http://www.englishpage.com/prepositions/verb_preposition.html
To look up a verb + preposition combination, click a letter in the menu on the left. The following abbreviations are used in this resource:
SO = someone
ST = something
| Verb + Prep | Example |
| account for | He accounted for such problems. |
| accuse SO of ST | He accused her of stealing the money. |
| adapt to | They adapted to the new culture. |
| add SO/ST to SO/ST | She added milk to the grocery list. |
| add to | Translation problems added to the confusion. |
| adjust to | They adjusted to their new environment. |
| admit ST to SO | She admitted her real age to everybody. |
| admit to | She admitted to cheating on the test. |
| agree on | We agreed on the price. |
| agree to | He agreed to the new conditions. |
| agree with | I agree with you. |
| apologize to SO for ST | I apologized to her for being rude. |
| appeal to SO for ST | The nation appealed to the UN for assistance. |
| approve of | The parents approved of the marriage. |
| argue with SO about SO/ST | Timmy argued with his father about his curfew. |
| argue with SO over ST | The customer argued with the salesman over the store's return policy. |
| arrange for SO (to do something) | They arranged for an interpreter to be present. |
| arrest SO for ST | The police arrested the man for stealing the car. |
| arrive at (a place) | They arrived at home. |
| ask for | She asked for help. |
| Verb + Prep | Example |
| base on | The company bases salary on experience. |
| be absent from (a place) | He was absent from class. |
| be accustomed to | I am not accustomed to such behavior. |
| be acquainted with | He is acquainted with many celebrities. |
| be addicted to ST | He is addicted to heroin. |
| be afraid of | I am afraid of spiders. |
| be angry at SO for ST | I am angry at him for what he said. |
| be angry with SO for ST | I am angry with him for what he said. |
| be annoyed at SO for ST | He is annoyed at her for spending so much money. |
| be annoyed with SO for ST | He is annoyed with her for spending so much money. |
| be anxious about ST | I am anxious about the presentation. |
| be associated with | He is associated with the company. |
| be aware of | You are not aware of all the problems. |
| be blessed with | He is blessed with great musical talent. |
| be bored by | They were bored to death by his long speech. |
| be bored with | The interviewers were bored with the repetitive comments. |
| be capable of ST | He is capable of much more. |
| be cluttered with ST | The room is clutter with boxes. |
| be committed to | I am committed to improving my language skills. |
| be composed of | The meteorite is composed mostly of iron. |
| be concerned about | I am concerned about his smoking. |
| be connected to | The DVD player is connected to the TV. |
| be connected with | They are connected with the project. |
| be content with | He is content with the results. |
| be convinced of ST | We are convinced of her innocence. |
| be coordinated with ST | Testing centers coordinated with the schools to set testing dates. |
| be crowded in (a building or room) | It is crowded in the auditorium. |
| be crowded with (people) | The auditorium is crowded with people. |
| be dedicated to | She is dedicated to improving her grammar skills. |
| be devoted to | He is devoted to his wife. |
| be disappointed in | She is disappointed in her son's improvement. |
| be disappointed with | She is disappointed with her son for not improving. |
| be discouraged by | He was discouraged by the high costs. |
| be discouraged from (doing something) | They were discouraged from participating. |
| be discriminated against | He discriminates against people who are different. |
| be divorced from SO | Mary is divorced from John. |
| be done with ST | He is done with the work. |
| be dressed in | She was dressed in red. |
| be encouraged with | The staff was encouraged with a profit-sharing program. |
| be engaged in ST | He was engaged in that research for more than ten years. |
| be engaged to SO | John was engaged to Mary for six months. |
| be envious of | I am envious of you for having the opportunity to travel. |
| be equipped with ST | The expedition is equipped with the latest gear. |
| be excited about | I am excited about the opportunities. |
| be exposed to | The workers were exposed to dangerous chemicals. |
