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Question

Difficulty: HardPrepositions and Prepositional Phrases

During the community development summit, the council chairman postponed the launch of the new infrastructure project ______ the wishes of the traditional elders.

Which prepositional phrase correctly completes the sentence above?

  1. in deference toAnswer
  2. B
    in deference for
  3. C
    in deference with
  4. D
    in deference of

Answer

The prepositional phrase 'in deference to' correctly completes the sentence to mean acting out of respect for the elders' wishes.
The phrase 'in deference to' is an established English idiom meaning 'out of respect for' or 'in polite submission to'. In formal register, the noun 'deference' requires the preposition 'to' when indicating the person, institution, or wish being respected.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the semantic context of the sentence
The context indicates that the chairman yielded or showed respectful submission to the wishes of the traditional elders.
Identifying the target meaning determines which prepositional phrase is required.
2
Select the fixed prepositional collocation matching the intended meaning
The noun 'deference' strictly collocates with the preposition 'to' to form the multi-word prepositional phrase 'in deference to'.
English grammatical conventions demand specific complement prepositions for formal abstract nouns.

Key Concept

Fixed Prepositional Phrases and Noun-Preposition Collocations
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases

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