Advanced Prepositions + Phrasal Verbs

be + Adjective Preposition Sentence Example

am afraid of Everyone is afraid of pythons.
am annoyed with Daddy was annoyed with me because I lost his keys.
is obsessed with Teenagers are often obsessed with computer games.
am interested in I'm interested in learning Chinese.
is liable to You are liable to fail the test if you don't study.
am shocked by We were shocked by his sudden disappearance.
am good at His entire family is good at sports.
am, grateful to I am so grateful to you for your help.
am excited about Jayden is so excited about his visit to Disney Land.
am upset about I am really upset about my bad grades.
is responsible for He is responsible for organizing the party
decorations.
is famous for Japan is famous for sushi.
am right about You are definitely right about that.
am aware of Are you aware of the consequences of global
warming?
am addicted to He is addicted to pain killers.
am fond of I am very fond of your grandmother.
am bored with Many students are bored with school.
am preoccupied with She's very preoccupied with planning her wedding.
am serious about You should be more serious about your schoolwork.
am married to She is married to a famous actor.
am kind to It important to be kind to our fellow man.
am indifferent to He's very indifferent to his surroundings.
am baffled by We were all baffled by that math problem.
am surprised by I was surprised by her sudden success.
am angry with My mother was angry with me because I forgot to
call her on her birthday.
am jealous of Many people are jealous of the success of others.
is full of The room is full of happy graduates and their
families.
is good of That was very good of you ot help me out.
am bad at Jake is bad at spelling and math.

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am anxious about Everyone is anxious about the upcoming exams.
am capable of He is capable of doing 5 things at once!
am certain about I'm certain about this answer.
am immune to Sophie is immune to the flu virus because she had a
flu shot.
am ashamed of I am ashamed of you- insulting your uncle!`
am conscious of Were you conscious of making so many mistakes?
am detained by He was detained by the police for questioning.
am distressed by His father was distressed by the death of his best
friend.
am attentive to She is very attentive to the needs of her children.
am prone to David is prone to saying the wrong thing.
am engaged to He is engaged to the girl net door.
am late for They always arrive late for parties.
am keen on I am really keen on downhill skiing.
am happy with He's so happy with his final grades.
am sorry about Oooh, sorry about that.
am ready for Are you ready for the geography test?
am deficient in If you are deficient in iron, you get anemia.
am experienced in She is experienced in dealing with difficult
students.
is absent from He has been absent from school for 2 weeks.
is derived from Aspirin is derived from the willow tree bark.
is different from She is very different from her twin sister.
is safe from You will be safe
from harm here in the shelter.
is missing from He has been missing from his unit for3 days.
am absorbed in He was so absorbed in his work that he didn't feel
the earthquake!
am convicted of He was convicted ot killing his neighbor.
is packed with My suitcase is packed with gifts.
is exempt from He is exempt from the army due to bad eyesight.
is faced with The company is faced with disaster if if doesn't
get a loan.
am barred from They were barred from entering the country
because they didn't have the correct documents.
is cluttered with His house is cluttered with tons of junk.
am involved in The Mafia is involved in selling drugs.
is expelled from He was expelled from school for cheating.
am engrossed in He is totally engrossed in that book.
is crammed with The subway car is crammed with passengers.

am insured against We are insured against fire and theft.

am concerned about I am concerned about the melting ice caps.

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is connected with The PC is connected with the TV.

VERB PREPOSITION SENTENCE EXAMPLE

resign from He resigned from hs coaching position.

argue about What are you arguing about again?
glance at I just glanced at my notes- I didn't study.
confide in I always confide in my best friend.
protest against Workers were protesting against rising prices.
results from Beriberi results from a lack of Vitamin C.
specialize in He specializes in Art Deco furniture.
succeed in They succeeded in reaching their goal of raising 1
million dollars.
remind (me) of Your nephew reminds me of my Uncle Will.
apologize for Did you apologize for breaking his i-Pod?
blame for The police blamed his for the accident.
collide with The car collided with a tractor trailer.
confront with The detective confronted him with the evidence.
distinguish from I can't distinguish one twin from the other.
discuss (something) with I'd like to discuss something with you
deter from Nothing will deter her from reaching her goal.
coincide with My birthday coincidences with their wedding date.
provide with The Red Cross provide them with food and water.
differ from Chinese differs from English in many ways.
marvel at I was marveling at the Grand Canyon's beauty.