| be faced with | He was faced with many difficult decisions. |
| be faithful to | They are faithful to their company. |
| be familiar with | I am familiar with that program. |
| be famous for | He is famous for climbing Mt. Everest. |
| be filled with | The boxes are filled with clothes and books. |
| be finished with | I am finished with my studies. |
| be fond of | She is fond of her nieces and nephews. |
| be friendly to SO | He is friendly to new coworkers. |
| be friendly with SO | He is friendly with new coworkers. |
| be frightened by | She is frightened by the coyotes calling at night. |
| be frightened of | The kids are frightened of ghosts. |
| be furnished with ST | The house is furnished with designer furniture. |
| be grateful to SO for ST | I am grateful to you for your assistance. |
| be guilty of ST | He is guilty of the crime. |
| be happy about ST | I am not happy about the results. |
| be innocent of ST | He is innocent of the crimes. |
| be interested in | I am interested in astronomy. |
| be involved in ST | He is involved in the program. |
| be involved with | He is involved with many charities. |
| be jealous of | John is jealous of Mary's close friendship with Tom. |
| be known for ST | He is know for his humor. |
| be limited to | The speeches are limited to fifteen minutes each. |
| be made from ST | The statue is made from old car parts. |
| be made of (material) | The statue is made of metal. |
| be married to | She is married to a famous politician. |
| be opposed to | I am opposed to increasing tuition prices. |
| be patient with SO | He is patient with his students. |
| be pleased with | I am pleased with the results. |
| be polite to SO | She is polite to the visitors. |
| be prepared for | He is prepared for such questions at the conference. |
| be protected from | The cave paintings are protected from vandalism. |
| be proud of | He is proud of his son. |
| be related to | She is related to the famous artist. |
| be relevant to | That is not relevant to this conversation. |
| be remembered for ST | He is remembered for his bravery. |
| be responsible for | She is responsible for the new policies. |
| be satisfied with | The teacher is satisfied with the test results. |
| be scared of | She is scared of snakes. |
| be terrified of | She is terrified of roaches. |
| be thankful for | We are thankful for their help. |
| be tired from (doing something) | He is so tired from jogging. |
| be tired of (doing something) | He is tired of answering the same questions over and over. |
| be worried about | I am worried about her. |
| beg for | They begged for the answer to the riddle. |
| begin with | Every sentence begins with a capital letter. |
| believe in | He believes in ghosts. |
| belong to | I don't belong to that organization. |
| benefit from | He benefits from the government assistance programs. |
| blame SO for ST | He blamed his employees for his mistakes. |
| blame ST on SO | He blamed the company's failure on his employees. |
| boast about | She boasted about her new Mercedes. |
| borrow ST from SO | He borrowed money from me. |
| Verb + Prep | Example |
| care about | He cares about what his children watch on TV. |
| care for | He doesn't care for fish. |
| catch up with | He caught up with her before she got into the elevator. |
| cater to | The hotel doesn't cater to tour groups. |
| charge SO for ST | The restaurant didn't charge me for breaking the glass. |
| charge SO with ST | The police charged him with drunk driving. |
| choose between SO/ST and SO/ST | The winner got to choose between a vacation to Tahiti and a new car. |
| chose ST from ST | The magician chose a lady from the audience to help him with the trick. |
| collide with | The car collided with a truck. |
| come from | He comes from Florida. |
| comment on | She wouldn't comment on the accusations. |
| communicate with SO | Many people use email to communicate with friends and family abroad. |
| compare SO/ST to SO/ST | The analyst compared the company's current profits to last year's. |
| compare SO/ST with SO/ST | He shouldn't compare his younger son with his older son. |
| compete with | He loves to compete with others. |
| complain about | They complained about the quality of the hotel. |
| compliment SO on ST | He complimented her on her new dress. |
| concentrate on | He needs to concentrate on his work. |
