Nouns and dependent prepositions

1   People are worried about the increase ………… knife crime.

2   Sugary drinks can have a devastating effect ………… a person’s health.

3   Most of the students expressed a preference ………… postponing the exam for a week.

4   My main objection ………… getting a part-time job is that I won’t have enough time to study.

5   Rosie’s obsession ………… her favourite band takes her all over the country.

6   Until now, nobody has been able to prove the existence ………… life on other planets.

7   The difference ………… Asian and African elephants is that the former have smaller ears.

8   There is an urgent need ………… effective measures to house the world’s refugees.

9   Trained in analysis, I had no experience............  taking decisions which might or might not turn out to be good.

10   At present, the proposal ..............  the new shopping centre is under examination.

11    After that spectacular trip..............  space, it could have been difficult for him to settle back into the routine of normal life.

12    Even when I was studying in Dublin with a view .............  becoming an actor one day, I was regarded as being extremely antisocial and eccentric.