Verb + Example Sentence Notes

Preposition

account for How do you account for the To “account for” is to explain
differences between the two or provide a reason
financial reports?

accuse Dan accused Henry of To “accuse” is to say that

(someone) of stealing money from the someone did something bad
(something) company.

adapt to When I moved to a different country, it was hard for me to

adapt to the new culture.

add I added some salt to the

(something) to soup to give it more flavor.
(something)

adjust to After I got divorced, I had to

adjust to life as a single
man.

admire I admire Joanne for her

(someone) for dedication.
(something)

agree on (topic) My teacher and I agree on You agree ON a noun: We

the importance of listening agree on politics. We don’t
practice. agree on religion.

agree to (do She agreed to make cookies You agree TO a verb

something) for the party.
agree with I agree with you. You agree WITH a person
(someone)

apologize to Barbara apologized to her

(someone) for boss for being late to the
(doing meeting.
something)

apply to (a I applied to the top university

university / in the country – but I didn’t
program) get in.

apply for (a Sandra applied for a

job / marketing job at a
scholarship) multinational company.

approve of My parents don’t approve of

my new boyfriend.

argue with I argued with my business To argue is to have a verbal

(someone) partner about how much to conflict. The noun form is
about invest in advertising. “argument” and we also say
(something) “have an argument with
(someone)”

arrange for We’ll arrange for a

(someone) (to babysitter to take care of the
do something) kids.

arrest Pat was arrested for driving To “arrest” is when the

(someone) for without a license. police take a person into the
(something) police station because they
are suspected of some
crime. This is often in the
passive voice: “(Someone)
 was arrested for…”

arrive at (a By the time we arrived at the train station, our train had
place) already left.

arrive in (a city, I’ll be arriving in Berlin on

country) Thursday.

ask (someone) She asked them about their You ask someone ABOUT
about plans for the holiday. (a topic)
(someone/topic
)

ask (someone) I asked my classmate for a You ask someone FOR (a

for (something) pencil. noun)

ask (someone) The teacher asked me to You ask someone TO (a

to (do make copies of the verb).
something) worksheet. Never say “I asked to
him…”

base on Our conclusions are based

on scientific research.

be accustomed I’m from Ecuador, so I’m not “I’m accustomed to” is the
to accustomed to the cold same as “I’m used to”
weather!

be/get At the conference, I got acquainted with various leaders in

acquainted the industry.
with

be addicted to The rock star was addicted You can also say you’re
(something) to heroin. “addicted to” interests (like
 music or sports) – it’s not
only for drugs and alcohol!

be afraid of My 5-year-old daughter is “Afraid of” is the same as

afraid of the dark. “scared of”

be angry Bob is angry at his son for driving his car without permission
at/with – and crashing it.
(someone) for
(something)

be annoyed I’m annoyed at my husband Notice that after

at/with for forgetting to wash the “annoyed/angry at someone
(someone) for dishes. for…” the verb is in the –
(something) ING form.

be anxious Everyone in the class is

about anxious about the final
(something) exam.

be associated There are a number of risks

with associated with the surgery.

be aware of I’m not aware of any

problems.

be blessed with We’ve been blessed with To be “blessed with”

good health and stable jobs. something is to have
received something good /
positive, which you’re
thankful for.

be bored with I’m bored with the classes

I’m currently taking.
be capable of This technology is capable
(something) of changing the world.

be cluttered The spare room is cluttered “Cluttered” means there are

with with my sister’s half-finished too many objects in the
(something) art projects. space, and it’s disorganized.

be committed Our organization is committed to improving education in the

to community.

be composed The group is composed of

of doctors and lawyers.

be concerned I’m concerned about the

about increasing violence in this
neighborhood.

be connected Less education is connected

to/with with higher unemployment.

be content with The employees weren’t content with the salary adjustments –
they wanted a bigger raise.

be dedicated to Veronica is very dedicated to her job. She always does her
best work.

be devoted to Frank is a great father; he’s

so devoted to his family.

be We were disappointed in
disappointed our son when he failed three
in/with classes.
(someone/
something)
be discouraged I’m discouraged by the poor
by results of the marketing
campaign.

