When we were in boarding school, my parents usually came to check … us every week.

Analyze the question: The sentence needs a preposition to complete the phrasal verb "check ___ someone." This tests your knowledge of phrasal verbs with check.

Explain the concept: The meaning of "check" changes with the preposition:

• check on someone = visit or look in on them to make sure they are well and doing fine
• check with someone = confirm or consult with someone (e.g., "Check with your teacher before you leave")
• check over something = examine it carefully (e.g., "check over your work"). It is used for things, not for visiting people.
• check for = look for something (e.g., "check for mistakes")

Solution:

1. The parents came to the boarding school every week. Their purpose was to see that their children were okay.
2. This is exactly what "check on" means: to visit or look in on someone to see how they are doing.
3. Now test each option: • A. "check with us": would mean confirming something with us, which does not fit the idea of visiting. • B. "check on us": parents looking in on their children. This fits. • C. "check over us": wrong, since "check over" is used for examining things, not people being visited. • D. "check for us": wrong, because it would mean looking for us, as if we were missing.

Answer: The correct option is B. on.

Full sentence: When we were in boarding school, my parents usually came to check on us every week.

Tip: Remember "check on = look in on a person." If a question is about a person's welfare, whether a child, a patient or an elderly relative, think of check on. For things you want to inspect, think check over or check for.