Functional Prepositions — Test Questions
Six mixed questions on as vs like, with vs by, about, and of — expressing roles, tools, comparisons, methods and materials rather than location.
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She works ___ a doctor at the local hospital.
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as
'Works as a doctor' — 'as' = in the role of. She IS a doctor.
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Please don't cut your food ___ a knife — it's considered rude here.
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with
'With a knife' — use 'with' for tools you hold.
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I love your perfume — it really smells ___ roses.
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like
'Smells like roses' — 'like' = similar to (comparison). The perfume isn't actually roses.
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I'm really worried ___ my driving test tomorrow.
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about
'Worried about' — use 'about' to show what concerns you.
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'Have you got enough cash?' 'No, I'll pay ___ credit card.'
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by
'Pay by credit card' — use 'by' for the method of payment.
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This bag is made ___ leather.
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of
'Made of leather' — the material is visible and unchanged.
Functional Prepositions: What This Test Checks
Functional prepositions have nothing to do with physical space — they express a role, a tool, a comparison, a concern, a method, or a material, and each requires memorising the specific preposition that goes with the meaning intended. The as/like contrast tested here is a genuine meaning distinction, not just a stylistic choice: 'she works as a doctor' states an actual job or role, while 'it smells like roses' states a resemblance to something the subject is not. Confusing the two changes what the sentence claims to be true.
The remaining questions test method and cause. 'With' introduces a tool physically used to perform an action — cutting food 'with a knife' — while 'by' introduces an abstract method, including how a payment is made ('pay by credit card'); the two are not interchangeable even though both can loosely translate as 'using'. 'About' introduces the object of an emotional or mental state — 'worried about my driving test' — a pattern that extends to many similar adjectives (excited about, curious about, happy about). Finally, 'of' marks a material that remains visible and essentially unchanged in the finished object — a bag 'made of leather' — a pattern this test isolates from the related but distinct 'made from', used when the original material is transformed beyond recognition.
Your perfume really smells like roses. (comparison, not identity)
I'm really worried about my driving test. (object of an emotion)
This bag is made of leather. (material stays visible)
Last updated: · Satori Editorial