Grade 11- unit 6- grammar worksheet - Free Printable

Let's solve each question one by one and explain the correct answer based on English grammar rules, especially focusing on prepositions used with verbs like *apologize*, *accuse*, *admire*, *blame*, *congratulate*, *criticize*, *punish*, *praise*, and *suspect*.

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1. The president of the company officially apologized to the local residents _________ having dumped a large amount of raw sewage in the area.

A. about
B. with
C. at
D. for

✔ Correct answer: D. for

Explanation:
The correct phrase is "apologize for". We use "for" after "apologize" when explaining the reason.
👉 *"Apologize for doing something"* is standard usage.

> ✔ "He apologized for the mistake."

So:
➡️ "The president apologized for having dumped..."

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2. The factory was accused _________ having caused higher level of pollution to the environment.

A. about
B. on
C. of
D. for

✔ Correct answer: C. of

Explanation:
The correct structure is "accused of".
We say: *"be accused of doing something"*

> ✔ "She was accused of stealing."
> ✘ "accused about", "accused on", or "accused for" are incorrect.

So:
➡️ "The factory was accused of having caused..."

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3. We all admire him _________ having changed both his attitude and behaviours towards the environmental issues.

A. about
B. for
C. with
D. at

✔ Correct answer: B. for

Explanation:
We use "admire someone for doing something" — the preposition "for" indicates the reason.

> ✔ "I admire her for her courage."
> ✘ "admire about", "admire with", "admire at" — not correct.

So:
➡️ "We admire him for having changed..."

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4. Human activities are also blamed _________ having contributed to global warming.

A. for
B. on
C. at
D. with

✔ Correct answer: A. for

Explanation:
The correct phrase is "blamed for".
We say: *"be blamed for doing something"*

> ✔ "He was blamed for the accident."
> ✘ "blamed on", "blamed at", "blamed with" — incorrect.

So:
➡️ "Human activities are blamed for having contributed..."

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5. We congratulated him _________ having invented an energy-saving device.

A. for
B. at
C. about
D. on

✔ Correct answer: A. for

Explanation:
We use "congratulate someone for doing something".
Note: While "congratulate on" is also acceptable (e.g., "congratulate on your success"), the more common and grammatically correct form with a specific action is "for".

But let’s clarify:

- ✔ "We congratulated him for inventing..." → emphasizes the action
- ✔ "We congratulated him on his invention" → emphasizes the result

However, here the sentence says "having invented", which is an action. So "for" is better.

> ✔ "We congratulated him for his hard work."
> ✔ "We congratulated him on the achievement."

But since it's "having invented", we prefer "for".

So:
➡️ "We congratulated him for having invented..."

✔ Answer: A. for

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6. He was criticized _________ not having put the elephant poachers in jail.

A. at
B. about
C. for
D. on

✔ Correct answer: C. for

Explanation:
The correct phrase is "criticized for".

> ✔ "He was criticized for being late."
> ✘ "criticized at", "about", or "on" — not standard.

So:
➡️ "He was criticized for not having put..."

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7. His company was punished _________ not having dumped the rubbish properly.

A. by
B. for
C. about
D. because of

✔ Correct answer: B. for

Explanation:
We use "punished for" when stating the reason for punishment.

> ✔ "They were punished for breaking the rules."
> ✘ "punished by" — that would mean "by whom", but here we need reason.
> ✘ "punished about" — not correct.
> ✘ "because of" — while it could be used in a clause, it doesn’t fit directly after "punished".

Also note: “because of” is followed by a noun or noun phrase, but here we have a gerund phrase: "not having dumped...", so "for" fits best.

So:
➡️ "His company was punished for not having dumped..."

✔ Answer: B. for

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8. The city mayor praised all voluntary students _________ having cleaned the playgrounds for the children.

A. for
B. because of
C. of
D. due to

✔ Correct answer: A. for

Explanation:
Use "praised for" — same as "admired for", "congratulated for".

> ✔ "She was praised for her honesty."
> ✘ "praised because of" — possible, but awkward and less direct.
> ✘ "praised of" or "due to" — not correct.

"Because of" and "due to" are followed by nouns, not gerunds directly. Also, "because of" cannot go directly after "praised" in this context.

So:
➡️ "Praised for having cleaned..."

✔ Answer: A. for

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9. He was suspected _________ having received presents from the local companies and ignored their violations of the environmental law.

A. about
B. on
C. of
D. for

✔ Correct answer: C. of

Explanation:
The correct phrase is "suspected of".

> ✔ "He was suspected of theft."
> ✔ "Suspected of doing something"

So:
➡️ "He was suspected of having received..."

Note:
- ✘ "suspected for" — incorrect.
- ✘ "suspected about" or "on" — not used.

✔ Answer: C. of

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✔ Final Answers:

| Question | Answer |
|--------|--------|
| 1 | D. for |
| 2 | C. of |
| 3 | B. for |
| 4 | A. for |
| 5 | A. for |
| 6 | C. for |
| 7 | B. for |
| 8 | A. for |
| 9 | C. of |

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🔍 Summary of Common Prepositions:

| Verb | Correct Preposition | Example |
|------------------|----------------------|---------|
| apologize | for | apologize for |
| accuse | of | accused of |
| admire | for | admire for |
| blame | for | blamed for |
| congratulate | for / on | congratulate for (action), on (achievement) |
| criticize | for | criticized for |
| punish | for | punished for |
| praise | for | praised for |
| suspect | of | suspected of |

Let me know if you'd like a printable version or explanation in simpler terms!