Verbs and prepositions

Verbs and prepositions

Do you know how to use the prepositions for, from, in, of, on, to and with after verbs? Test what you know with interactive exercises and read the explanation to help you.

Look at these examples to see how prepositions are used after verbs.

Can you wait for me to finish my lunch?
I'm relying on my co-worker to answer all my emails while I'm on holiday.
Sun cream protects you from getting burnt.

Try this exercise to test your grammar.

Grammar test 1

Verbs and prepositions: Grammar test 1

Read the explanation to learn more.

Grammar explanation

When a verb is part of a longer sentence, it is often followed by a specific preposition. 

I agree with Mike.
She listens to the radio a lot.
He thanked me for the flowers.

There are no grammatical rules to help you know which preposition is used with which verb, so it's a good idea to try to learn them together. To help you do this, write new vocabulary in your notebook in a sentence or phrase. Here are some common verbs for each preposition.

Verbs with for

They're waiting for a bus.
He apologised for being late. 
I applied for the job but I didn't get it.
How do you ask for a coffee in Polish?
I can't go out tonight because I have to prepare for my interview tomorrow.

Verbs with from

This spray should protect you from mosquitoes.
Has he recovered from the accident yet?
She won an award because she saved someone from drowning.
I suffer from allergies.

Verbs with in

She doesn't believe in coincidences.
Our company specialises in computer software.
You have to work hard if you want to succeed in life.

Verbs with of

I don't approve of hunting animals for their fur.
Our dog died of old age.
This shampoo smells of bananas.

Verbs with on

Their decision will depend on the test results.
The film is based on the novel by Boris Pasternak.
If you make so much noise, I can't concentrate on my work.
Come on! We're relying on you!
We don't agree on anything but we're still good friends.

Verbs with to

What kind of music do you like listening to?
Can I introduce you to my grandfather?
Please refer to the notes at the end for more information.
Nobody responded to my complaint.
She apologised to me the next day.

Verbs with with

I agree with everything you've said.
My assistant will provide you with more information if you need it.
We're finding it difficult to deal with the stress.

Do this exercise to test your grammar again.

Grammar test 2

Verbs and prepositions: Grammar test 2

Language level

Average: 4 (54 votes)
With that in mind, are the below correct to describe the location of my house? -Our house is on Link Street. -I live on Link Road. And I guess it would not make any difference, if I use road or avenue instead of street? Thank you for your reply.

Submitted by muratt on Tue, 12/01/2021 - 13:25

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Hello. When the verb is followed by a gerund is it necessary to use a preposition before the gerund. For instance, - He reported her (for) stealing the money. - She regretted (for) saying that. Why some people don't use a preposition between a gerund and after a verb? Thank you.
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Submitted by Kirk Moore on Wed, 13/01/2021 - 07:20

In reply to by muratt

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Hello muratt,

A gerund acts as a noun, so in many cases a gerund can be the object of a verb (with no preposition required). But it can also be the object of a verb + preposition.

In the case of your first example, 'reported her stealing the money' would be an example of the verb 'reported' followed by an object, the noun phrase 'her stealing the money' -- note that here, 'her' is a determiner and the head of the phrase is the gerund 'stealing'.

If the preposition 'for' is used, it's a case of the structure 'report somebody for something' (see entry 2.6 (complain) in the Longman dictionary). In this case, the object of the verb is 'her' and 'for' is the head of a prepositional phrase.

'regret for' is not correct in standard British English. You can see see the typical patterns used with 'regret' (1.1 and 1.2) if you follow the link.

Hope this helps.

All the best,

Kirk

The LearnEnglish Team

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Submitted by Rafaela1 on Sun, 10/01/2021 - 11:52

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"You have to work hard if you want to succeed in life." ...Yes! ;)

Submitted by lima9795 on Fri, 08/01/2021 - 19:15

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Can Off off be interpreted as ''On'' i know off of gives meaning of 1) Off 2) From but i have also seen / heard where it is used in ''on'' sense Ex: 1) Based Off the fact 2) apply that method off of it 3) I have purchased it off of Onlie website So can Off of be used as ''On''

Hello lima9795,

Some of the phrases you're suggesting are incorrect or represent non-standard use. For example, 'based off' is not normal usage. It is a mistake that some people make, of course. You can read a little about it here:

https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/based-off-versus-based-on

It's a similar story with the other phrases. Although they may crop up from time to time in certain dialects, they are still non-standard in my view.

 

More generally, while there is a semantic basis for some verb-preposition collocation, it is vague and not tremendously useful in terms of guidance. The system is really quite arbitrary and the best approach, in my view, is to treat it as such and memorise the collocations as you would any other aspect of lexis.

 

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Submitted by lima9795 on Sun, 27/12/2020 - 16:39

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unable to decide between ''to'' and ''for'' in most of the sentences 1) are you doing this for them too?? OR 2) are you doing this for them too ?? (context is doing fraud) which one is correct or BOTH can be used ?? 3) for me, it tastes really good OR 4) to me, it tastes really good which one is correct or BOTH can be used ?? Could you please explain diff b/w for me and to me if there are any?

Hi lima9795,

OK, let's compare the sentences :)

1 and 2: the meanings of for and to are quite different, and they are connected to the verb (doing).  

  • do something for someone means to do something to benefit, serve or help someone. In your sentence, doing this for them could mean, for example, that someone committed fraud in order to benefit a criminal gang.
  • do something to someone introduces the object of the action. In your sentence, them refers to the victims of the fraud.

3 and 4: Here, for and to are part of prepositional phrases, for me and to me, and they have the same meaning. They both introduce someone's opinion. These examples are different from 1 and 2, because for and to aren't connected to a verb.

Best wishes,

Jonathan

The LearnEnglish Team

Submitted by emmanuelniyomugabo12 on Tue, 29/09/2020 - 19:47

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He likely to speak English when He is in class. He moved to Europe to study. She suffered from malaria.