Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: from my usual work
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This sentence improvement item focuses on the correct preposition used after the noun change in everyday English. The sentence given is This is a change of my usual work, in which the phrase of my usual work does not match natural collocations. English uses specific prepositions after change depending on the structure, and exams often test whether you know these fixed patterns. Here, the speaker wants to say that what they are doing is different from their usual work routine.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
When we talk about something different that we experience compared to our routine, the natural expression is a change from my usual work. The preposition from introduces the contrast between the new activity and the familiar one. The phrase change of my usual work would more likely describe some modification inside the work itself, but even then, native speakers usually say change in the work, not change of the work. Therefore, in this context, from my usual work is the most idiomatic and correct choice.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the intended meaning: the speaker is doing something different from their normal work.
Step 2: Recall the collocation a change from my routine / from my usual work.
Step 3: Replace of with from to get a change from my usual work.
Step 4: Read the full sentence: This is a change from my usual work.
Step 5: Confirm that this version is natural and grammatically correct.
Verification / Alternative check:
Compare with similar sentences: For example, This holiday is a welcome change from my daily routine or Working outdoors is a change from my office job. In both cases, from introduces the contrast between the new situation and the old one. Using for would sound like the change is intended to serve the work, and using in would imply a change within the same work, not a different activity. These comparisons show that from is the correct preposition for the meaning we need.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
For my usual work suggests purpose or benefit, as in a gift for my work, and does not capture the idea of contrast or difference.
In my usual work would mean that the change is inside the same work, for example, a change in my usual work pattern, which is not what the original sentence is trying to express.
No improvement would keep the unnatural phrase a change of my usual work, which does not match standard English usage.
Common Pitfalls:
Learners often translate literally from their first language and choose of where English requires from or in. A useful trick is to memorise a few common patterns like a change from routine, a change in policy, and a change of clothes, noticing how the preposition shifts with meaning. Recognising these collocations helps you quickly eliminate wrong choices in sentence improvement questions.
Final Answer:
The correct improvement is from my usual work, giving: This is a change from my usual work.
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