Verb+Prepositions Combinations with Examples
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Verb+Prepositions Combinations with Examples
Phrasal verbs are verbs and prepositions in an association so close that they have new meanings that cannot be easily inferred from the individual parts. But not all verb preposition combinations act in this way. In many combinations, the transitive meaning of the verb can only be expressed in association with a particular preposition, but the preposition does not modify the meaning of the verb as is the case with two-word verbs.
These verb-prepositions associations cannot be changed without changing the meaning. We have to memorize them, to understand and speak English.
Some of these verbs may take an indirect object as well as a direct one. In such case one or both objects may require a particular preposition.
Since all the verbs in this list carry one or another of their usual dictionary definitions, they have not been defined, except where the same compound has several meanings, or where the students might find difficulty in deciding which of the dictionary definitions to apply in to given case.
Verb and Preposition combinations with examples
| abstain from | The doctor advised me to abstain from the use of alcohol and tobacco. |
| account for | (explain)How do you account for the unusually cold weather we’ve been having lately? |
| accuse (someone) of (something) | He accused me of taking some important papers from his desk. |
| adapt to | When you travel you have to adapt to the habits and customs of the country you visit. |
| adhere to | This glue will not adhere to glass or leather. |
| agree on | They couldn’t agree on the subject of foreign policy. |
| agree with | I don’t agree with a word you say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it. |
| apologize for | I have to apologize for the way this room looks. I haven’t gotten around to cleaning it. |
| approve of | She doesn’t approve of alcohol in any form. |
| argue with | I won’t argue with you; I can see your mind’s made up already. |
| arrive at (a place) | He arrived at my house just at supper time. |
| arrive in (city, country) | They arrived in New York last Tuesday. |
| ask about | We asked about the condition of the roads between there and the Capital. |
| ask for | I asked for a quite room on the second floor of the hotel. |
| assure of | I assured him my willingness to help him. |
| bargain with (someone) for (something) | I bargained with the dealer for more than two hours for that old sofa. He finally let me have it for eight dollars. |
| believe in | (accept as real or true, or morally desirable)Do you believe in Darwin’s Theory of Evolution?He doesn’t believe in letting the children have money unless they have earned it. |
| belong to | (be a possession of)This book doesn’t belong to me. It’s a library book.(be a member of a group or organization)What clubs do you belong to, if any? |
| beware of | My father told me to beware of strangers, women, and mad dogs. |
| blame(someone) for (something) | I blame myself for all that happened yesterday. |
| break (someone) of (some) habit | I’m trying to break myself of the habit of biting my nails when I’m nervous. |
| buy from (a person) | I bought it from a salesman who came to the door. |
| but at (a shop or store) | I bought it at a department store. |
| buy in (a city or country) | He bought it in Rome. |
| care for | (take care of)Who cares for the children when you go out of town?(enjoy, be fond of… usually in negative)I don’t care much for hillbilly music or western ballads. |
| caution (someone) against (something/one) | I want to caution you against believing everything he says. He is not always to be trusted. |
| complain about | What are you complaining about? You got your share. |
| consent to | Her parents wouldn’t consent to her marriage to a man almost twice her age. |
| consist of | The student body of this school consists of students from nearly fifty countries. |
| contrast with | This student’s present grades contrast very favorable with those he made when he entered the school. |
| contribute to | Do you want to contribute a dollar to the Red Cross? |
| convict of sentence to | He was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. |
| correspond with | This signature does not correspond with the one on his ID card. |
| count on | (relay on)Can I count on your cooperation in this matter? |
| cure of(an illness or bad habit) | He claims he was cured of dysentery by a diet of peanuts and bananas. Do you think that’s possible?Demosthenes cured himself of stammering by taking with his mouth full of pebbles. |
