Sentence improvement (preposition and phrasal verb): choose the best substitute for the underlined part in the sentence below. The angry neighbours never passed from each other without making rude remarks.

Introduction / Context:
This question tests correct use of a common verb of movement, \"pass\", with or without prepositions. When people walk by each other in the street, there is a standard way to express that action in English. The sentence, as given, sounds unidiomatic because of the incorrect preposition \"from\" after \"passed\".

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Original sentence: The angry neighbours never passed from each other without making rude remarks.
• The idea is that whenever they met or went by one another, they exchanged rude comments.
• Options: passed on, passed against, passed, no improvement.
• We must choose a form that naturally collocates with \"each other\" in this context.

Concept / Approach:
The verb \"pass\" can be used transitively or intransitively. When two people move in opposite directions and go by one another, we generally say \"they passed each other\". We do not add a preposition like \"from\" or \"against\" in this meaning. Therefore, the best correction is to remove the preposition altogether and keep just \"passed\" before \"each other\".

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Focus on the phrase \"passed from each other\". Step 2: Recall standard expressions: \"pass someone on the road\", \"pass each other\", \"pass by the house\". Step 3: Notice that when referring to two people crossing paths, we normally say \"passed each other\", not \"passed from each other\". Step 4: Test \"passed on each other\" and \"passed against each other\"; both sound incorrect and do not give the intended meaning of physically crossing paths. Step 5: Conclude that the best way to write the sentence is \"The angry neighbours never passed each other without making rude remarks.\"

Verification / Alternative check:
You can cross-check with typical exam sentences and real usage: \"The two friends passed each other in the corridor\" is a standard pattern. Adding prepositions like \"from\" or \"against\" breaks the natural collocation. If you read the corrected sentence aloud, it sounds smooth and idiomatic.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option \"passed on\": Usually means \"handed over\" or \"moved ahead\" (for example, \"passed on the message\"), which does not fit the idea of two people crossing paths. Option \"passed against\": This combination is not used in standard English for people meeting on a road; it could incorrectly suggest resistance or opposition, which is not the intended structure here. Option \"no improvement\": Keeping \"passed from each other\" leaves the unidiomatic and incorrect preposition \"from\" in place.

Common Pitfalls:
A common mistake is to insert prepositions where English does not need them, especially after verbs of movement. Learners sometimes translate word-for-word from their own language, producing combinations like \"from each other\" that are not used by native speakers. Remember to learn frequent verb plus object patterns, such as \"passed each other\", as fixed units.

Final Answer:
The improved sentence is: The angry neighbours never passed each other without making rude remarks. Therefore, the correct option is passed.