.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Determine the required dependent preposition for the adjective 'derogatory'.
The adjective 'derogatory' takes the dependent preposition 'to' when indicating something that detracts from character, status, or office.
Standard formal English grammar requires 'derogatory to' when expressing a lessening of estimation or standing.
2
Determine the required dependent preposition for the adjective 'complicit'.
The adjective 'complicit' takes the preposition 'in' when referencing involvement or partnership in a crime, wrongful act, or unethical activity.
'Complicit in' is the standard prepositional collocation used to express association with illegal or unethical conduct.

Key Concept

Dependent Prepositions and Adjective-Preposition Collocations
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Topics

Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases

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