| deal in | He deals in diamonds and precious stones. |
| deal with | a. (do business with)I don’t like to deal with that store: they’re overcharged me too many times.b. (handle, control)How you deal with a situation like that?c. (treat)My next lecture will deal with the so-called “law” of supply and demand. |
| decide against | We thought for a while of buying a large house, but we’ve decided against it, at least for the present. |
| decide on | We haven’t yet been able to decide on a name of the baby. |
| defend from (against) | The city is well defended from (against) attack by land or sea but not, of course, from the air. |
| delight in | He delights in telling jokes about Texas and Texans. |
| depend on | a. (relay on)You can depend on him to do a good job.b. (be contingent on)My going to the movies with you tonight depends on how soon I can finish my homework. |
| deprive of | We were deprived of a great many luxuries during the war. |
| die of | (a disease)He died of a heart attack. |
| die from | (cause other than disease)He died from falling off the roof. |
| differ from | a. (have a different size, shape, color, etc)He differs from his brother in both his appearance and his manner.b. (hold a different opinion)I differ from him on a few minor details; but we agree on all the basic issues. |
| disagree with | I disagree with you completely. |
| entrust to (intrust) | (delegate responsibility to someone)I’m afraid to entrust anything valuable to him. |
| entrust with (intrust) | (delegate responsibility for something)I’m afraid to entrust him with anything valuable. |
| excel in | He is not much of a student, but he excels in all outdoor sports. |
| excuse from | Can I be excused from class this afternoon? |
| fall in love with | He fell in love with her at first sight. |
| furnish in | Their house is furnished in Southern Colonial Style, all except the kitchen, which is strictly modern. |
| furnish with | They furnished him with all that was necessary for his trip. |
| guard against | (foresee and prevent)In this work you have to guard against letting your feelings influence your judgment. |
| guess at | The gauge is broken; we’ll just have to guess at the amount of gas in tank. |
| hear from | (receive information from.. by various means)We haven’t heard from him since he moved to California. |
| hear of (about) | a. (know existence of)There may be such a place, but I’ve never heard of (about) it.b. (receive information concerning)Have you heard about (of) Joe’s trip to South America? |
| hinder from | Don’t let me hinder you from doing your work. (obstaculizar, entorpecer) |
| hint at | He couldn’t tell us the real story behind the headlines, but he hinted at it. (nos dio pistas) |
| hope for | I’ve been hoping for an answer to the letter I wrote him. |
| impose on | The weather is so bad you’d better spend the night here.You’re very kind, but I’m afraid I’d be imposing on you. |
| inflict on | I don’t want to inflict my troubles on you any longer. (that is, burden you with having to hear about my troubles) |
| inform against | I don’t like to inform against anybody, but it’s my duty to report this to the authorities. |
| inquire into | The committee is going to inquire into the possible misuse of public funds in this case. |
| insist on | I insist on an answer to my question. |
| interfere in | (take an active but unwanted part in a situation)I’m not going to interfere in their quarrel. It’s no business of mine. |
| interfere with | (disturb)Don’t let me interfere with your work. |
| laugh at | a. (deride) – mofarseIt’s better to have people laugh with you than laugh at you.b. (laugh because of)My wife often laughs at my jokes. |
| laugh with | (share laughter sympathetically)When we studied a new language we laugh with each other at our mistakes. |
| lecture on | What subject is the professor going to lecture on today? |
| listen for | During the war we used to sit in the shelter, listening for all –clear signal to tell us we could go back to work. |
| listen to | I’d rather listen to music than watch TV. |
| live for | We should learn to live for other people, not for ourselves. |
| look at | Would you like to look at these photographs of my children? |
| look alike | (resemble)Look at that man over there! Doesn’t he look like my brother? |
| object to | I don’t object to people having fun, but you’re keeping the whole neighborhood awake! |
| pay for | How much did you pay for that overcoat? |
| prefer_ to _ | I prefer swimming to fishing.He prefers John to his brother. |
| present (someone)with (something) | When he retired, they presented him with a gold watch. (entregaron) |