be done with I’m done with my work –

(something) time to go home.

be dressed in The robbers were dressed in

black.

be engaged in The company is engaged in “Engaged in” is like

(something) a legal battle with one of their “involved in”
competitors.

be engaged to My brother is engaged to a If you are “engaged to”

(someone) woman he met while someone, it means you are
traveling. They’re getting going to get married to that
married next month. person

be envious of I’m envious of my sister’s

success.

be equipped This building is equipped

with with a solar power system.
(something)

be excited We’re excited about our

about upcoming trip around the
world.

be exposed to The children of smokers are

exposed to secondhand
smoke.

be faced with My family didn’t have health insurance, and we were faced
(problem / with enormous medical bills after my father got sick.
dilemma /
decision)

be faithful to He’s faithful to his wife – he wouldn’t get involved with

another woman.

be familiar with Sorry, I’m not familiar with that computer program. I’ve only
used it once.

be famous for That musician is famous for

her poetic song lyrics.

be filled with The stores were filled with shoppers during the week before
Christmas.

be finished Don’t throw away the

with newspaper – I’m not finished
with it yet.

be fond of I’m quite fond of peppermint To be “fond of” something

tea. I drink it almost every means you especially like it,
day. you have an emotional
connection to it.

be frightened My dog was frightened by

by the fireworks, and hid under
the bed.

be frightened Alex never talks to women because he’s too frightened of

of rejection.
be grateful to I’m grateful to Sally for
(someone) for helping me find a new
(something) apartment.

be guilty of (a The director was found guilty “Guilty” is the opposite of

crime) of sexual harassment. “innocent”

be happy about My family wasn’t happy

(something) about my decision to drop
out of college.

be innocent of I believe she’s innocent of the charges – she doesn’t seem

(something) like a criminal.

be interested in I’m interested in

(something) photography.

be interested in Kevin keeps asking me out to If you are “interested in”

(someone) lunch, but I’m not really someone, it usually means
interested in him. you have romantic interest
in that person

be involved in Ten politicians were

(something) involved in the scandal.

be involved Sorry, I don’t have any information – I’m not involved with
with that project.

be jealous of All my colleagues are jealous of me because I have the

biggest office.

be known for Thailand is known for its

(something) beautiful beaches.
be limited to This scholarship is limited to
applicants from low-income
families.

be made from Wine is made from grapes. We use “made from” when
(something) there is a transformation in
the process of making the
final product

be made of This table is made of wood. We use “made of” when

(material) talking about the material
(wood, metal, plastic, etc.)

be married to My cousin is married to a

(someone) dancer.

be opposed to Many of the students are

opposed to the new school
policy.

be patient with The teacher was very patient with me when I couldn’t
(someone) understand the exercise.

be pleased with Are you pleased with the

results of the project?

be polite to The woman wasn’t very polite to me when I asked her for
(someone) directions.

be prepared for I didn’t study, so I wasn’t

prepared for the test.

be proud of I’m proud of my daughter – she graduated with the highest

grades in her class.
be relevant to Why are you talking about
that? It’s not relevant to this
discussion.

be responsible I’m responsible for training

for new employees.

be satisfied I wasn’t satisfied with the

with quality of that product.

be scared of My wife is scared of spiders.

be terrified of I’m terrified of enclosed “Terrified” means

spaces – I can get panic EXTREMELY scared or
attacks in an elevator. afraid

be thankful for We’re thankful for everyone who volunteered to help with the
program.

be tired of I want to buy a car. I’m tired

(doing of taking the bus.
something)

beg for My ex-boyfriend begged me To “beg” is to ask repeatedly

for another chance, but I said with a lot of emotion
the relationship was over.

believe in Do you believe in magic?

belong to No, that motorcycle’s not

mine. It belongs to my
brother.
benefit from The local population will
benefit from the new
hospital.

blame He blamed the other driver

(someone) for for the car accident.
(something)

blame She blamed the mistakes in

(something) on the article on the editors.
(someone)

boast about I hate talking to Ronald “Boasting” means to talk

because he’s always about something arrogantly
boasting about how much
money he makes.

