The soldiers were ____ war.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → at
Complete sentence: The soldiers were at war. Like "at peace", "at work" and "at rest", it takes the preposition at.
| Option | Used to show | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) at (answer) | At war is a fixed phrase meaning engaged in fighting a war. | The two countries were at war for five years. |
| (2) in | In is used with a particular war (“in the war”, “in the Second World War”), not in the fixed phrase without an article. | His grandfather fought in the war. |
| (3) on | On appears in phrases such as “on duty” and “on leave”, or “war on” something (a campaign against it). “Were on war” is not English. | The soldiers were on duty all night. |
| (4) of | belonging (“the horrors of war”). It cannot describe the soldiers' state. | The museum shows the horrors of war. |