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." |
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