Verb + prepositions
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It can be very difficult for learners of English to know which preposition goes with which preposition! Here's a list that it would be great to LEARN BY HEART. There's also an exercise underneath that you can use to help you learn some of them.
Sentences
Group 1
1. She was so absorbed in her work that she didn’t hear the doorbell.
2. He was unable to account for the error.
3. She added some water to the flour
4. Matthew is adjusting to his new way of life
5. He admitted to being a bit nervous.
6. "Do you agree with me?", she asked him.
7. They agreed to the proposal.
8. She applied to the passport office for a passport
9. This rule doesn’t apply to children below 5 years old.
10. They appealed to the government for help.
11. She argued with her friend
12. They argued about the cleaning.
13. Her parents arranged for her to go to an afternoon club.
14. William arrived in London yesterday
15. They arrived at the restaurant at 8
16. Katy apologised for her mistake
17. They don’t approve of their daughter’s decision
18. John asked for a pay rise.
19. Tom was accused of taking the money.
20. The police arrested the man for drug dealing.
Exercise
Below is an exercise that you can do to practise some of the prepositions.Try not to look at the sentences above and see if you can remember the prepositions.
Group 2
sentences
1. He begged for forgiveness.
2. "Let's begin with a story", the teacher said.
3. He'll benefit from the decision.
4. "Do you believe in God", she asked him.
5. "It belongs to me", she said.
6. John boasted about his new car.
7. Tom borrowed a book from the library.
8. He was blamed for spilling the drink.
9. The mistake was blamed on Gerry.
10. She's caring for her grandmother.
11. He cares about his exam results.
12. They catered for hundreds of people.
13. He was unsure about which flat to buy and couldn't choose between two.
14. The politician didn't want to comment on what had happened.
15. The van collided with a truck.
16. They communicated with each other through email.
17. He compared his old job to his new job.
18. Sara competed with her sister in the race.
19. She's always complaining about something.
20. "What's it composed of?", she asked.
exercise
group 3
sentences
1. She’s concerned with/about what other people think
2. He tried to concentrate on what she was saying but there was too much noise.
3. The teenagers confessed to their crime.
4. Her parents congratulated her on/for winning the tennis match.
5. Her diet consisted of eating fish, meat, fruit, vegetables and pulses.
6. Everyone in the office contributed to Sara’s leaving present.
7. The amount of money in the till at the end of the day didn’t correspond with/to the amount of goods sold.
8. She’s counting on him to help her.
9. The chairs were covered with white sheets so that they didn’t get dusty.
10. The car crashed into a sign post
11. The criminal was charged with armed robbery
12. She was convicted of assault
13. Peter convinced them of his innocence.
14. He was cured of a life threatening illness.
15. After some discussion, they decided on a restaurant to go to.
16. She decided against taking legal action.
17. He dedicated his life to helping those less fortunate than herself.
18. Mary depends on her husband financially.
19. They despaired of their rebellious teenage son.
20. Heavy rain deterred people from going out.
exercise
Group 4
sentences
1. Life in the countryside differs from life in the city in many ways.
2. She disagrees with his opinion.
3. His parents disapprove of their son’s idea to live in a hippy commune.
4. Bob discussed the idea with his employees.
5. She dealt with the situation very well.
6. They dream of starting a B&B by the sea one day.
7. Richard dreamt about the place where he used to live last night.
8. Kate often dresses her twin daughters in the same clothes.
9. They drank to the future of the company
10. The people demanded for equality
11. Sarah is devoted to her husband
12. John devotes an hour a day to exercise
13. The medicine is derived from fish oil
14. The teacher discourages the children from using calculators.
15. Paul is colour blind and he can’t distinguish blue from purple.
16. Tom tried to distract his sister from doing her homework.
17. He elaborated on his business ideas.
18. Josie finally emerged from her room after being ill in bed for a week.
19. Rachel was so engrossed in her book that she didn’t hear the doorbell.
20. James Bond managed to escape from the baddies.