List verb + preposition

Commonly Used Prepositional Verbs

Account for

We must account for all the information in our

report.

Accuse (someone) of

The teacher accused Michael of cheating on the

test.

Adapt to

We have adapted to living in the U.S.

Add to

6 added to 5 equals 11. The new requirement has

added to my worries about paying for my
education.

Agree on

We agreed on an answer for the problem

Agree to

We agreed to the solution for the problem.

Agree with

I agree with your answer for the problem.

Apologize for something

He apologized for his rude behavior.

Apologize to someone

He apologized to his friends for his rude behavior.

Apply for

She is applying for Georgia State University.

She applied for a teaching assistantship.

Approve of

The teacher approved of his plan for his research

paper.

Argue with someone

Michael argued with his teacher about his grade.

Argue about something

I argued politely with Michael about his ideas on

the economy.

Arrive at

We arrived at the test center on time.

They arrived at the same solution for the problem.

Ask for

We asked for more time on the test.

Become of

What became of Michael? Have you seen him

lately? I haven't seen him for a long time.

Believe in

He believes in his solution for the problem.

Belong to

She belongs to a tennis club.

Blame
someone/something for
something

He blames his poor English for his grade on the

test.
The citizens blame the government for the
economic problems.

Blame something on
someone

He blamed his grade on his English.

The police blamed the explosion on a separatist
group.

Borrow from

I borrowed some paper from my roommate.

Shakespeare borrowed his plots from other writers.

Care about

I really care about the environment.

Care for

I don't care for his attitude--I don't like it at all.

He is caring for his elderly parents.

Catch up with

Run faster--we have to catch up with the rest of

the group.
I caught up with the homework last weekend.

Come from

He comes from Egypt.

Comment on

The teacher commented on the effect of the

election on the economy.

Communicate about
something

He communicated with his teacher about his

grade.

Communicate with
someone

He communicated with his teacher about his

grade.

Compare with

Please compare Clinton's

presidency with Reagan's.
He compared the food in the cafeteria with his
mother's cooking.

Complain about

The students complained about the food in the

cafeteria.

Compliment someone on
something

The teacher complimented Maria on the good work

she did on the examination.

Congratulate someone on
something

The teacher congratulated all the students on their

final reports.

Concentrate on

I want to concentrate on my major.

Consent to

My advisor consented to my plan.

Consist of

Grammar consists of syntax, morphology,

semantics, and phonology.
Water consists of hydrogen, oxygen, and a few
other elements.

Convince someone of
something

Michael convinced his teacher of the correctness of

his answer on the test. He convinced his teacher to
change his grade.

Decide between

I have to decide between coffee and tea to go with

my lunch.
He decided between the U.S. and Australia as the
place to study English.

Decide on

Michael decided on biology as his major.

Depend on

I depend on my family for money.

(Dis)approve of

Mary approves of my plan. Michael disapproves

of my ideas.

Dream about

He dreams about being a doctor.

Dream of

He dreams of Maria.
He dreams of being a doctor.

Excuse someone for

something

She excused him for being rude.

Explain something to
someone

She explained her ideas about the project to the

teacher.

Get along with

He gets along well with many different people.

Get back from

We just got back from Egypt.

Get rid of

I need to get rid of my old car.

Get through with

I'll get through with school in late May.

Get used to

I can't get used to American food.

Happen to

What happened to Michael? He seems sad.

What happened to the oranges that I put in the
refrigerator? They're not there.

Have confidence in

Our teacher has confidence in our dedication to

study.

Have influence on

His father had a lot of influence on his major.

Have an opportunity for

I have an opportunity for getting a scholarship.

I have an opportunity to get a scholarship.

Have patience with

The teacher has patience with us.

Have a reason for

You must have a good reason for your answer on

the math test.

Hear about

I heard about the lecture from Michael.

Hear from

I just got an email from Michael--I hear from him

everyday.

Hear of

Have you ever heard of a music group called

"Echelon"? They seem to be popular in France.

Insist on

The teacher insists on our being on time to class.

Introduce someone to
something/someone

Mary introduced her grammar teacher to Michael.

Invite someone to

Mary invited her grammar class to the lecture.

Keep for someone

Michael will be out of town for the summer. Mary

willkeep his cat for him while he is gone.

Keep away from someone

I don't like John's attitude. I want to keep away

from him.

Keep on

To learn English, you must keep on studying. You

can't stop after a few months.

Laugh about

Mary and Michael laughed about the article in the

newspaper.

Laugh at

They laughed at the silly joke.

Learn about

I learned about his problems from his mother.

Listen for

John and Mary are supposed to get home at 5:00

P.M. Their mother is listening for their car.

Listen to

We listened to the new CD.

I listened to the teacher's lecture.

Look at

Please look at my answer to this problem.

Look for

I looked for information on the Web.

Look forward to

I am looking forward to my visit to Egypt.

Michael looked forward to visiting his family.

Object to

I object to your tone.

They objected to having a test on the last day of
class.

Participate in

All the students participated in the discussion.

Pay for

He paid for our lunch.

We paid $120 for our textbooks.

Plan on

Michael planned on studying in the U.S

We're planning on going to the movie tonight.

Prefer to

I prefer tea to coffee.

He prefers English to chemistry.

Prepare for

Mary is preparing for TOEFL.

Prevent from

Her poor Spanish prevented her from getting the

job in Peru.

Provide for

His family provides for his tuition.

Provide someone with

something

I provided Michael with information for his report.

Recover from

She was very sick. But, she's recovering from her

illness rapidly.

Refer to

He referred to the Internet in his report.

Relate to

Michael related the economic decline to oil prices.

Rely on

I rely on my family for money.

We relied on the Internet for our research papers.

Remind someone of

Michael reminds me of my brother.

Search for

I searched for information about water pollution.

See about

We need to see about buying our textbooks for the

semester.

Send for

We sent for some books from home about the

history of our country.

Separate something from

something

Separate the yolk from the white of the egg.

Separate the truth from fiction.

Show up at

We didn't invite him--he just showed up at the

party.

Spend money on
something/someone

He spends a lot of money on his girlfriend.

Stop from

His teacher wants him to stop from answering all

the questions in class.

Substitute for

Margarine can substitute for butter.

Mary will substitute for Michael next week--she
can teach his class for him.

Subtract from

The company will subtract the cost of

insurance fromyour salary.
His bad temper substracts from his other good
qualities.

Succeed at

Mary will succeed at any task she attempts.

I want to succeed at this new job.

Succeed in

He succeeded in passing the test.

She succeeded in her ambition to be a teacher.

Take advantage of

Let's go to the store right now. I want to take

advantage of the sale.
He's not a very good person. He will take
advantage ofhis friends to make money.

Talk about

Let's talk about your problem.

Talk over

We talked over the possible answers.

Talk to

I talked to my teacher about my test grade.

Talk with

Mary talked with Michael about this temper.

Thank someone for

something

Michael thanked Mary for her advice.

Think about

The students thought about their answers to the

math problem. They considered all the possible
answers.

Think of

They thought of several new ways to do the

problem. They developed several new methods.

Throw away

They cleaned their apartment and threw away two

sacks of old newspapers.

Vote for

We voted for the president of the student

government.

Wait for

Michael was late for the meeting, and Mary waited

for him for thirty minutes.

Waste money on
something/someone

My brother wasted a lot of money on a very old

car.
He wasted time and energy on that car, too.

Wish for

He wished for a new car.

Work for

Michael works for a computer company.

Worry about

Mary worries about her grades.

Michael worries about money.