Select the most appropriate option that can substitute the underlined words in the given sentence.
Thousands of people were killed by the train accident that took place last Wednesday.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
The correct answer is option 1 i.e. killed in.
Error concept: Incorrect preposition used with “killed.”
What is wrong: The sentence uses “killed by,” which is not the most appropriate preposition in this context.
Grammatical concept: When referring to people who die as a result of an accident, the correct preposition is “in.”
Incorrectness of the concept in context: “Killed by the train accident” suggests the accident actively killed people, but idiomatically, we say people were “killed in” an accident.
How to correct: Replace “by” with “in.”
Correct phrase/ correction: killed in
Final sentence: Thousands of people were killed in the train accident that took place last Wednesday.
Hence, the chosen option is correct.