Master tricky verb–preposition pairings at a glance. This page lists common verbs followed by the preposition they naturally take, plus a clear example sentence for each (e.g., gladdened by, glance at). Use the table to check which preposition fits a verb and to notice patterns you can reuse in your own speaking and writing.
| Verb + preposition | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| gladden by | Harry was gladdened by the birth of his first child. |
| glance at | John glanced at his watch and realized it had stopped. |
| glance through | He had just enough time to glance through the paper at breakfast. |
| gloat over | The miser gloated over his growing fortune. |
| gloss over | Mike glossed over the setback and changed the subject. |
| glow with | She walked into the room glowing with confidence. |
| gossip about | Mrs. Goss loves to gossip about her neighbours. |
| graduate from | He graduated from university with honors. |
| grieve about | She still grieves deeply about her father’s passing. |
| ground on/upon | You should ground your analysis on facts. |
| ground in | New students were grounded in the basics of mathematics. |
| grumble about/at | My mother-in-law always grumbles about the weather. |
| haggle over/about | I haggled with the car salesman for an hour over the price. |
| hear about | Did you hear about the new café in town? |
| help with | I helped her with the application form. |
| hide from | As a child, John hid from thunderstorms under his bed. |
| hinder from | Constant traffic noise hindered him from getting a good night’s sleep. |
| hint at | The spokesperson hinted at a possible leadership change. |
| hunt for | Rescuers are hunting for the missing hiker. |
| identify by | He was identified by a witness at the lineup. |
| impart to | The barman happily imparted his wine knowledge to me. |
| impose on/upon | The ban was imposed on sales to under-18s. |
| impress by | We were impressed by the beauty of the countryside. |
| impress with | We were really impressed with the craftsmanship. |
| improve by | His timing improved by nearly a second. |
| improve in | She has improved in chemistry this term. |
| include in | Labor charges are included in the repair bill. |
| incorporate in | Not all proposals were incorporated in the final report. |
| increase from | The budget increased from $500,000 to $800,000. |
| increase in | The sharp increase in crime worries local residents. |
| inculcate in | Parents should inculcate discipline in their children. |
| indict for | The suspect was indicted for arson. |
| indulge in | We shouldn’t indulge in too much lunchtime drinking. |
| infect with | Some insects can infect humans with deadly diseases. |
| infer from | We can infer from the evidence that the claim is true. |
| infest with | The abandoned lot was infested with rats. |
| inflate with | His ego was inflated with constant praise. |
| inflict on/upon | The storm inflicted heavy damage on the coast. |
| inform of | The doctor will inform you of any changes in her condition. |
| infuse with | The good news infused her with fresh energy. |
| inherit from | He inherited his powerful voice from his grandfather. |
| inhibit from | Fear of ridicule inhibited students from asking questions. |
| initiate into | He was initiated into the club last evening. |
| insert in/into | Nick inserted a coin into the vending machine. |
| insist on | She insisted on keeping a baby armadillo as a pet. |
| inspire by | The film was inspired by a true story. |
| inspire to | Her perseverance inspires others to do the same. |
| instigate against | They were accused of instigating a revolt against the government. |
| instill in/into | The parents instilled strong values into their children. |
| instruct in | Ms. Olive instructed students in Latin. |
| intend for | The author’s second book was intended for golfers. |
| intercede with | The organization interceded with the authorities on my behalf. |
| interpolate in | Mary interpolated a quick joke in the conversation. |
| interrupt in | He was rudely interrupted in his speech by loud jeers. |
| intervene in | Police rarely intervene in private disputes. |
| introduce into | New subjects will be introduced into the syllabus next year. |
| intrude on/upon | We resented her intruding on our conversation. |
| invite to | We’ve always been invited to her birthday. |
| involve in | I don’t want to involve myself in their affairs. |
| irritate by | He was irritated by the constant arguments next door. |
| isolate from | The aggressive child was isolated from the group. |
| jam with | The entrance was jammed with people trying to get in. |
| jeer at | The spectators jeered at their team after the poor performance. |
| jockey for | The riders jockeyed for the best position. |
| joke with | The more we joked with each other, the closer we became. |
| judge by | We shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. |
| judge from | Judging from his expression, he knew the answer. |
| jumble up | I’d arranged everything neatly, but someone jumbled it up. |
| justify to | He tried to justify his decision to us. |
| jut out | Great slabs of rock jut out from the cliff. |
| know about | Nobody around here knows much about the accident. |
| learn about | Did you learn about the birds and the bees as a child? |
| leave for | We’re leaving for London tonight. |
| lecture about/on | He lectures on ancient Greek and Roman civilizations. |
| lend to | I lent the lawn mower to my neighbour. |
| levy … on | The state levied a new tax on gasoline. |
| lie on | Joe likes to lie on a bench in the park. |
| limit to | Each customer is limited to two packets. |
| listen to | We listened in silence to his stories. |
| live at | As far as I know, he still lives at the same address. |
| long for | Bob longed for adventure at sea. |
| long to | He longed to be with her. |
| look like | It looks like it’s going to rain. |
| lure away | The company tried to lure the salesman away from a competitor. |
| lurk around | They called the police when a man lurked around the house. |
| make a fool of | When he’s drunk, he tends to make a fool of himself. |
| make a fuss about/over | She made a big fuss about not being offered a drink. |
| make love to | They made love to the sound of rain. |
| marvel at | I marvel at his calm in any situation. |
| matter to | Buy it if you like; the color doesn’t matter to me. |
| meditate on/upon | He meditated on possible solutions to the problem. |
| mention to | She didn’t mention it to me last night. |
| migrate between | Some whales migrate between feeding and breeding grounds. |
| migrate from | Many birds migrate from Europe to Africa. |
| mingle with | Participants from many nations mingled freely with one another. |
| mix with | He doesn’t mix well with other people. |
| model on | The system is modeled on one from the United States. |
| multiply by | Six multiplied by seven is forty-two. |
| muse on/over | He sat musing over her sudden change of attitude. |
| muster up | He mustered up the courage to stand for election. |
