Question

Identify and use prepositional phrases.
I am standing here _____________ my employees.
A. on
B. on behalf of
C. with
D. for

Answer 1

Hint: It is essential to know the prepositional phrases and their usage to ensure that you arrive at the right answer. Try to substitute every option given in the blank and see what meaning you can derive out of it, and choose the most appropriate ones.

Complete answer:
Prepositional phrases are groups of words consisting of words that modify the verb or a noun in the sentence. Common prepositional phrase examples include about, after, at, before, behind, by, during, for, from, in, of, over, past, to, under, up, and with.

A) Option A would be considered incorrect because it is not a suitable answer for the given question.
Because “On” is generally used to show or indicate a position. Generally, it is used to show that
something is on top of another thing or something else. The sentence with this preposition will be “I am standing here with my employees.” And it shows that the first person is standing on top of the
third person which is incorrect.
B) Option B is the only correct option here out of all as it perfectly fits as an answer to the question.
“On behalf of” is generally used to show “in place of” or “as the agent of”. The sentence in this case
will be “I am standing here on behalf of my employees.” And it shows that the first person is there in
place of his employees which makes perfect sense and is correct.
C) Option C is also incorrect. Although “with” can be used to show in the company of somebody but
with this sentence Option B is more accurate. The sentence in this case will be “I am standing here
with my employees.” And hence this option is incorrect.
D) Option D on the other hand is also incorrect as it is not a suitable answer for the given question.
The sentence in this case will be “I am standing here for my employees.” which is not making
prepositional phrase with the object ‘employees’ and hence is incorrect.

Thus the correct answer is option ‘B’.

Note: For is generally used to indicate a reason or to indicate a duration (time) or to specify a use of something. Although “with” has many it can also be used to show when someone is accompanied by someone or something.