| concern SO with ST | You shouldn't concern her with our problems. |
| confess to | He confessed to the crimes. |
| confuse SO/ST with SO/ST | She confused him with Tom Cruise. |
| congratulate SO on ST | She congratulated him on his victory. |
| consent to ST | The parents consented to the request. |
| consist of | The test consists of 100 multiple choice questions. |
| contribute to ST | I contributed to the World Wildlife Fund. |
| convict SO of ST | They convicted him of murder. |
| cope with | Can he cope with the large amount of work. |
| correspond with SO | I correspond with them by email. |
| count on | He counts on their support. |
| cover with | She covered her sleeping son with the blanket. |
| crash into | He crashed into the tree. |
| cure SO of ST | The doctors cured her of the disease. |
| Verb + Prep | Example |
| deal with | He has to deal with many problems. |
| decide against | He decided against taking the job in New York. |
| decide between SO/ST and SO/ST | I couldn't decide between the chicken dinner and the sushi. |
| decide on | He decide on taking the job in Los Angeles. |
| dedicate ST to SO | He dedicated the song to his girlfriend. |
| demand ST from SO | He demanded help from his coworkers. |
| depend on | The cost of the carpet depends on the quality of the weaving. |
| derive ST from ST | He derives a great deal of pleasure from his work. |
| deter SO from ST | Nothing could deter her from becoming a policewoman. |
| devote ST to SO | He devoted the song to his wife. |
| differ from | Your results differ little from mine. |
| disagree with | He disagrees with me. |
| disapprove of | Her parents disapprove of her job choice. |
| discourage SO from ST | He discouraged his son from quitting school. |
| discuss ST with SO | I discussed the situation with them. |
| distinguish between SO/ST and SO/ST | The expert couldn't distinguish between the real painting and the forgery. |
| distinguish SO/ST from SO/ST | The expert couldn't distinguish the real painting from the forgery. |
| distract SO from ST | The loud music distracted her from her work. |
| dream about | I dream about traveling around the world. |
| dream of | I dream of a day when poverty no longer exists. |
| dress SO in ST | She dresses her twins in the same clothes. |
| drink to | They drank to his new job. |
| Verb + Prep | Example |
| elaborate on ST | He elaborated on his earlier comments. |
| emerge from ST | The dragon emerged from its lair. |
| escape from (a place) | They escaped from jail. |
| exchange SO/ST for SO/ST | They exchanged dollars for yen. |
| exclude SO from ST | He excluded them from the meeting. |
| excuse SO for ST | She excused them for being late. |
| expel SO from (a place) | The leader was expelled from the country. |
| experiment on | They experimented on various ways of preventing the disease. |
| explain ST to SO | The teacher explained the project to the students. |
| Verb + Prep | Example |
| elaborate on ST | He elaborated on his earlier comments. |
| emerge from ST | The dragon emerged from its lair. |
| escape from (a place) | They escaped from jail. |
| exchange SO/ST for SO/ST | They exchanged dollars for yen. |
| exclude SO from ST | He excluded them from the meeting. |
| excuse SO for ST | She excused them for being late. |
| expel SO from (a place) | The leader was expelled from the country. |
| experiment on | They experimented on various ways of preventing the disease. |
| explain ST to SO | The teacher explained the project to the students. |
| Verb + Prep | Example |
| feel about | He felt bad about what he said. |
| feel like | I feel like seeing a movie. |
| fight about | They fought about who had to do the dishes. |
| fight against | Martin Luther King fought against racism and oppression. |
| fight for | He fought for improved working conditions. |
| fight with | He fought with his parents throughout his teen years. |
| forget about | She forgot about the meeting. |
| forgive SO for ST | She forgave him for the terrible things he said. |
| Verb + Prep | Example |
| gamble on | I wouldn't gamble on that happening. |
| gawk at | They just gawked at me as though they didn't understand a thing. |
| gaze at | She gazed at the sight in wonder. |
| get back from (a place) | He got back from work at 6 o'clock. |
| get married to SO | John got married to Mary. |
| get rid of | He got rid of his old clothes. |
