Question

Prepositions of agency and manner
Prepositions of agency denote the means through or by which an action is achieved.
Read these sentences.
The letter has been sent by post.
He sliced the cake with a knife.
Prepositions of manner denote the manner in which an action is done.
Look at these sentences.
.
The trainees were amazed as the trainer spoke with authority.
The report revealed that the employees were working under compulsion.
C. Use the given prepositions as both prepositions of agency and manner to make sentences.
1. by
agency:
manner:
2. with
agency:
manner:
​

Answer 1

Explanation:

Prepositions are words that indicate relationships with the other words in the sentence. Prepositions of manner are used to describe / express "how" something happened or is done.

Let's look at the usage of various alternatives in the option as preposition of manner:

by : it is used to talk about actions (usually formed by gerund / noun); it is used to indicate the means of achieving / doing something

with : used to refer to objects or tools used to achieve something (usually followed by a noun)

in : not used as a preposition of manner

over : not used as a preposition of manner

The question in the sentences tells about the object / tool with which the speaker cut himself / herself. Therefore, as the object is being referred to here, the suitable preposition here is "with".

Thus, the correct complete sentence is:

I cut myself WITH a knife.