| prevent (someone/thing) with (something) | I tried to prevent the dog from following me, but it was no use. |
| prohibit from | There are certain parts of the city that military personnel are prohibited from visiting. They’re off limits. |
| protect (someone/thing) from (someone/thing) | Put on this coat, it’ll protect you from rain. |
| punish for | He was punished for a crime he didn’t commit. |
| quarrel with (someone) about (or over something) | I won’t quarrel with you about (over) a nickel. |
| quote from | The teacher likes to quote long passages from Shakespeare. |
| reason with | You can’t reason with an angry man. |
| rebel against | I’m beginning to rebel against this quite life I’ve been leading. |
| reconcile to (something) | I’m not reconciled to being without a car here. |
| reconcile with (someone) | He’d like to be reconciled with her, but she refuses to speak to him. |
| recover from | He has just recovered from a serious illness. |
| refrain from | All personnel are expected to refrain from talking during briefings. (abstenerse de) |
| rely on | Can I relay on you to close the window when you leave? |
| remind of | a. (recall by resemblance to)She reminds me of my mother. She looks so much like her.b. (recall attention to)May I remind you of your obligations to your country? |
| reply to | That remark was in bad taste and I don’t intend to reply to it! |
| require of (from) | That course is too easy. It doesn’t require anything of (from) the student except his presence in class. |
| result from | (be the result of)Most of my difficulties resulted from my lack of money. |
| result in | (cause a result)His bad behavior resulted in his losing weekend privileged for a month. |
| reward (someone) for (something) with (something) | He was rewarded for his heroism with a medal. |
| rob of | He was robbed of fifty dollars in some border town.Nothing ever fobs him of his self assurance. |
| scoff atburlarse, mofarse | The townspeople used to scoff at his ideas and call him a crackpot, but he knows more than any of them. |
| sentence to | He was sentenced to five years in prison. |
| stare at | He stared at me as though he ware seeing a ghost. |
| start on | We’re starting on our trip early tomorrow morning. |
| struggle against | In his youth he had to struggle against poverty and prejudice. |
| struggle with | I’ve been struggling with this problem for fifteen minutes. |
| speak on | (speak about)He will speak on the necessity of international cooperation. |
| speak to | Dr. Hartman will speak to our group on Monday. |
| subscribe to | a. (pay for regular delivery of newspaper, magazine, etc)I subscribe to two daily papers and several magazines.b. (assent to the ideas, opinions, policies, etc. of)I don’t subscribe to all of his ideas by any means, but I voted for him. |
| substitute for | Miller is substituting for Brown in tomorrow’s game. |
| succeed in | He succeeded quite well in business but not so well in his personal life.I succeeded in persuading him to come on the trip with us. |
| surrender to | The Rebels still refuse to surrender to the central Government. |
| sympathize with | I can sympathize with your point of view, but, frankly, I don’t share it. |
| take advantage of | You should take advantage of his offer; you may never have such an opportunity again. |
| talk to | a. (give advise or reproof)You’ll have to talk to Willy; you’re his father, and he won’t listen to me!b. (make an informal speech)Mr. Brown will talk to the new students at 10:00 in Room 312. |
| think about | I’ll think about it tonight and let you know tomorrow. |
| trust in | We have to trust in the integrity of our leaders.In God we Trust (Motto on U.S. coins) |
| trust with | I’d trust him with my last dollar! |
| vote against | (in opposition to)I voted against amendment No. 3, but for all the others. |
| vote for | (in favor of)Who are you going to vote for? |
| wait for | I’ll wait for you on the corner of 6th Av. and 8th St. |
| wish for | If you had three wishes, what would you wish for first? |
| wonder at | I wonder at the way some people act in public. |
| work at | (work intermittently toward a goal that is not taken very seriously)I hear you’re working on a novel.Not really. I just work at it, when I have a little spare time, or feel in the mood. |
| work for | (do serious work of some duration, toward a particular goal)What are you working on there?This? This is going to be a chair, if I ever finish it. |
| yearn for | If you’re the kind of person who yearns for peace and quite and plenty of sunshine, this is the place for you! |
