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.
abandon to: They abandoned the village to the advancing army.
abstain from: The delegates decided to abstain from voting.
acclimate to: The sooner she acclimates to life in the big city, the better.
accuse of: They accused him of lying.
acquaint with: Fred wants to get acquainted with the new neighbor’s daughter.
acquit of: The jury acquitted him of murder.
act for: John is looking for an experienced lawyer to act for him.
act on: Acting on a tip-off, police launched a pre-dawn raid on a house.
adapt to: I find it hard to adapt to my new workplace.
adapt for: Shakespeare’s plays have been adapted for children.
adapt from: The play was adapted from a novel.
add to: Rising fuel prices will add to the cost of the project.
adjust to: She took a while to adjust to her new surroundings.
admit to: He admitted to eating my pizza.
admit into: Those without tickets will not be admitted into the stadium.
advance towards: The army advanced towards the capital.
advise on: We hired him to advise us on financial matters.
advise to: Members were advised to arrive early.
affix to: Wong affixed the stamp to the wrong corner of the envelope.
afflict with: He is severely afflicted with an unknown disease.
agree on: They agree on almost everything.
alternate with: Jack alternated with Jill in bathing the dog.
apologize for: He apologized for the awful thing he said.
appeal to: The organization appealed to the public for blood donations.
appear from: It appears from his account that he did all the work.
apply to: The restrictions do not apply to foreigners.
approve of: His mother does not approve of his smoking.
argue against: He argued against inviting her to the party.
argue for: She argued for including her at the party.
argue with: Why do you argue with everybody, including me?
arrange for: We arranged for Bob to meet you at the airport.
arrive at: By the time we arrived at his place, he had already left.
assent to: The members assented to the proposal without much debate.
assist in: He volunteered to assist me in organizing the festival.
balk at: Jim balked at doing what he had to do.
band against: The workers banded together against the outsider’s takeover.
bargain with: The retailer bargained with the wholesaler for bulk discounts.
beg for: I beg God for forgiveness for all my sins.
begin by: The comedian began the show by performing the pigeon mating dance.
benefit from: Humanity has benefited from advances in science.
bequeath to: Her father bequeathed to her a collection of rare stamps.
beset with: His journey across the desert was beset with dangers.
bestow on: The President bestowed on him a medal for bravery.
betray to: The leader was betrayed to the police by a gang member.
beware of: We should always beware of pickpockets in crowded places.
blame for: He was unfairly blamed for something he didn’t do.
blush at: He blushes at the thought of befriending her.
boast about: Crockett always boasts about his knowledge of crocodiles.
boast of: He keeps boasting of his new wife.
borrow from: Each time, I borrow books from the library.
bother about: I’m not really bothered about getting along with my mother-in-law.
bother with: Let’s not bother with waiting for a bus; let’s take a taxi.
brag about: He’s always bragging about his newfound wealth.
brag of: Brian brags of having the most beautiful girlfriend.
brood over: She’s still brooding over the separation from her husband.
build of: The little pig’s house was built of straw.
burden with: Mary burdens me with her troubles as if I had none of my own.
care about: All she cares about is talking about other people.
caution about: The policeman cautioned him about his speeding.
caution against: The zookeeper cautioned them against feeding the animals.
cede to: Alaska was ceded to the United States by Russia.
celebrated for: The country is celebrated for its scenery, food, and wine.
chance on/upon: I was shocked to chance upon a decaying human body.
characterize by: Must we always characterize people by their appearance?
charge against: We aren’t allowed to charge personal expenses against profits.
charge at: I dreamed about ten rhinos charging at me in a mall.
charge for: I won’t buy it if they charge for delivery.
charge in: A woman has been charged in connection with the bank robbery.
charge into: She charged into my room uninvited.
charge to: My wife charged all her shopping to my account.
charge with: They charged him with multiple murders.
choose between: She had to choose between giving up her career and hiring a nanny.
cite for/as: Lack of sleep was cited as the main reason for her exhaustion.
clamour for: The crowd clamoured for his immediate resignation.
clear of: We are clearing the drain of debris.
clutter up: My desk is always cluttered up with papers and stationery.
coincide with: My view coincides with yours.
collect for: They have collected signatures for the petition.
collide with: Her car collided with a taxi.
combine with: She combines her career with family responsibilities.
comment on: People are always commenting on my big ears.
commit to: He ought to be committed to a mental hospital.
communicate with: I’ve learned to communicate with the chimpanzee.
commute between: People commute between home and work.
commute from … to: His sentence was commuted from death to life imprisonment.
compare to: Compared to the monkey, our bodies are less hairy.
compensate for: The company will compensate you for the loss of a thumb.
compete with: Small independent shops compete with large supermarkets.
compete against: Businesses compete against each other to survive.
complain about: My mother-in-law always complains about the weather.
compliment on: Many in the audience complimented her on her speech.
comply with: We have to comply with regulations.
be composed of: The longest word is composed of many letters.
conceal from: He had to conceal the truth from his wife.
concede to: The candidate conceded defeat to his opponent.
conceive of: It’s hard to conceive of a crime-free environment.
concentrate on: It’s hard to concentrate on my reading with the dogs barking.
concern about/for: Some parents show little concern for what their children do.
concern with: She doesn’t concern herself with other people’s problems.
conclude by: He concluded his speech by thanking everyone for coming.
concur with: They concurred with each other on the issue.
confer with: The councilors are conferring with each other to find a solution.
confer on: The university conferred on him an honorary degree.
confess to: He confessed to being a double agent.
confine to: Dr. Quack was confined to his room by a bout of flu.
confirm by: The perception was confirmed by the latest poll results.
confuse with: The teacher confused one twin with the other.
congratulate on: They congratulated her on her superb performance.
consent to: Her mother would not consent to her marriage.
consign to: The cases of wine were consigned to the merchant.
consort with: He was suspected of consorting with the enemy.
consult about: She consulted her doctor about the painful lump on her nose.
contract for: The company contracted for the supply of fuel.
contrast with: He contrasted his current girlfriend with his former one.
converge on: A huge crowd converged on the palace grounds.
converse with: They find it hard to converse with each other.
convert from: John was converted from paganism to Christianity.
convert into: We were shown the process of converting iron into steel.
convince by: He wasn’t easily convinced by her arguments.
convince of: She tried to convince me of her non-involvement.
convulsed with: They were convulsed with laughter.
cooperate with: His colleagues are cooperating with the investigation.
cope with: She copes with a baby and a full-time job.
correlate with: Low wages correlate with high staff turnover.
correspond to: The first copy does not correspond to the duplicate.
correspond with: I still correspond with her regularly.
couple with: Heavy drinking, coupled with late nights, harmed his health.
cram for: Study throughout the year and avoid cramming for the exam.
cram with: She crammed her attic with worthless stuff.
crave (no prep): She has been craving affection.
credit to: The refund was credited to my account.
crow about: It’s nothing to crow about.
cry over: Why waste time crying over him?
