In this blog post, we will learn a useful list of common verb-preposition collocations to help you understand how verbs are used with specific prepositions. These collocations are essential for building strong English sentences and improving your fluency. By mastering these verb-preposition combinations, you’ll enhance your writing and conversation skills.
What Are Verbs and Prepositions?
A verb shows an action or state, while a preposition shows the relationship between words (like in, on, at, to, about, etc.). When they come together, they form expressions that often have a specific meaning.
Example:
- She depends on her parents.
- I believe in honesty.
- He applied for the job.
Using Verbs and Prepositions
When we use verbs, they often need prepositions to connect with other words in the sentence. These are called verb-preposition combinations. Different verbs use different prepositions, and it’s important to choose the right preposition to make the sentence clear. Let’s look at some common verbs and prepositions along with short example sentences to help you understand their usage.
Verb and Preposition: At
Hint at
She hinted at a surprise for my birthday.
Guess at
Can you guess at the answer?
Glance at
He glanced at the clock during the meeting.
Arrive at
We arrived at the station early.
Aim at
The teacher aimed at improving the students’ writing skills.
Stare at
Don’t stare at people; it’s rude.
Smile at
The baby smiled at her mother.
Point at
It’s not polite to point at someone.
Laugh at
Everyone laughed at his joke.
Verb and Preposition: About
Boast about
He always boasts about his achievements.
Ask about
I asked about her weekend.
Talk about
Let’s talk about the new project.
Think about
I need to think about the offer before deciding.
Laugh about
They laughed about the funny story all night.
Know about
Do you know about the new rule?
Hear about
Have you heard about the news?
Verb and Preposition: With
Agree with
I agree with your opinion.
Argue with
She argued with her brother about the movie.
Compare with
Let’s compare this car with the other models.
Help with
Can you help with the homework?
Deal with
We need to deal with this issue now.
Share with
I will share my snacks with you.
Cope with
He finds it hard to cope with stress.
Verb and Preposition: In
Believe in
I believe in hard work.
Participate in
She participated in the science fair.
Trust in
They have great trust in each other.
Succeed in
He succeeded in solving the puzzle.
Involve in
She was involved in organizing the event.
Verb and Preposition: Of
Think of
What do you think of the new book?
Dream of
She dreams of becoming a doctor.
Remind of
This song reminds me of my childhood.
Approve of
Do you approve of their behavior?
Accuse of
He was accused of stealing the money.
How to Form Sentences Using Verbs and Prepositions
Start with the subject
The subject is the person or thing that performs the action.
Example: She
Use the verb
The verb shows what the subject is doing.
Example: She laughed
Add the preposition
The preposition connects the verb with another word in the sentence.
Example: She laughed at
End with the object
The object is the person or thing affected by the action.
Example: She laughed at the joke.
By learning and practising these verb-preposition combinations, you’ll improve your understanding of English and make your sentences sound more natural.
Some Verbs Use Different Prepositions
| Verb + Preposition | Meaning | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Look at | focus your eyes | She looked at the picture. |
| Look for | search for something | I’m looking for my keys. |
| Look after | take care of | She looks after her little brother. |
| Look into | investigate | The police are looking into the case. |
Let’s explore more pairs of verbs and prepositions that are used in the English language:
List of Verbs and Prepositions
In this section, we will learn verbs and prepositions that commonly pair with to, with, for, from, on, at, about, in, and of. These verb-preposition combinations are essential for forming grammatically correct sentences and conveying clear meanings.
Verb and Preposition To
- Write to
- Turn to
- Talk to
- Subscribe to
- Speak to
- Sentence to
- See to
- Respond to
- Reply to
- Refer to
- React to
- Object to
- Listen to
- Lead to
- Happen to
- Get married to
- Explain to
- Devote to
- Contribute to
- Consent to
- Confess to
- Compare to
- Belong to
- Appeal to
- Apologize to
- Agree to
- Adjust to
- Add to
- Adapt to
Verb and Preposition For
- Blame for
- Ask for
- Apply for
- Apologize for
- Work for
- Wish for
- Wait for
- Vote for
- Search for
- Scold for
- Prepare for
- Pray for
- Pay for
- Long for
- Head for
- Excuse for
- Care for
Verb and Preposition From
- Graduate from
- Escape from
- Borrow from
- Abstain from
- Suffer from
- Stem from
- Separate from
- Save from
- Retire from
- Resign from
- Rescue from
- Recover from
- Protect from
- Prohibit from
- Prevent from
- Infer from
- Hide from
Verb and Preposition On
- Blame on
- Be on
- Base on
- Agree on
- Work on
- Rely on
- Pride on
- Play on
- Insist on
- Impose on
- Elaborate on
- Depend on
- Count on
- Congratulate on
- Concentrate on
- Comment on
Verb and Preposition At
- Hint at
- Guess at
- Glance at
- Arrive at
- Aim at
- Wink at
- Stare at
- Smile at
- Point at
- Peer at
- Marvel at
- Look at
- Laugh at
Verb and Preposition About
- Boast about
- Be about
- Ask about
- Argue about
- Write about
- Warn about
- Think about
- Talk about
- Quarrel about
- Protest about
- Laugh about
- Know about
- Joke about
- Hear about
- Forget about
- Feel about
- Decide about
- Concern about
- Complain about
- Care about
Verb and Preposition With
- Complain with
- Compare with
- Collide with
- Coincide with
- Clutter with
- Charge with
- Begin with
- Associate with
- Argue with
- Agree with
- Acquaint with
- Trust with
- Tamper with
- Share with
- Quarrel with
- Provide with
- Meet with
- Interfere with
- Help with
- Fight with
- Face with
- Discuss with
- Disagree with
- Deal with
- Cram with
- Cover with
- Cope with
- Confuse with
- Confront with
- Concern with
- Comply with
Verb and Preposition In
- Believe in
- Be engrossed in
- Arrive in
- Absorb in
- Trust in
- Succeed in
- Specialize in
- Result in
- Participate in
- Involve in
- Implicate in
- Confide in
Verb and Preposition Of
- Conceive of
- Compose of
- Bilk out of
- Approve of
- Accuse of
- Think of
- Suspect of
- Rob of
- Remind of
- Hope of
- Hear of
- Get tired of
- Get rid of
- Dream of
- Disapprove of
- Despair of
- Cure of
- Convince of
- Convict of
- Consist of
Verbs followed by prepositions in English
- Differ with
- Die of
- Desire for
- Deal with
- Deal in
- Cure of
- Cruel to
- Close to
- Call on
- Call at
- Born to
- Born in
- Blind to
- Blind of
- Belong to
- Believe in
- Because of
- Aware of
- Ask for
- Arrive at
- Apply to
- Agree with
- Agree to
- Afraid of
- Act upon
- Act upon
- Succeed in
- Stay with
- Start for
- Sick of
- Save from
- Run after
- Recover from
- Proud of
- Prevent from
- Pray to
- Pray for
- On the point of
- On behalf of
- On account of
- Need for
- Made of
- Look at
- Look after
- Live on
- Listen to
- Lead to
- Laugh at
- Lame of
- Knock at
- Kind to
- Join in
- Invite to
- Interest in
- Inferior to
- In spite of
- In order to
- In honor of
- In front of
- In course of
- Hope of
- Hope for
- Honest in
- Glad at
- Full of
- Free from
- For the sake of
- Fond of
- Fit for
- Fire at
- Feel for
- Famous for
- Faith in
- Fail in
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