Fill in the blank with appropriate preposition and give a reason:
What is the time _____ your watch?
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Sign up to join this communityThe best and most correct choice for the blank is the prepositional phrase, according to:
What is the time according to your watch?
The New Oxford American Dictionary defines according to as:
as stated by or in
If you only had one-word prepositions to choose from, then on would be your next best option, although I would not consider it as formal:
What is the time on your watch?
Also, using on is a loose way of saying:
What time has your watch?
You could also use by, although this usage is not common in this context:
What is the time by your watch?
One of the definitions of by, as given by the New Oxford American Dictionary, is:
concerning; according to
Yes, the technically correct answer is "on," but the question itself is not idiomatic English. That is, you'd never see it in print or hear it spoken by a native speaker. More common would be:
Depends on what you are trying to say
What is the time on your watch?
would be the same as asking, "what time do you have?"
What is the time by your watch?
would, while sounding a little awkward, be specifying that I seek the time according to your watch rather than someone else's.
What is the time of your watch?
would, while also sounding awkward, be asking when the watch was made.
I expect you want the first one, though I might suggest you rephrase saying:
What time does your watch have?
How about:
What is the time according to your watch?
That implies that you suspect that watch may disagree with someone else's (either because it is wrong, or the other watch is).