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Difficulty: MediumPrepositions and Prepositional Phrases

The presiding judge ruled that submitting the unverified evidence at this stage of the trial would be highly prejudicial _____ a fair hearing for the defendant. Which preposition correctly completes the sentence?

  1. toAnswer
  2. B
    against
  3. C
    for
  4. D
    with

Answer

to
The adjective 'prejudicial' (meaning causing harm, detriment, or bias) standardly governs the preposition 'to'. Therefore, 'prejudicial to a fair hearing' is the grammatically correct prepositional phrase.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the head adjective requiring a dependent preposition in the clause.
The target adjective is 'prejudicial'.
Certain adjectives in formal English require specific fixed prepositions to link to their nominal complements.
2
Determine the standard grammatical collocation for 'prejudicial'.
The adjective 'prejudicial' standardly pairs with the preposition 'to' (i.e., 'prejudicial to something').
In standard English usage, expressions denoting detriment or damage such as 'prejudicial', 'detrimental', or 'inimical' govern the preposition 'to'.

Key Concept

Dependent Prepositions following Formal Adjectives
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Topics

Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases

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