I've come across a question while writing an exam
Roger really excelled ___ sports
A) at
B) on
C) in
D) for
My first thought was 'in', later I remembered using 'at' also. I've searched for this in a few forums, there they say both 'excel in' and 'excel at' are correct expressions and could not really make out any differences.
Now my problem is that I'm an ESL and the above question doesn't give options like 'both a and c correct'. I'm not sure what option to pick for these kind of questions.
So, what is the correct option for above question?. Answers from experts are much appreciated. If both are correct what is the intention of question paper setter?
Best Answer
While 'excel at' and 'excel in' are generally interchangeable, I do think there is a subtle distinction.
excel at seems to apply better to specific activities.
excel in seems to apply better to more general categories or things that cover many activities.
To me, "She excels at school" sounds thoroughly ungrammatical and would not be uttered by a native speaker. "He excels in service returns in badminton" also sounds a little bit strange but other native speakers than me might use it.