VERB + PREPOSITION COMBINATIONS

VERB + PREPOSITION COMBINATIONS

This list contains some common verb + prepositions. Check an ESL or learner’s dictionary under the verb for any verb + preposition combinations that you cannot find on the list.

EX:

1. Every year I pay $150 to subscribe to “Outback” magazine.

2. Some people use soy milk to substitute for daily milk.

3. Olympic athletes excel at at least one sport.

4. In a democracy, we all have the right to vote for our representatives.

5. On buses, we prohibited from eating and drinking.

6. Drug traffickers profit from people’s misery.

7. You should take advantage of every opportunity in life.

8. Overseas students have to adapt to a new culture in Australia.

9. They are encouraged to adopt some of the customs of their new country.

10. It doesn’t matter to me.

11. Teachers object to students sleeping in class.

12. People sometimes gossip about what their neighbors are doing.

13. Wind will sometimes interfere with TV reception.

14. Pedophiles interfere with children.

15. Shopaholic are obsessed with shopping.

LIST:

Accuse (someone) of

Adapt to

Admit to

Advise against

Agree with

Apologize for

Apply for (something)

Apply to (someplace)

Approve of

Argue about (something)

Argue with (someone)

Arrive at

Believe in

Belong to

Blame (someone for/something on)

Care about/for

Choose between

Combine (something) with

Come from

Compare (someone/something) to/with

Complain about (something)

Complain to (someone)

Concentrate on

Consist of

Contribute to

Cooperate with

Count on

Deal with

Decide on

Depend on

Die of/from

Disapprove of

Dream about/of

Escape from

Excel at

Excuse (someone) for

Feel like

Fight for/about

Forget about

Forgive (someone) for

Glance at

Gossip about

Graduate from

Happen to

Hear about/of (something)

Hear from (someone)

Hide from

Hope for

Insist on

Interfere with

Introduce (someone) to

Intend to

Invite (someone) to

Know about

Learn from

Listen to

Live on

Look at

Look forward to

Matter to

Object to

Participate in

Pay for

Plan on

Prepare for

Prevent from

Profit from

Prohibit (someone) form

Protect (someone/something) from

Read about

Recover from

Rely on

Rescue from

Respond to

Search for

Speak about (something)

Speak to/with (someone)

Stare at

Stop from

Subscribe to

Substitute for

Succeed in

Take advantage of

Take care of

Talk about (something)

Talk to/with (someone)

Thank (someone) for

Think about/of

Vote for

Wait for

Worry about

ADJECTIVE + PREPOSITION COMBINATIONS

ADJECTIVE + PREPOSITION COMBINATIONS

This list contains some common adjective + prepositions. Check an ESL or learner’s dictionary under the adjective for any adjective + preposition combinations that are not on the list.

EX:

1. I am accustomed to coming to work early.

2. I am used to coming to work early.

3. The company director was envious of the profit of a rival company.

4. The company director was jealous of the profit of a rival company.

5. The quality of their product is inferior to ours.

LIST:

Accustomed to

Afraid of

Amazed at/by

Angry at

Anxious about

Ashamed of

Aware of

Awful

Bad at

Bored with/by

Capable of

Concerned about

Content with

Curious about

Dependent on

Different from

Eager for

Envious of

Excited about

Familiar with

Famous for

Fond of

Friendly to

Full of

Glad about

Good at

Guilty of

Happy about

Homesick for

Inferior to

Interested in

Jealous of

Known for

Nervous about

Opposed to

Pleased about

Proud of

Ready for

Responsible for

Sad about

Safe from

Satisfied with

Sick of

Similar to

Slow at

Sorry for/about

Suitable for

Superior to

Surprised about/at/by

Terrible at

Tired of

Upset with

Worried about

Prepositions

Prepositions
A preposition connects a noun or a pronoun to the rest of a sentence. It indicates a relationship such as time, place, or position.

Types of Prepositions
Here are some common prepositions, listed by the type of relationship they indicate:

1. Prepositions of time

Month/year	In	Aidan arrived in Yorktown in June. He arrived in 1999.
Day/date	On	He began classes on Monday. He began class on June 5.
Specific time	At	The classes started at 9:00 A.M.
General time	In Before After	The classes ended in the evening/afternoon/morning She left before lunch. I am leaving after the exam.
Approximate time	About Around Between	I’ll be home about 2:00 P.M. Let’s meet around 5:00 P.M. He said he’ll call between nice and ten o’clock.
Duration	For Through During	My family lived in Guam for six years. I have thought of you often through the years. We ate a lot of popcorn during the movie.

2. Prepositions of place

City/country	In	Fred lived in Toronto for three years. He lived in Canada for five years.
Street	On	He worked on Battery Street.
Address	At	He lives at 16 Queen Lane.
Motion	To	He goes to the park for lunch. (walk to, run to , drive to, ride to , race to, fly to)
Motion in a direction	Toward	They walked toward me.

3. Prepositions of position

The book is on the desk.

The lecture notes are in my notebook.

Let’s meet at the library.

The dog is sitting beside its owner.

My house is between the library and the bridge.

Some other prepositions that commonly show position are: above, across, against, along, among, behind, beneath, by, down, inside, into, near, outside, over, past, under, up.

4. Prepositions of manner

She is good at speaking foreign languages.

They finished the test with ease.

He can understand their accent by listening carefully.

5. Prepositions of comparison

We are so close that he is like my brother.

The storm made the sky as dark as night.

6. Prepositions of possession

Dino is a good friend of mine.

Country

Country

Ridge
Mountain
Island
Hill
Beach
Field
River
Forest
Woodland
Reservoir
Dam
Village
Valley
Stream
Bush
Path
Meadow
Farmhouse
Barn
Fence
Waterfall
Lake
Track