| get through with | I'm never going to get through with this work. |
| get tired of | He got tired of the complaining. |
| get used to | He needs to get used to the new working conditions. |
| give ST to SO | He gave the book to me. |
| glare at | She glared at him in disbelief. |
| gloat at | He gloated at their failure. |
| grieve for | The nation is grieving for those who died in the accident. |
| gripe at SO | She always gripes at her husband. |
| grumble at SO about ST | The old man always grumbles at his wife about their children never visiting. |
| Verb + Prep | Example |
| happen to | What happened to him? |
| harp on | She is constantly harping on her husband's bad eating habits. |
| hear about | I have never heard about that policy before. |
| hear from SO | Have you heard from your son recently? |
| hear of | Have you ever heard of the Anasazi people? |
| help SO with ST | He helped me with my homework. |
| hide ST from SO | He hid his bad report card from his parents. |
| hinder SO/ST from ST | Rebels are hindering aid workers from accessing the area. |
| hinge on | Success hinges on his participation in the project. |
| hope for | The company hopes for better sales in the coming quarter. |
| Verb + Prep | Example |
| insist on | He insists on driving even though he is having vision problems. |
| insure against | The investment does not insure against loss of income. |
| interfere in ST | The couple's parents should not interfere in their relationship. |
| interfere with ST | Don't interfere with the natural balance of nature. |
| introduce SO/ST to SO/ST | I introduced him to his girlfriend. |
| invest in | We invested in that company. |
| invite SO to | I invited her to the party. |
| involve SO/ST in ST | We involved them in the decision making. |
| Verb + Prep | Example |
| jabber about | He was jabbering about problems at work. |
| joke about | We love to sit around and joke about old times. |
| joke with SO about SO/ST | He was joking with me about the mistake I made. |
| jot down ST | She jotted down notes as he spoke. |
| Verb + Prep | Example |
| keep on (doing something) | She kept on talking |
| keep SO/ST from (doing something) | I kept her from making the same mistake. |
| keep ST for SO | He wants to keep the toy for his daughter. |
| know about | He knows a lot about that subject. |
| Verb + Prep | Example |
| laugh about | She laughed about what the children had done. |
| laugh at | We always laugh at his jokes. |
| learn about | I need to learn more about that topic. |
| lend ST to SO | I lent my dictionary to her. |
| listen for | The mechanic said I should listen for any squeaking sounds. |
| listen to | He loves to listen to his MP3 player on the subway. |
| long for | I long for a week on the beach in Hawaii. |
| look at | Look at this old picture of my grandmother. |
| look forward to | I look forward to meeting her parents. |
| Verb + Prep | Example |
| meet with SO | We will meet with the organizers next week. |
| mistake SO/ST for SO/ST | I mistook him for his twin brother. |
| Verb + Prep | Example |
| nod at | He nodded at the others. |
| nod to | He nodded to them. |
| Verb + Prep | Example |
| object to | Do you object to my smoking? |
| operate on | The surgeon operated on the conjoined twins. |
| Verb + Prep | Example |
| participate in ST | We participated in the survey. |
| pay for | He paid for our meal last night. |
| persist in | The disease persists in rural farms throughout the region. |
| plan on | We plan on attending the wedding. |
| praise SO for ST | He praises his son for his good grades. |
| pray for | The villagers prayed for rain. |
| prefer SO/ST to SO/ST | We prefer salmon to other kinds of fish. |
| prepare for | We are preparing for a long winter. |
| present SO with ST | He will present her with the award for best journalist. |
| prevent SO/ST from (doing something) | The campaign is designed to prevent young people from drinking. |
| prohibit SO from (doing something) | The school prohibits students from smoking. |
| provide for | It is difficult for them to provide for their families. |
| provide SO with ST | The school provides students with textbooks. |
| provide SO/ST for SO | The company will provide food and drinks for all. |
| punish SO for ST | He was punished for his crimes. |
| Verb + Prep | Example |