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VERB PREPOSITION SENTENCE EXAMPLE

concentrate on I can't concentrate on my HW- be quiet!

pay for It's OK- I'll pay for the dinner.
confuse (me) with You have confused me with my brother.
deal with The teacher can't deal with noisy students.
plead with We pleased with the gunman for mercy.
benefit from Everyone can benefit from eating a healthy diet.
stem from His problems stem from an unhappy childhood.
confess to +ing He confessed to assassinating the president.
depend on We depend on our friends for help and support.
impose on Economic Sanctions were imposed on Iran.
react to How did he react to the terrible news?
refer to He was referring to a text in the Koran.
insist on The 3 year old insists on doing everything himself.
devote to Mother Teresa devoted her life to the poor in India.
appeal to Bungee jumping on my honeymoon doesn't appeal to
me.
suffer from She suffers from severe migraines.
prefer to I prefer to stay at home tonight rather than going
out.
resort to Desperate men resort to desperate measures.
see to Please see to that matter immediately.

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Nouns Prepositions Sentence Example

ban on There is a ban on cars today in the city center.

cure for There is no cure for AIDS yet.
room for There is room for 1 more passenger.
a witness to He was a witness to the accident.
have control over She has no control over her unruly children.
effect on The medicine had no effect on his cough.
have admiration for I have great admiration for Nelson Mandela.
recipe for This is a recipe for chocolate cake.
quarrel with Stop quarreling with your brother!
a solution to What's the solution to the problem # 5?
have a craving for I have a craving for chocolate chip ice cream.
have access to Most people have access to the Internet these days.
tax on There is a tax on cigarettes and alcohol.
alternative to What is an alternative to fossil fuels?
exception to That's the exception to the rule.
a threat to Rising sea levels are a threat to low lying islands.
restriction on There is no restriction on the amount of cash you
can bring with you.
influence on His parents had a positive influence on his life.
credit for Give him credit for raising the company’s profits.
respect for The soldiers had no respect for private property.
sympathy for I have no sympathy for students who never study.
responsibility for Who claimed responsibility for the bombing?

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PREPOSITION NOUN SENTENCE EXAMPLE

in advance Please pay for the room in advance.

at fault Who is at fault here?
out of focus This picture is awful- it's out of focus.
under stress He has been under a lot of stress recently.
on behalf of On behalf of the entire staff, we thank you for your
help.
by the time By the time they arrived at the party, it was over!
in jeopardy Your life is in jeopardy if you don't take precautions.
in demand Tablet computers are in great demand these days.
under control The police have the situation under control.
out of stock Sorry that style is out of stock at the moment.
without delay Pay your credit card without delay- or pay interest.
in comfort The rich live in great comfort.
in good condition The classic Mercedes is in good condition.
by coincidence By coincidence we were on the same flight to Rome.
on the contrary On the contrary, I think the French are very polite.
in theory Well, I theory government ministries works well, but
in practice In practice, things are not what they seem.
out of work He has been out of work for 2 years.
under suspicion He is under suspicion- the police suspect that he
robbed the bank.
out of breath After running 5 kilometers, she was out of breath.
on good terms with She is on good terms with her boss.
out of danger He is now out of danger- his situation is no longer
critical.
in trouble He got in trouble for cheating on his English test.
in charge of I was in charge of entertainment for the party.
with the exception of Everyone scored high on the test with the exception
of 2 students.
in response to I'm writing in response to your letter dated...
out of luck You are out of luck- there's no more chocolate mousse.
out of practice Sorry, I'm so out of practice. My tennis is really rusty!

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on purpose Honestly, I didn't do it on purpose.

PREPOSITION NOUN SENTENCE EXAMPLE

by surprise Oh! You caught me by surprise.

on a regular basis He plays tennis on a regular basis.
in favor of Who's in favor of leaving school early today?
in high spirits Everyone was in high spirits on the last day of school.
in all likelihood In all likelihood Obama will be elected president.
by mistake I dialed the wrong number by mistake.
on average It rains 66 inches a year on average in Oregon.
for life He was put in prison for life.
under pressure My boss has been under a lot of pressure recently.
under repair The Brooklyn Bridge is presently under repair.
on the verge of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown is a
famous movie.
on the market They have put their house on the market.
under cover of The thief stole quietly into the garden under cover of
night.
under the impression I was under the impression that she knew all about the
accident.
in recognition of In recognition of a lifetime of achievement in the
cinema, you are hereby awarded an honorary Oscar.
in collaboration with The scenario was written in collaboration with his best
friend.
at any rate At any rate, we should be arriving very soon.
in distress The ship is in distresses and radioed for help.
in decline Smoking is in decline throughout Europe.
at first sight It was love at first sight!
in comparison with A beach holiday is boring in comparison with trekking in
the Himalayas.
out of the ordinary His acceptance speech was nothing out of the ordinary.
under the influence of The king came under the influence of evil ministers.
after all Well after all, it wasn't such a bad vacation.
without exception Without exception- everyone must wear their seat
belts.

