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Difficulty: HardPrepositions and Prepositional Phrases

Which preposition correctly completes the sentence below?

Answer:Having worked in the steel foundry for over two decades, the veteran artisan had become completely inured 【to】 extreme heat and deafening noise.

Answer

The correct preposition is 'to'.
The adjective 'inured' means accustomed to enduring something unpleasant and standard English syntax demands the dependent preposition 'to'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the predicate adjective governing the prepositional complement.
The target adjective is 'inured', which describes becoming accustomed to hardship, pain, or unpleasant conditions.
The governing word in the main clause dictates the required dependent preposition.
2
Apply the standard rule of dependent preposition collocation for 'inured'.
The adjective 'inured' strictly requires the dependent preposition 'to' (e.g., 'inured to hardship').
Substituting other prepositions such as 'with', 'against', or 'by' violates standard English prepositional usage.

Key Concept

Dependent prepositions with adjectives expressing habituation
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Topics

Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases

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