borrow I borrowed a dress from my “Borrow” is the opposite of

(something) sister. “lend” (when you borrow,
from you receive the object
(someone) temporarily)

care about Our company cares about

(someone / the environment.
something)

care for Rachel is caring for her 95- It’s also common to say
(someone) year-old grandmother. “taking care of” a person

don’t care for I don’t care for Mexican “I don’t care for it” means “I
(something) food. It’s too spicy for me. don’t like it very much.”

cater to (group Most of the restaurants in this “Cater to” means to be

of people) area cater to tourists. specialized towards that
group of people
charge The restaurant charged us In this case, “charge” means
(someone) for for the water – I thought it to require money for a
(something) was complimentary! product or service

charge He was charged with In this case, “charge” means

(someone) with assault with a deadly when someone is formally
(something) weapon. accused of a crime

choose I’m trying to choose between Australia and New Zealand for
between my next vacation.
(someone/
something) and
(someone/
something)

collide with Eight people were injured

when a bus collided with a
car.

come from The world’s best chocolate

comes from Belgium.

comment on A number of people

commented on my new
haircut.

communicate The company needs to

with (someone) communicate with
customers.

compare Organic food is expensive

(someone compared to non-organic
/something) food.
to/with
(someone/
something)

compete with Pepsi launched a new type of

soda to compete with Coca-
Cola.

complain about We complained about the

slow service in the
restaurant.

complain to We complained to the manager about the slow service in the

(someone) restaurant.
about
(something)

compliment George complimented Erica

(someone) on on her ability to speak
(something) French.

concentrate on We’re trying to do too many things; we need to concentrate

on one project at a time.

confess to The scientist confessed to To “confess” is to admit that

lying about the results of his you did something wrong, or
research. reveal a secret

confuse You’re confusing a laptop with a netbook – they’re two

(someone/ different types of computers.
something)
with (someone/
something)

congratulate We congratulated Vanessa

(someone) on her promotion.
for/on ([doing]
something)

consent to The director consented to

(something) the employees’ proposal.

consist of My CD collection consists of

jazz and classic rock music.

contribute to Stress can contribute to

(something) various health problems.

convict He was convicted of child When someone is

(someone) of abuse. “convicted,” it means they
(something) are found guilty of a crime

convince My wife convinced me to

(someone) to take dance lessons.

cope with Psychologists can help “Cope with” means to deal

people cope with tragedies. with something and
emotionally process it –
usually a negative thing

count on I’m counting on you to finish “Count on” is like “depend

the work by tomorrow. on”

cover in/with The mountains are covered

with snow.

crash into A drunk driver crashed into

a tree near my house.

cure (someone) The antibiotics cured her of “Cure of” is used with
of (something) the infection. diseases, but can also be
 used with bad habits –
“Working as a journalist
cured me of my tendency to
procrastinate.”

deal with How do you deal with an

annoying co-worker?

decide against When I needed money, I If you “decide against”

considered selling my car, something, you decide NOT
but in the end I decided to do it
against it.

decide between I’m trying to decide between buying a motorcycle and saving
(someone/ up the money for a car.
something) and
(someone/
something)

decide on The government is going to decide on the proposed new law

next week.

dedicate I’d like to dedicate this performance to my mother, who has

(something) to always helped and inspired me.
(someone)

depend on I’ll be there in 20-30 minutes, Avoid the common error of

depending on the traffic. saying “depend in” or
“depend of” – it’s always
“depend on”!

derive Many medicines are derived

(something) from natural products like
from plants.
(something)
deter Difficulties with organic chemistry class deterred me from
(someone) becoming a doctor.
from
(something)

differ from New Year’s traditions differ

from country to country.

disagree with I disagree with the decision

(someone / to close down the program.
something)

disapprove of Religious groups disapprove of that TV show; they say it’s

offensive.

discourage They discouraged us from visiting Paris, saying it was

(someone) extremely expensive.
from
(something)

discriminate He’s racist – he

against discriminates against black
and Hispanic people.