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PREPOSITION NOUNS SENTENCE EXAMPLE

without a word He left without saying a word. How rude!

under age Under age children will not be allowed.
out of pocket He had to pay out of pocket for all the expenses
incurred on his trip to Nairobi.
out of control The situation is out of control: the government should
take stronger measures.
in the early stages Planning for the new library is in the early stages.
in answer to In answer to your question, we think that...
in short In short the movie was all about a poor family.
for the foreseeable future Things should be fine for the foreseeable future.
out of reach The tasty steak was out of reach of the lion's paws.
beyond belief It was beyond belief that he expected me to pay for
his entire vacation.
out of doors The wedding will be held out of doors.
under the circumstances Under the circumstances, I think you should admit
taking the money from the till.
beyond a shadow of a doubt The accused must be found innocent beyond the
shadow of a doubt.
in the end In the end the hero conquered the evil magician.
in any case In any case I would take an umbrella with you.
for the time being For the time being we are staying in New York.
in turn The children answered the questions in turn.
in time The firemen arrive in time to save the burning house.
at the end The entire audience was crying at the end of the
movie.
at large The escaped killer is still at large.

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PHRASAL VERB SYNONYM SENTENCE EXAMPLE

back down retreat The enemy backed down and the battle was won.
break down car stopped working Our car broke down 50 miles from nowhere.
break down started crying She broke down and started sobbing when she heard
the news.
break up split with boyfriend He broke up with his long term girlfriend last
December.
bring about make happen What brought about that chemical reaction?
bring off be successful I hope he can bring off his political campaign.
bring up raise children Bring up children is exceedingly difficult.
bring up mention a subject Why did you brine up that matter again?
carry out orders do what you are told The soldiers carried out the orders.
catch on become popular Apps for i-Phones have really caught on.
come about happen How exactly did that come about?
come in for get into trouble You will come in for it- if you leave work early every
day.
come off be successful We hope everything will come off without a hitch.
come up be mentioned The subject if our moving came up again during
dinner.
come up against face a problem Everyone comes up against many obstacles in life.
come up with find an answer/idea We have to come up with a name for our new puppy.
count on rely on You can count on me- I'll be there for you.
do away with get rid of The ministry did away with school uniforms.
draw up a contract write a contact The Miami Heat just drew up a new contract for their
star center.
drop in on visit unexpectedly Let’s drop in on John and see what he's up to.
drop off go to sleep The movie was so dull that I dropped off early on.
end up happen finally So it ended up that Marvin won the first prize.
face up to confront a problem You better face up to the truth and take steps.
fall for get tricked Don't tell me you fell for that old trick?!
fall through didn't happen Plans for w weekend on Mykonos fell through at the
last minute.
get across make understood He is unable to get his ideas across.
get at what do you mean Just what are you getting at? I don't understand.
get down to business start working Let's stop wasting time and get down to business.

get on get along with How do you get on with your in-laws?
get round to find time to I never go round to reading any books this summer.
give away give to others He gave away millions to charity.
give up quit I don't know what to do. I give up!

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go off explode/alarm sounds The bomb went off at 9 o'clock outside the bank.
go off spoil (food) That cheese stinks! It has gone off.
is going on what's happening Just exactly what is going on here?
to go around enough for all There is enough pizza to go around- don't worry.
go through suffer He went through terrible trials and tribulations as a
child.
grown on get used to Living in a foreign country has really grown on me.
have it in for get me into trouble I know that my boss has it in for me. It's unfair!
hit it off get along really well Alexandra and I hit it off from the moment we met.
hold up rob a bank The National Bank was held up yesterday.
hold up delayed in traffic Sorry, but we were held up in traffic.
keep up continue Keep up the good work and you'll be a great student.
lay down the law read the riot act Our history teacher really laid down the law!
let me down disappoint My friend Olivia always lets me down. It's really
upsetting.
look into investigate The police are looking into the matter- don't worry.
make out can't read I can't make out what it says here- can you read it?
make up create a fake story She is always making up stories about what happened.
make up got back together They kissed and made up and all is well.
pick up get better The economy is picking up and things should be better
soon.
put you up house you I'll put you up when you come to London.
put up with endure He simply cannot put up with stupid people.
rip you off cheat Don't go to that store- they're sure to rip you off.
run into meet by chance Guess who I ran into last night at the disco?
see him off take to airport etc. We're going to see my grandmother off tomorrow.
set up start a business The company was originally set up by his grandfather.
stand for symbolize The American flag stands for the country and the 50
states.
be taken in be deceived He is a dupe! He is often taken in by false promises.
take over buy a company Google is taking over a small Internet company.
take to learn to like Our new puppy has really taken to you.
take up uses time Washing dishes takes up too much of my time.
tell someone off yell at someone His Dad really told him off- he's grounded for a
month.
turn down refuse She turned down his marriage proposal.
turn out happen in the end How did things turn out? Oh they got married in the
end.
turn up appear Harry always turns up hours late.
wear off stop working The pain killer will wear off in 2 hours.

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