WAEC 2012 English Language · Question 15

He was charged … stealing from the company's safe

Question

From the words or group of words lettered A to D, choose the word or group of words that best completes each of the following sentences: He was charged...........stealing from the company's safe

A.about
B.in
C.of
D.with

Answer: D. with

Explanation written with AI and checked against the answer key

Analyze the question The sentence needs the correct preposition after the verb "charged" when it is followed by an offence (stealing from the company's safe).

Explain the concept In English, the verb "charge" is used with the preposition with when you accuse someone of a crime:

charged with murder
charged with armed robbery
charged with fraud

"Charged of" is a common mistake. People confuse it with "accused of" or "convicted of," which do take "of."

Show the solution

The sentence: "He was charged __ stealing from the company's safe."
The word after the blank is "stealing," which is the offence.
The correct collocation is "charged with + offence."
Check the options: • A. about: wrong, as it does not link a charge to a crime. • B. in: wrong, as it is not used with "charged" for an offence. • C. of: wrong, as "charged of" is not standard. We say "accused of" instead. • D. with: correct.

Correct sentence: He was charged with stealing from the company's safe.

Answer: D

Exam tip: Remember this pairing:

Charged WITH a crime
Accused OF a crime
Convicted OF a crime

The words "charged" and "with" both appear in "charged with," so they go together. WASSCE and JAMB often test these verb-preposition pairs, so learn them in sets.

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