discuss We need to discuss these

(something) problems with the boss.
with (someone)

distinguish Cashiers need to know how to distinguish between real and

between counterfeit bills.
(someone/
something) and
(someone/
something)
distract The loud music distracted
(someone) me from my work.
from
(something)

dream about/of I dream about becoming a If talking about dreams

famous singer someday. (hopes) for the future, you
can say “dream about” or
“dream of.” If talking about a
dream you had when you
were sleeping, use only
“dream about”

elaborate on Could you elaborate on that

(something) last point? I’d like to know
more.

escape from (a Three prisoners escaped

place) from the jail last night.

exchange I exchanged the small shirt

(something) for for a medium.
(something)

exclude He excluded them from the

(someone) meeting.
from
(something)

excuse Please excuse me for

(someone) for interrupting.
(something)

expel He was expelled from “Expel” means someone

(someone) university for using drugs. was forced to leave a group,
from (a place) school, or company –
usually because they did
something bad

experiment on Scientists are experimenting on monkeys to develop new

medicines.

explain The doctor explained the Never say “He explained me

(something) to procedure to me in detail. the procedure.”
(someone)

feel about How do you feel about the

new company policy?

feel like I don’t feel like going out to a “I don’t feel like doing it”
nightclub. I’d rather relax at means “I don’t want to do it;
home tonight. I’m not in the mood for doing
it”

fight about My kids are fighting about You “fight about” the topic of
whose turn it is to use the the conflict
computer.

fight against This organization is fighting You “fight against” your

against discrimination and opponent (when it’s a
injustice. person or an idea/thing/etc.)

fight for After the accident, he was You “fight for” something
fighting for his life. you approve of, or you want
to have

fight with The protestors are fighting You “fight with” your
with the police. opponent (only when it’s a
person)
forget about Oh no! I forgot about the You “forget about” a noun
(something) meeting – now I’m going to
be late.

forget to (do I’m cold – I forgot to bring You “forget to” a verb
something) my jacket.

forgive I forgave him for taking my

(someone) for camera without asking
(something) permission.

gaze at She sat on the beach, “Gaze” means to look at

gazing at the ocean. something for a long time
and in a contemplative way

get back from I just got back from the gym “Get back from” is the same
(a place) – I need to take a shower as “return from”

get rid of I got rid of some old clothes “Get rid of” means to throw
that I don’t wear anymore. away or give away

get used to I’m a relaxed person, so it was hard for me to get used to the
fast pace of New York City.

give I gave the keys to Pamela. You can also say “I gave
(something) to Pamela the keys.”
(someone)

glare at Rita glared at her husband “Glare” means to look at

when he started chatting with someone/something angrily
a beautiful woman at the
club.
graduate from He graduated from Harvard
(a place) University in 1986.

grieve for He’s grieving for his mother, “Grieve” means to be sad
who died just a few days ago. about a loss – usually a
death

grumble about My husband is grumbling “Grumble” is like “complain”

(something) about how early we need to
get up to catch our 6 AM
flight.

happen to What happened to your car?

Did you get in an accident?

harp on The salesman was harping “Harp on” means to

on all the wonderful benefits emphasize something
of the product. strongly (and rather
annoyingly)

hear about Did you hear about the bank “Hear about” is used for
robbery that happened last knowing about the details of
night? a situation

hear from My cousin is traveling and doesn’t have much internet access,
(someone) so I haven’t heard from her lately.

hear of I’ve never heard of that “Hear of” is used for hearing
movie. just a mention of something
(no details)

help (someone) She really helped me with

with the problem.
(something)
hide I hid the cookies from my kids so they wouldn’t eat them
(something) before dinner.
from
(someone)

hinge on The success of this project “Hinge on” is like “depend

hinges on teamwork and on” – it means teamwork
collaboration. and collaboration are
ESSENTIAL to the success

hope for (noun) I’m hoping for good weather

hope to (verb) this weekend. My husband
and I are hoping to go
camping.

insist on I thought the company website was great, but my boss

insisted on redesigning it.

insure against My car is insured against

theft.

