Verbs + prepositions

o apologise to sb for
o appeal to
What types of classroom appeal to you?
o apply to a person, to a company for a job
o ask sb for sth
o benefit from
Your vocabulary can bebefit from using the media
o bother about
Is pronuntiation worth bothering about?
o care
for sth: like it
for sb: look after sb
o complain
to sb about
of a pain, an illness
o credit with
I was erronely credited with a lot of money
o distinguish from
What distinguishes your first language from English?
o do sth about
o dream
about (when you areasleep)
of -ing (imagine)
Do you dream of / about being famous? No, I wouldnt dream
of it
o explain sth to sb
o hear
about: be told about sth
of: know that sb / sth exists
from: receive a letter, phone call or message from sb.
o impressed by
I was not really impressed by his argument
o labour under
If that is what you believe, you are labouring under a completely false
impression
o laugh at
o leave a place for another place
o listen to
o look
after: take care of
at
for: search, try to find
o lord over
I think it is wrong for the rich man to lord it over his poorer
neighbours
o obsess with
He is absolutely obsessed with his new car
o opt for
which would you opt for?
o participate in
Its important to participate in all the activities we offer
o plead for
The guilty man pleaded for leniency
o rely on
o search for
o shelter from
As a child she was sheltered from all contact with the opposite sex
o shout
at sb (you are angry)
to sb ( so that they can hear you)
o spy for
The official was imprisoned for spying for the Russians
o remind
sb about: tell sb not to forget
Im glad you reminded me about the meeting; I had completely
forgotten it
sb of: cause sb to remember
This house reminds me of the one I lived in when I was a child
o strike against
o succeed in:
succeed in passing your exams
o suspect of
Tom was immediately suspected of taking the money from the desk
o stem from
Do your problems stem from poor grammar?
o talk
to sb
about sth
o think
about: consider sth, concentrate your mind on it
of sth: an idea comes to your mind
o throw
sth at sb (in order to hit them)
sth to sb (for sb to catch)
o wait for sb / sth
o warn sb about (a person or thing which is bad, dangerous)

Adjective + preposition
o afraid of
o aloof from
The headmaster kept aloof from the others members of the staff
o angry
with Everyone was very angry with the secretary
about sth.: Its stupid to get angry about things that dont matter
o aware of
o bored with
Im bored with my job
o capable of
o crowded with
o dependent on
o different from / to
o famous for
o fed up with
o full of
o good at
o happy with
o independent of
o interested in
o keen on
o lacking in
Do you feel you are lacking in vocabulary?
o married to
o nervous about
Are you nervous about your future?
o nice
of sb: It was very nice of you to help me
to sb: They have always been vey nice to me
o proud of
o responsible for
o riddled with
Some students spoken English is riddled with errors
o short of
o similar to
o sorry about / for
Alex is very sorry for / about what he said
but: feel, be for sb: I feel sorry for Matt. Hes had a lot of bad luck
o sure of / about
o surprised at / about
Everybody was surprised at / by the news
o suspicious of
o tired of
o typical of
o upset about
o worried about
Nouns + prepositions
o access to
The police made a list of those with access to the classified information
o advantage of / in
The advantage of living alone is
There is an advantage in living alone
o argument between
There was a very unpleasant argument between the man and his wife
o attitude to / towards
His attitude to / towards his job is very negative
o cause of
The cause of the explosion is unknown
o conspiracy against
There was a great conspiracy against the Government
o control over
The young manager had no idea how to exercise control over the
work-force
o cheque for (a sum of money)
o damage to
I had to pay the damage to the other car
o demand for
There isnt enough demand for that product
o impression on
The candidate from Leeds made a dreadful impression on the selection
commitee
o increase in
There has been an increase in the number of accidents
o invitation to
Did you get an invitation to the party?
o protest against
There was an international protest against the invasion of Hungary
o reason for
Nobody knew the reason for the delay
o relationship with / between
Do you have a good relationship with your parents?
The police think that tere is no relationship between the two accused
o solution to
I hope well find a solution to the problem
o strike for
The staff called a strike for reduced working hours
o study of
The professor had made a study of early lexicography