She apologized ____ the mistake quietly.

She apologized ____ the mistake quietly.

• A. For
• B. About
• C. To
• D. With

Answer: (A)

Choosing the correct preposition after apologize is about expressing the reason for the apology. When you tell someone what you’re apologizing for, you use for + noun or gerund. In this sentence the thing being regretted is the mistake, so the natural, standard form is apologize for the mistake. This shows you’re expressing regret about that specific thing. Using to would imply you’re apologizing to a person or group, not to a thing, and about the mistake isn’t the usual way to link the reason in this context. With and to aren’t appropriate here for indicating the cause of the apology either. The adverb quietly just describes how she apologized and doesn’t change the preposition choice.

Choosing the correct preposition after apologize is about expressing the reason for the apology. When you tell someone what you’re apologizing for, you use for + noun or gerund. In this sentence the thing being regretted is the mistake, so the natural, standard form is apologize for the mistake. This shows you’re expressing regret about that specific thing.

Using to would imply you’re apologizing to a person or group, not to a thing, and about the mistake isn’t the usual way to link the reason in this context. With and to aren’t appropriate here for indicating the cause of the apology either. The adverb quietly just describes how she apologized and doesn’t change the preposition choice.