interfere in Don’t interfere in the “Interfere in” means to get

(something) situation if you don’t know all involved in something that
the facts. you shouldn’t

interfere with The flight delay interfered “Interfere with” means to

(something) with our travel plans. add an obstacle that delays
or prevents something from
happening

introduce I’d like to introduce you to a

(someone/ friend of mine from college.
something) to
(someone/
something)
invest in The city is investing thousands of dollars in improving public
transportation.

invite She invited me to her

(someone) to birthday party.

joke about Chris is always joking about “Joke about” is to talk about
how bad he is at sports. it with humor, in a
funny/comedic way

jot down I jotted down a few notes “Jot down” is the same as
(something) during the presentation “write down” – jot means “to
write quickly”

keep A password keeps people “Keep someone from doing

(someone/ from accessing your something” is the same as
something) account. “prevent someone from
from (doing doing something”
something)

know about He knows a lot about

computers.

laugh about Our travel disaster was You “laugh about” a

annoying at the time, but we situation
laughed about it later.

laugh at When I said something You typically “laugh at” a

stupid, everyone laughed at person (although sometimes
me. “laugh at” is used for a
situation – “I laughed at her
reaction to the news.”

learn about I like learning about other

cultures.
lend I lent a book to my friend six “Lend” is the opposite of
(something) to months ago, and he hasn’t “borrow.” When you lend
(someone) given it back yet. something, you give it to
someone else temporarily

listen to I usually listen to music on

my mp3 player while I
exercise.

long for I long for a job in which I To “long for” something

have more flexible hours! means you REALLY want
something

look at I looked at the pictures from

Jason’s vacation.

look forward to I’m looking forward to “Look forward to” means

having lunch with you next you are happy or excited for
week. something in the future.

matter to We can take the 8 AM or the

(someone) 11 AM train – it doesn’t
matter to me.

meet with I met with the department

(someone) manager to discuss the
project.

mistake My sister looks like a famous actress, so people always

(someone/ mistake her for a celebrity.
something) for
(someone/
something)

object to I object to the idea that stay- If you “object to” something,
 at-home moms are lazy. it means you oppose it or
They work really hard! strongly disagree with it

participate in Representatives from 15 countries will participate in the

(something) conference.

pay for I paid $100 for this perfume.

plan on We plan on attending the “Plan on” is followed by the -

party. ING form of the verb

praise He praised me for my

(someone) for creative solution to the
(something) problem.

pray for I’m praying for you to feel

better soon.

prefer I prefer swimming to biking.

(something) to
(something)

prepare for The sports team is preparing

for the tournament next
month.

present The company presented

(someone) with Randy with an award for
(something) excellent service.

prevent Computer problems prevented me from finishing my work

(someone/ yesterday.
something)
from (doing
something)

prohibit Employees are prohibited

(someone) from smoking inside the
from (doing office.
something)

protect Wearing a bicycle helmet can protect you from serious head
(someone) injuries.
from
(something)

provide We provided all the children

(someone) with with computers.
(something)

punish I punished my teenage daughter for going to a party without

(someone) for my permission.
(something)

quarrel with We quarreled with the hotel “Quarrel” is the same as

(someone) receptionist about the extra “argue” (have a verbal
about/over charges on our bill. conflict)
(something)

react to Environmental groups are reacting to the city’s plans to build

a new shopping center in the middle of the park.

recover from She stayed home from work because she’s still recovering
(something) from pneumonia.

refer to Please refer to the diagram

(something) on page 15.

related to The website has information “Related to” is also used for
 on various topics related to family members – “I’m
pregnancy. related to a famous actor.
He’s my cousin.”

rely on You can’t rely on other “Rely on” is like “depend on”
people to make you happy.

remind You remind me of my sister

(someone) of – you have a similar
(something) personality.

remind I reminded my husband to buy some milk at the store on the

(someone) to way home from work.
(do something)

reply to I’ll reply to your e-mail later

today.

rescue The coast guard rescued the

(someone) fisherman from the sinking
from boat.
(something)

respond to The film director responded to the criticisms about his latest
movie.

result in The advertising campaign resulted in hundreds of new

(something) customers for the company.

