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Common Writing Problems
Assignment
For this assignment, you must read the Supplementary Material links "Bonus Material 1: Clarifying Prepositions of Time and Place" and "More on Prepositions." So, read these links first before attempting this assignment!
This exercise will make you more aware of the prepositions that occur with common verb and adjective phrases. First, read my short story titled "The Talking Horse." After the story, you will find a list of the prepositions and then some fill-in-the-blank sentences about the characters in the story. You must select the preposition that goes with the verb or adjective phrase.
Good luck!
The Talking Horse
A Short Story, by Sabri Bebawi
© Sabri g. Bebawi: Under publication: Sagan, Miriam (2004). Sudden Fiction, UCLA.
When his father died, Joy's mom remarried. Joy's new stepfather did not want him around, so he persuaded his wife to send Joy to the village to live with her husband's sister. "Your son will be well taken care of in my sister's house," the husband assured his new wife. Reluctantly, Joy's mother agreed, and Joy was sent to the village. Joy's stepfather drove to his sister's farm in the village to drop Joy off. Joy's new guardian was a middle-aged, five-foot-tall woman who looked mean and unkind. She had a booming voice and used vulgar, impolite, crude language Joy was not used to hearing. She dressed in black and covered her head with a scarf that allowed locks of gray hair to hang from beneath it.
"My name is Louva; you call me Aunt Louva, little boy," said she to Joy, who felt uneasy around her. Standing in front of Louva and looking up at her, Joy could see her badly stained, chipped front teeth and smell her bad breath.
"God! She is ugly," he thought. "Yes madam—I mean Aunt Louva."
Joy was then led to his room. It was a tiny and dirty room with a tiny window looking at the stable where Louva kept a horse named Joshua. The room had a small mattress on the floor, one small pillow, and a very dirty cover. "This is where you will sleep," yelled Louva in her screechy voice.
Every day at dawn, Louva would wake Joy up and have him do the house chores. He would wash the floor, clean up the kitchen, sweep the outside of the house, and clean the stable. While in the stable, Joy would talk with Joshua, the horse, and would complain about Louva's treatment. Over time, Joy became attached to Joshua and so did Joshua to Joy. Many cold afternoons, Louva, Joy, and Joshua would go into the woods to collect wood for the fireplace and for the cooking stove. Louva would hit Joshua hard and yell, "Move, you lazy horse, move." One time Joy asked Aunt Louva not to hit Joshua. Consequently, Joy was spanked several times on the buttocks hard and told to mind his business. While Louva was not watching, Joy whispered in Joshua's ear, "Don't worry, Joshua; don't worry; she is crazy." Joshua shook his head up and down as though he understood and agreed.
Every night, Joy would lie on the dirty mattress on the floor shivering from cold; he would think of home, miss his mother, and weep. Sometimes his crying and weeping could be heard from outside. At times, Joy would hear Joshua's whinnies coming from the stable beneath his window.
One night Joy heard a voice beneath his window calling his name, "Joyeeee . . ." He rushed to the window and looked down but saw no one there except Joshua. Astonished, Joy climbed out the window and approached Joshua, who greeted him warmly. A moment or two passed, and Joy realized that Joshua was talking to him. After the initial shock, Joy was very happy, and ever since they would meet and talk every night.
Louva felt that there was something going on between Joy and Joshua. She could hear some voices at night, and she asked Joy several times about these voices. Joy would tell his aunt that she was imagining things. One night, Aunt Louva stayed awake to investigate these voices. She thought she was hallucinating when she saw Joy and Joshua actually talking to each other. She decided that a demon possessed Joy and that he should be locked up.
Just before dawn, Joy was awakened by a loud noise the next morning. Opening his eyes, he noticed the room was too dark and heard heavy knocking on the window. Louva was boarding up the window; she covered the window with wooden bars to prevent Joy from getting out. Joy jumped out of bed and ran toward the door but discovered that the door was locked. He realized that he was locked in like a prisoner. He cried continuously. He remained imprisoned for days and nights. His Aunt Louva would open the door, leave small pieces of bread and sometimes some pasta and water on the floor, exit, and lock the door.
For several nights, Joy would hear Joshua beneath the window, whispering words of encouragement to him. One night, Joy heard scratches at his window. He wondered but made nothing of it. Another night, he heard the same noises, so he came close to the window and saw Joshua pulling the nails out of the wooden bars with his teeth. He was surprised and pleased; he was full of hope that he would be free. After some struggle, Joshua could remove all the wooden bars from the window and in joy forgot himself and gave a loud whinny. Aunt Louva heard the noise and came out with a shotgun. Joshua saw her coming; he called Joy to jump from the window. Joy did and fell to the ground. Joy saw Joshua running toward Aunt Louva, and as he approached her, he turned around. He kicked her so hard with his hind legs that she flew far away and was no longer seen. Joshua ran back toward Joy, neighed excitedly, and told him he would take him back home. Joy climbed on Joshua's back, and through the wind, Joshua raced away from the farm.
Prepositions: about, around, at, between, by, in, of, to
Now, on a sheet of paper, write down how you would fill in the blanks. To view the answer, place your mouse pointer over the blank.
- In this story, Joy's mother remarried, and the new stepfather didn't care
________ him.
- He convinced his wife that her son would be well taken care ________ in his sister's house.
- Joy's mother reluctantly agreed ________ let her son go to the sister's house.
- The sister, Louva, was vulgar, stinky, and ugly. Joy did not feel comfortable ________ her.
- Whenever Joy was working in the stable, he would complain ________ Louva's cruel treatment.
- Gradually, Joy and Joshua became attached ________ each other. There was a special feeling ________ them.
- When Louva was mean to Joshua, Joy told the horse not to worry ________ it because the woman was crazy.
- Louva suspected there was something going on ________ Joy and Joshua.
- When Louva continued to hear the two of them talking ________ each other, she thought Joy was possessed ________ a demon and locked him up.
- Joshua was very excited ________ racing away from the farm with Joy on his back.
Answers 1. In this story, Joy's mother remarried, and the new stepfather didn't care ____ him. Answer: about
2. He convinced his wife that her son would be well taken care ____ in his sister's house. Answer: of
3. Joy's mother reluctantly agreed ____ let her son go to the sister's house.
Answer: to
4. The sister, Louva, was vulgar, stinky, and ugly. Joy did not feel comfortable ____ her. Answer: around 5. Louva yelled ____ Joy, shouting ____ a shrill voice. Answer: at, in
6. Whenever Joy was working in the stable, he would complain ____ Louva’s cruel treatment. Answer: about
7. Gradually, Joy and Joshua became attached ____ each other. There was a special feeling ____ them. Answer: to, between
8. When Louva was mean to Joshua, Joy told the horse not to worry ____ it because the woman was crazy. Answer: about
9. Joy was astonished ____ the horse when he actually spoke ____ him. Answer: by, to
10. Louva suspected there was something going on____ Joy and Joshua. Answer: between
11. When Louva continued to hear the two of them talking ____ each other, she thought Joy was possessed ____ a demon and locked him up. Answer: to, by 12. Joshua was very excited ____ racing away from the farm with Joy on his back. Answer: about