Question

Choose the correct preposition from the following to be used in the blanks. He is married _______ an advocate.

• A. of
• B. with
• C. to
• D. against

Hint:

Never use ``with'' after ``married'' when referring to the spouse.
Always write ``married to [someone]'' to ensure grammatical correctness in your sentences.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Understanding the Question:
This question tests the candidate's understanding of prepositions that follow verbs denoting marital relationships in the passive voice.
The sentence describes the state of marriage of a subject to another person.

Step 2: Key Concepts and Grammar Rules:
In active voice, the verb ``marry'' does not take a preposition (e.g., ``He married an advocate'').
However, when using the passive voice or expressing a state of being married (using the auxiliary verb ``to be''), the adjective ``married'' is followed by the preposition ``to''.

Step 3: Detailed Explanation:

• Common Error: A very common error is to use ``married with'' due to direct translation from native or regional languages.
However, in standard English, ``married with'' is incorrect when indicating the person to whom someone is wed.
``Married with'' is only used in contexts like ``married with children'' (meaning married and having children).

• Option (C) - to: This is the correct fixed preposition to indicate the spouse of a person in a passive structure.
Thus, ``He is married to an advocate'' is correct.

• Options (A), (B), and (D): These do not convey the correct meaning and violate standard grammatical rules in this context.


Step 4: Final Answer:
The correct choice is Option (C) because ``to'' is the grammatically correct preposition.