Which of the following can replace the underlined part to make the sentence correct?
The new food stalls at the railway station must comply by the hygiene rules set by the health department.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → comply with
“Comply with” a rule:
- Comply with means to obey a rule or an order. The rule always comes after “with”.
- The given sentence says “comply by the hygiene rules”. This is wrong: “by” shows who does an action or how it is done. It cannot join “comply” to the rules.
- Complete sentence: The new food stalls at the railway station must comply with the hygiene rules set by the health department.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: comply to — Incorrect. “To” shows direction towards a person or place. The rule we obey after “comply” takes “with”.
Option 3: comply under — Incorrect. “Under” shows a position below something. The rule we obey after “comply” takes “with”.
Option 4: comply for — Incorrect. “For” shows a purpose or a reason. The rule we obey after “comply” takes “with”.