Fill in the blank with the appropriate preposition.
He lost all his property because of his addiction _____ drinking and gambling.

Question

Fill in the blank with the appropriate preposition. 
He lost all his property because of his addiction _____ drinking and gambling.

Accepted Answer

The sentence in question is: "He lost all his property because of his addiction _____ drinking and gambling." The task is to fill in the blank with the appropriate preposition, and the correct answer is Option 3: "to."

1. **Explanation for Option 3 ("to"):**
   - The preposition "to" is commonly used to indicate a relationship of connection or association. In the context of addiction, "to" is the standard preposition used to describe what someone is addicted to. Therefore, saying "addiction to drinking and gambling" correctly conveys the idea that the person's addiction is related to these specific activities. This usage is well-established in English, as seen in phrases like "addiction to drugs" or "addiction to alcohol."

2. **Explanation for why the other options are incorrect:**

- **Option 1 ("with"):**
     - The preposition "with" typically indicates accompaniment or association, but it does not correctly convey the relationship of addiction. Saying "addiction with drinking and gambling" would imply that the addiction is accompanied by these activities, which is not the standard way to express this idea in English.

- **Option 2 ("in"):**
     - The preposition "in" is often used to indicate location or position within something. Using "in" in this context, as in "addiction in drinking and gambling," would suggest that the addiction is located within these activities, which is not a grammatically or semantically correct way to express the concept of addiction.

- **Option 4 ("of"):**
     - The preposition "of" is used to indicate belonging or possession. While it might seem plausible to say "addiction of drinking and gambling," this construction is not idiomatic in English. The phrase would imply that the addiction belongs to drinking and gambling, rather than the person being addicted to these activities.

In summary, Option 3 ("to") is the correct choice because it accurately and idiomatically expresses the relationship between the person and their addiction to specific activities, in line with standard English usage.