Some verbs in English are often followed by specific prepositions, and using the wrong one can change or distort the meaning of a sentence. This article provides clear sentence examples showing which prepositions commonly follow certain verbs, helping you use them naturally and correctly.
sacrifice to: Johnny sacrificed much of his free time to charity work.
sail from: We’ll sail from this harbour to Calais next week.
satisfy with: Anne is not satisfied with his explanation.
save for: Pam saved a piece of pizza for my supper.
save from: Firefighters saved the occupants from being burned to death.
say about: She wasn’t pleased when she overheard what I said about her.
say to: What do you want to say to her now that she has left you?
scoff at: He scoffed at my suggestion that we renovate the clubhouse.
search for: The police searched for the escaped convict throughout the woodland.
secede from: Why did the state secede from the Union in 1816?
see into: The accountant will see into the discrepancies in the books.
sell for: Jack has been selling tickets for the concert at a higher price.
separate from: Her father is separated from her mother.
serve as: This spare room will serve as a bedroom while they stay with us.
serve under: He serves under his father-in-law as an assistant manager.
sever from: He severed the branches from the tree with a chainsaw.
shake with: At the reunion we shook hands with each other warmly.
share in: She doesn’t share in her husband’s enthusiasm for jogging.
shield from: New import tariffs will shield local firms from foreign competition.
shop for: I have been shopping for a Mexican hat, but I haven’t found one I like.
shout at: Please don’t shout at the dogs; it won’t stop them from barking.
shout for: Why do you shout for help when you are not in danger?
shudder at: I shudder at the thought of the child dying from crash injuries.
sin against: I feel I’ve sinned against my religion by raising doubts about it.
sit at: He would sit at the table without eating and watch other people eat.
slack off: Tourism slacks off at the resort during the winter.
slide on: The kids slid on the ice and had a great time.
smile at: I mistakenly smiled at her, thinking I knew her, but she looked away.
snap at: I don’t understand why she often snapped at me for no good reason.
sneer at: They sneered at his ludicrous suggestion.
speak about: His grandfather would speak about anything under the sun.
speak of: He had his reasons for never speaking of his ex.
speak on: George loved to speak on women’s issues.
specialize in: The store specialized in coffins for dogs and cats.
spring at: The showman touched the cobra’s head with a stick and it sprang at him.
spur on: His initial success spurred him on.
stand on: She stood on tiptoe to pluck a pear.
star in: She will star in a new movie whose title is yet to be announced.
stare at: They stared at each other, hardly believing they hadn’t met for forty years.
start for: The weather turned bad and we had no choice but to start for home.
start with: Let’s start with some warm-up exercises.
stay at: His wife resents his staying at the office late almost every night.
stay with: I prefer staying with my dog at home to going out.
steal from: Two policemen were arrested for stealing from the police station.
stop from: His parents tried to stop him from smoking excessively.
strike against: The ship sank after it struck against an iceberg.
strike for: The workers unanimously decided to strike for higher wages.
strip from: Some tribe members stripped the bark from the trees to use as medicine.
strive after: Artists continually strive after artistic beauty.
strive against: Humans must constantly strive against the elements.
strive for: We must always strive for perfection in whatever we do.
struggle with: He had to struggle with his attacker furiously until help arrived.
study for: She knows she has only two weeks left to study for her A-level exam.
submit to: Both parties agreed to submit their dispute to arbitration.
subsist on: They subsisted on canned food during the winter.
subtract from: He thought he could subtract his personal expenses from his gross profit.
succeed in: The escaped prisoner succeeded in evading capture for several months.
sue for: The minister threatened to sue the opposition member for slander.
suffer from: Millions of children suffer from malnutrition today.
suggest to: She suggested to me that I should buy her more fresh flowers.
suit to: I think you did not suit your dress to the occasion.
supplement by: Jack supplemented his income by driving a taxi.
supply with: Only two companies supply the hospital with medical equipment.
surpass in: Mary surpasses her sister in beauty.
surround by: He emerged from the conference centre and was surrounded by noisy reporters.
swerve off: Driving quickly on a wet road caused his car to swerve off the road into a ravine.
sympathize with: I deeply sympathize with the bereaved family.
talk about: Will you stop talking about me behind my back?
talk with: I talked with her on the telephone, but she suggested we talk in person.
tally with: The two witnesses’ accounts of the accident don’t tally with each other.
tantamount to: His statement is tantamount to a confession.
taste like: The new sauce tasted like sour milk.
taste of: The soup tasted of water.
tease about: We teased her about her many childhood fights with boys.
tell about: She never told me about the big money she won in a lottery.
tend toward: Joe tends toward obesity.
thank for: I thanked her for not grumbling the whole day.
think about: Money is what I think about all the time.
threaten with: Many fish species are threatened with extinction due to overfishing.
thrive on: Many marine creatures still thrive on coastal mangrove swamps.
throw at: Tom threw a rotten egg at the speaker’s face.
throw to: You are supposed to throw the ball to me, not him.
traffic in: John was arrested by the police for trafficking in stolen goods.
trample on/upon: Despite the “keep off the grass” sign, the visitors trampled on the grass.
transfer to: We can transfer a skill to another person only through training.
transform into: The once-sleepy fishing village has been transformed into a tourist centre.
translate into: Ideas remain ideas unless they are translated into action.
trespass on: As it’s late now, let’s leave and not trespass on their hospitality.
trick into: They were tricked into investing in a dishonest money-making scheme.
trip over: He nearly tripped over the toys.
triumph over: With perseverance she would ultimately triumph over adversity.
trust in: I trust in God.
trust with: Not all banks can be trusted with people’s money.
tuck in: I forgot to tuck in my shirt when I took that photo.
undertake to: The new government undertook to reduce personal income tax.
unite behind: The leader called upon the people to unite behind him to deter foreign aggression.
value at: His wealthy uncle bought paintings valued at over $300,000.
vary from: As a street vendor, his takings vary from day to day.
veer off: The car veered off the road into a ravine.
vie in: John and Johnny have been vying in the same contest for the past four years.
vie for: Only three contestants vied for the top prize.
vote on: Since the men couldn’t agree on the most beautiful lady, they decided to vote on it.
vow to: She vowed to devote the rest of her life to caring for the poor.
vaccinate against: Nowadays children are vaccinated against a variety of diseases.
wager on: Bob wagered one hundred dollars on the white horse.
warn about: I warned the kids about the danger of playing with fire.
whisk away: The police arrested the suspect and whisked him away in the police car.
withdraw from: She withdrew from the beauty contest due to death threats.
work for: She was told that she had been working for a crook.
work with: I find it utterly impossible to work with her unless she changes her attitude.
worry about: She worries about me more than I worry about her.
worry over: I habitually worry over the slightest thing.
yank on: The kid kept yanking on the dog’s tail and before long got bitten.
yearn for: Joan yearns for Mr. Right to appear.
yearn to: He couldn’t get used to life in a boarding school and yearned to go home every day.
yell at: They yelled at him not to get into the bullring.
