Fill in the blanks with an appropriate preposition.

Have you ever gossiped or been gossiped …………………… (on / about / of)? You will probably have, but you may not be willing to admit it. A lot of people are ……………………….. (in / into / at) gossiping, but they are ashamed ………………………. (of / to / with) admitting it. The reason is we all know gossiping is bad.

 Gossiping is quite different ……………………. (of / from / with) talking. While gossiping is bad, talking about other people isn’t always bad. For example, you might like hanging out ……………………. (by / with / of) a particular friend, simply because s/he is a cool sport. There is nothing wrong ……………………. (with / by / in) telling this to your friends. “I really like Shyam/Priya. S/he is real fun to be ………………………… (on / with / by).” These words don’t hurt anyone.

But when you say mean things ………………………. (of / about / on) other people, tell stories that you are not sure are true or reveal information you are supposed to keep secret, you are spreading gossip. Gossips can be quite hurtful and they spread real fast. They often start small and blow …………………….. (out / up / off) into something quite different from the truth. Sometimes it is possible that you heard something you know is true. Are you supposed to talk about it if it is hurtful or embarrassing ……………………… (with / to / for) another person? No, you are not. Try to avoid talking about things that would embarrass or hurt another person.

Answers

Have you ever gossiped or been gossiped about? You will probably have, but you may not be willing to admit it. A lot of people are into gossiping, but they are ashamed of admitting it. The reason is we all know gossiping is bad.

Gossiping is quite different from talking. While gossiping is bad, talking about other people isn’t always bad. For example, you might like hanging out with a particular friend, simply because s/he is a cool sport. There is nothing wrong with telling this to your friends. “I really like Shyam/Priya. S/he is real fun to be with.’ These words don’t hurt anyone.

But when you say mean things about other people, tell stories that you are not sure are true or reveal information you are supposed to keep secret, you are spreading gossip. Gossips can be quite hurtful and they spread real fast. They often start small and blow up into something quite different from the truth. Sometimes it is possible that you heard something you know is true. Are you supposed to talk about it if it is hurtful or embarrassing to another person? No, you are not. Try to avoid talking about things that would embarrass or hurt another person.