| quarrel with SO about ST | They quarreled with the waiter about the mistakes on the bill. |
| quarrel with SO over ST | He quarreled with her over her political beliefs. |
| Verb + Prep | Example |
| react to | He reacted to the news negatively. |
| recover from ST | He is recovering from his illness. |
| refer to ST | He was referring to the chart on page 24. |
| relate to | She is not related to their family. |
| rely on | We rely on the latest information to make such decisions. |
| remind SO of SO/ST | He reminds me of my grandfather. |
| reply to | We replied immediately to the letter. |
| rescue SO from SO/ST | He rescued the puppy from the icy lake. |
| resign from ST | He resigned from the company. |
| respond to | We responded to the request for help. |
| result in ST | His outburst result in his being fired. |
| retire from ST | He retired from the company after 40 years of faithful service. |
| Verb + Prep | Example |
| save SO from ST | They are working to save mountain gorillas from extinction. |
| search for | The are searching for signs of life on Mars. |
| sentence SO to ST | The court sentenced him to 20 years in jail. |
| separate SO/ST from SO/ST | He separated Billy from the others children. |
| share ST with SO | She shared her secret with the others. |
| shout at | The old man shouted at the kids |
| show ST to SO | He showed the pictures to his friends. |
| smile at SO | I smiled at the newcomers. |
| speak to SO about SO/ST | The director spoke to the employees about the changes. |
| specialize in ST | He specializes in technical translation. |
| spend (money/time) on | They spent too much money on their new car. |
| stand for | NASA stands for National Aeronautics and Space Administration. |
| stare at | Why are they staring at me? |
| stem from | The corruption charges stem from allegations of bribery. |
| stop SO from (doing something) | The environmental group stopped them from building the new hotel. |
| subject SO to ST | They subject the students to unrealistic standards. |
| subscribe to | He subscribed to that magazine. |
| substitute SO/ST for SO/ST | You can substitute beef for pork if you don't eat pork. |
| subtract ST from ST | He subtracted the expenses from the profits. |
| succeed at ST | He will succeed at anything he does. |
| succeed in (doing something) | He succeeded in finishing the marathon. |
| suffer from | She suffers from a rare genetic disorder. |
| suspect SO of ST | The police suspect them of smuggling drugs over the border. |
| Verb + Prep | Example |
| take advantage of | He took advantage of his connections at the company. |
| take care of | He takes care of his pets. |
| talk about | They talked about the recent problems. |
| talk to | I need to talk to you for a few minutes. |
| tell SO about ST | He told them about what happened. |
| thank SO for ST | We thanked them for their hospitality. |
| think about | He thought about what she had said. |
| think of | They need to think of ways to reduce costs. |
| toast to | Let's toast to a long marriage. |
| translate ST into (a language) | He translated the instructions into Japanese. |
| trust SO with ST | He trusted the new employee with the combination to the safe. |
| turn to | They turned to page 123. |
| Verb + Prep | Example |
| use ST for ST | They use wood for fuel. |
| Verb + Prep | Example |
| vote against | She voted against the new proposal. |
| vote for | He voted for the most popular candidate. |
| Verb + Prep | Example |
| wait for | I waited for them at the restaurant. |
| warn about | They warned me about pickpockets in the train station. |
| waste (money/time) on | They wasted money on another new car. |
| wish for | The child wished for a new bicycle before he blew out the candles on his cake. |
| work for | I have worked for them for 20 years. |
| work on | They worked on the proposal for two weeks. |
| worry about | She worries about her children. |
| write about | He wrote a book about his life. |
| write to SO | You need to write to your parents more often. |
| Verb + Prep | Example |
| The Verb + Preposition Dictionary contains no verbs beginning with "X." | |
| Verb + Prep | Example |
| yap about | He always yaps about the good old days. |
| yearn for | He yearns for more adventure in his life. |
| Verb + Prep | Example |
| The Verb + Preposition Dictionary contains no verbs beginning with "Z." | |
沒有留言:
張貼留言