Select the appropriate option to complete the following sentence with the correct pair of preposition and pronoun:
When his son cleared the NDA exam on the very first attempt, Mr Rawat was ________ with joy and hugged everyone in the lane.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → beside himself
Complete sentence: When his son cleared the NDA exam on the very first attempt, Mr Rawat was beside himself with joy and hugged everyone in the lane. Mr Rawat was so happy that he hugged everyone in the lane.
| Option | Form and use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) by himself | means alone or without help | My little brother tied his shoelaces by himself today. |
| (2) to himself | means not shared with others or spoken only for himself to hear | The old watchman often hums to himself at night. |
| (3) within himself | means inside his own mind, not shown to others | Rohan felt a quiet pride within himself after the speech. |
| (4) beside himself (answer) | “beside himself (with joy, anger or worry)” means almost out of control because of a strong feeling | Raju was beside himself with worry when his dog went missing. |