Verbs and prepositions in English

This chapter discusses the verbs that are combined with the same prepositions. The preposition is important for the meaning of the verb.

Lesson outline

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1.Why are some prepositions with verbs in English?
2.A complete list of English prepositions with verbs
2.1.Verbs with the preposition 'about' in English
2.2.Verbs with the preposition 'from' in English
2.3.Verbs with the preposition 'on' in English
2.4.Verbs with the preposition 'at' in English
2.5.Verbs with the preposition 'in' in English
2.6.Verbs with the preposition 'to' in English
2.7.Verbs with the preposition 'for' in English
2.8.Verbs with the preposition 'of' in English
2.9.Verbs with the preposition 'with' in English
3.Exercises
3.1.Fill in the English preposition with verb
3.2.Practice the prepositions with verbs

Why are some prepositions with verbs in English?

Some verbs are followed by prepositions. The meaning of the verb depends on the preposition with which they are matched. Therefore, a verb can change its meaning completely if it is used with a specific preposition.

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A complete list of English prepositions with verbs

Below a list of the English prepositions with verbs is shown, including examples with the verbs.

Verbs with the preposition 'about' in English

Verb + about	Example
To argue about	We never argue about money.
To boast about	She keeps boasting about her daughter's grades.
To care about	They care about the children in Third World countries.
To dream about	He dreams about becoming a doctor.
To hear about	Did you hear about the news in France?
To joke about	They were joking about the article in the newspaper.
To talk about	We were talking about the weather.
To tell about	She told us something about herself.
To worry about	I worried about my brother's injury.

Verbs with the preposition 'from' in English

Verb + from	Example
To borrow from	I borrowed a shirt from my sister.
To differ from	The twins differed from each other.
To hear from	She never hear from her cousin.
To protect from	They protect themselves from danger.
To resign from	He resigned from his prestigious job.
To recover from	He recovered from his injury.
To stop from	They stopped the germs from spreading.
To suffer from	She suffers from asthma.
To translate from	He translated it from the dictionary.

Verbs with the preposition 'on' in English

Verb + on	Example
To blame on	She blamed it on her brother.
To count on	I count on my sister's help.
To depend on	The success depends on the amount of work.
To concentrate on	She is concentrating on her homework.
To insist on	He insisted on bringing his mother to work.
To rely on	I am relying on his help.
To spend on	My mother has spent a lot of money on clothes.

Verbs with the preposition 'at' in English

Verb + at	Example
To arrive at	We arrived at the airport.
To laugh at	He had laughed at his brother.
To look at	She looked at herself in the mirror.
To shout at	The teacher shouts at the students.
To stay at	The student stayed at home sick.

Verbs with the preposition 'in' in English

Verb + in	Example
To believe in	The mother believed in her son's capability.
To involve in	The girl has been involved in extracurricular activities.
To participate in	The team participated in the tournament.
To specialize in	The company is specialized in programming.
To succeed in	He worked hard to succeed in life.
To take part in	They took part in a tournament.

Verbs with the preposition 'to' in English

Verb + to	Example
To add to	The girl had been added to the group.
To admit to	He admitted to knowing her.
To agree to	She agreed to helping him after class.
To apply to	They applied to the same university.
To belong to	I belong to the same group as you.
To be used to / to be accustomed to	You are used to finishing your homework late at night.
To explain to	I explained the grammar to my brother.
To lend to	She lend her car to my sister.
To listen to	We listened to the radio.
To refer to	Please refer to the website for more information.
To reply to	The boss replied to the employee's email.
To talk to	I was talking to the teacher in the break.

Verbs with the preposition 'for' in English

Verb + for	Example
To apologize for	She apologized for being rude.
To apply for	I applied for a new job.
To ask for	He asked for my help.
To blame for	She blamed her brother for ruining her shoes.
To care for	We care for young patients.
To forgive for	He forgave her for not showing up at their date.
To look for	The company is looking for a qualified intern.
To pay for	They are paid for the amount of work they deliver.
To search for	I was searching for a job online.
To vote for	He voted for the most popular candidate.
To wait for	She waited for the bus.

Verbs with the preposition 'of' in English

Verb + of	Example
To accuse of	He is being accused of stealing.
To approve of	I approve of the collaboration.
To dream of	She dreams of becoming a pilot.
To hear of	I heard of his mother.
To remind of	They remind me of my sisters.
To smell of	She smelled of garlic and onions.

Verbs with the preposition 'with' in English

Verb + with	Example
To agree with	I agreed with the teacher's decision.
To argue with	The boy argued with his sister.
To begin with	They began with a new project.
To deal with	She deals with a lot of stress.
To share with	We share our secrets with each other.