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Grammar

Use of prepositions after verbs & adjectives – part 1

Level: B1
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PREPOSITIONS AFTER VERBS
VERBS WITHOUT PREPOSITIONS
PREPOSITIONS AFTER ADJECTIVES 

PREPOSITIONS AFTER VERBS

 This is the most commonly used verbs after the preposition:

apologise FORI apologised for my rudeness.
apply FORI applied for the job and got it.
believe IN Do you believe in ghost?
care FOR Would you care for a cup of tea?
consist OF The book consists of 20 chapters.
depend ONMy future depends on that company.
die OFShe died of tuberculosis
dream ABOUT Last night I dreamt about a trip to Africa.
dream OFHe dreams of living in America.
happen TO What happened to your old bike?
hear ABOUTHave you heard about their divorce?
laugh AT Don’t laugh at me. I know I look silly.
listen TOWhen I arrived she was listening to classical music.
look AT Look at those clouds! They remind me of sheep.
pay FORI’ll pay for dinner. 
remind OFHe reminds me of his father.
shout AT Don’t shout at me.
smile AT She smiled at me and left the room.
spend ON I spent all my money on CDs. 
think ABOUTWhat are you thinking about
think OF What do you think of my haircut? 
throw ATThe boy threw the ball at me, but I failed to catch it. 
wait FOR I’ve been waiting for him all morning.

VERBS WITHOUT PREPOSITIONS

In English, there is a group of verbs that we use without prepositions.

The most commonly used are:

answerShe didn’t answer my question.
discuss We need to discuss our problems.
enterHe entered the building through the main entrance.
leaveI left the room as soon as she came in.
call / phone Ryan phoned me earlier that morning.
reach We reached Madrid on 7th of July.

PREPOSITIONS AFTER ADJECTIVES 

These are the most popular prepositions used after adjectives:

 angry WITH (sb) FOR (sth) I’m angry with you for doing that! 
afraid/scared OFI’m afraid/scared of spiders.
bored/ fed up WITH I’m fed up/ bored with watc.hingTV all night.
disappointed WITH His parents were disappointed with him. 
famous FOR The city is famous for its museums.
full OF This sentence is full of mistakes. 
 good/bad ATKen is very good at languages.
interested IN Are you interested in photography? 
jealous OF She’s so jealous of her husband that she doesn’t even allow him to meet with his colleagues. 
proud OFShe’s very proud of her children. 
responsible FOR We are all responsible for what happened last night.
shocked AT/ BYI was shocked at the news of her death. 
similar TO You are very similar in appearance to your mother. 
sorry ABOUT / FOR doing I’m sorry about the accident.
I’m sorry for breaking your favourite cup.
surprised AT / BYAre you surprised by the news?
tired OF She was tired of doing the same thing every day.
worried ABOUT I’m worried about you, Max. You look ill.

 

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