save The fireman saved the child

(someone) from the burning building.
from
(something)

scold The teacher scolded the To “scold” is to reprimand or

(someone) for student for coming to class criticize someone for doing
([doing] late. something wrong
something)

search for I’m searching for a two- You can use “searching for”
bedroom apartment in the or “looking for”
city center.

separate I separated last year’s

(something) documents from this year’s
from documents.
(something)

share I shared the food with my

(something) brother.
with (someone)

shout at My mother shouted at me To “shout” is to yell, to

when I left a big mess in the speak very loudly. You can
kitchen. also say “yell at”

show I showed my new cell phone

(something) to to all my friends.
(someone)

smile at She smiled at me.

(someone)

speak to/with I spoke with my son’s Both “to” and “with” can be
(someone) teacher about his behavior in used after “speak,” but
about school. “with” implies more of a two-
(someone / way conversation. If the
something) conversation is only one
way, use “to” – “The
president spoke to an
 audience of 5,000.”

specialize in I’m a biologist. I specialize in

(something) the study of tropical plants.

spend I spent $300 on this backpack because I wanted one that was
(money/time) really high-quality.
on

stand for NATO stands for the North

Atlantic Treaty Organization.

stare at When I dyed my hair bright “Stare” means to look at

green, a lot of children something intensely for a
stared at me. long time

stem from The current health crisis “Stem from” is like “originate
stems from lack of in”
nutritional education.

stop (someone) I stopped the child from

from (doing playing with the scissors.
something)

subject I was subjected to verbal abuse from my boss in my previous

(someone) to job – that’s why I quit.
(something)

subscribe to I don’t subscribe to any

magazines – I just read them
online.
substitute You can substitute chicken
(something) for for beef in this recipe.
(something)

succeed in She succeeded in running a

(doing marathon in under 4 hours.
something)

suffer from My aunt suffers from

arthritis.

suspect He is suspected of planning

(someone) of a terrorist attack.
(something)

take advantage With low interest rates, many If you “take advantage of”
of (someone/ people took advantage of someone, it has a negative
something/ the opportunity to buy a connotation – you are using
situation) house. that person for your own
benefit. If you “take
advantage of” a situation, it
can be negative, but it can
also be neutral – as in the
example sentence.

take care of I’m taking care of my neighbors’ dog while they’re traveling
this weekend.

talk to/with I need to talk with you about Similar to “speak to/with”
(someone) plans for next year.
about (topic)

tell (someone) Caroline told us about her

about trip to South Africa.
(something)
thank Thank you for helping me
(someone) for with my homework.
(something)

think about I’m thinking about taking

piano lessons.

think of He thought of a great way to

increase sales.

translate We need to translate this

(something) document into Italian.
into (a
language)

travel to We’re traveling to Moscow

(somewhere) by train.

trust I trust her with my car –

(someone) with she’s a careful driver.
(something)

turn into The city is going to turn this “Turn into” means to
old church into a museum. transform

use I use vitamins to give me

(something) for more energy.
(-ING) / to
(infinitive)

vote against That senator voted against “Vote against” means you
a law proposing stricter oppose it, you vote NO
measures for gun control.

vote for I’m going to vote for Janet “Vote for” means you
 for president. support it, you vote YES

vouch for I can vouch for him – he’s If you “vouch for”
(someone / an honest and dependable someone/something, it
something) guy. means you recommend it
because you have
experience with it

wait for I can’t leave yet because I’m waiting for my wife to finish
(someone/som putting on her makeup.
ething)

warn about They warned us about the

poisonous snakes in the
forest.

waste I wasted $10 on a flashlight

(money/time) that didn’t even work.
on

work for (a I work for a car dealership.

company /
person)

work on (a We’re working on a new

project / task) project.

worry about My grandmother always

worries about my safety.

write about The journalist wrote about

the election.
write to Make sure to write to your grandparents and thank them for
(someone) the gift.

yap about The secretaries were To “yap” is to talk or chat in

yapping about the newest an annoying way
episode of the TV show.

yearn for The poor children are “Yearn for” is like “long for” –
yearning for a better life. it means you really want
something, with a lot of
emotion