D to J Prepositions Flashcards
Learn some of the most common combinations of verbs and prepositions. Really useful for the Use of English Section of the Exam.
to disapprove of sb / sth
to dislike sb / sth, not to approve of sb / sth
e.g. I strongly disapprove of the way advertisers control the commercial TV channels.
to dissuade sb from doing sth
to persuade sb not to do sth
e.g. We tried to dissuade him from joining the army.
to be disqualified from sth
to be prevented from taking any further part in a competition / sporting event because you have broken a rule
e.g. He was disqualified from the tournament because they found traces of a banned substance in his blood.
to have an effect on sb / sth
to affect or influence sb / sth
e.g. I don’t care what you do in your spare time as long as it does not have an adverse effect on your work.
to elaborate on sth
to explain sth in more detail
e.g. Would you care to elaborate on that statement?
to embark on a journey
to start a long journey
e.g. In 1778 he embarked on a journey that was to take him halfway round the world.
to endeavour to do sth
(formal) to try to do sth
e. g. I shall endeavour to do my best.
to excel at sth
to be very good at sth
e.g. At school she excelled at everything except maths.
an excerpt / extract from sth
a short passage taken from a book / film / piece of music
e.g. An extract from his latest novel was printed in the local newspaper.
an expert in / on
sb who knows a great deal about sth
e.g. Doctor Jansen is an expert in ancient Greek philosophy.
to be familiar with sth
to know sth or understand it well
e.g. Are you familiar with the works of Chester Himes?
to fish for compliments
to say / do sth so that sb pays you a compliment
e.g. “Do you think I’m getting fat.” She said. She knew she wasn’t. She was fishing for compliments.
to have a flair for sth
to have a natural ability to do sth well
e.g. She has a flair for languages.
a flaw in sth
an imperfection or weakness, especially in an argument
e.g. You say that Marlowe wrote Shakespeare’s plays. There’s just one flaw in your argument: Marlowe died before most of Shakespeare’s plays were written.
fluctuations in sth
sudden changes in sth (price or temperature)
e.g. Fluctuations in prices are more usual in times of recession.
to be fraught with
if a situation is fraught with problems or danger, it involves a lot of them
e.g. The life of a war correspondent is fraught with danger.
to be glued to the television
to watch the television with great interest and all your attention
e.g. During the World Cup final, millions of people around the world will be glued to their televisions.
to haggle over the price of sth
to argue with sb over the price of sth in order to get a better price.
e.g. That seems a good price to me, so I shan’t haggle over it.
to be hopeless at sth
to be very bad at sth
e.g. Don’t ask me. I’m hopeless at geography.
to be identical to sth / sb
to look exactly the same as sth / sb
e.g. She’s identical to her sister.
to have an impact on sb / sth
to have a big effect on sb / sth
e.g. The discovery of Mad Cow Disease had a massive and immediate impact on the British meat industry.
to be impressed by / with sth
to think that sth is exceptionally good and to admire and respect it as a result
e.g. We have been impressed with the progress you have made since you joined this company.
to be indicative of sth
to clearly show sth
e.g. The fact that he does so little is indicative of his lack of interest in his work.
to have / be a good / bad influence on sb / sth
to affect / have a positive / negative effect on sb / sth
e.g. James is a very bad influence on Mark. That is why I have sat them at opposite ends of the class.
information on / about
information regarding
e.g. I’d like some information on your Spanish courses.
to ingratiate yourself with sb
to try and make sb (generally a person in a position of power) like you
e.g. It’s no good trying to ingratiate yourself with me by using flattery.
to be intent on doing sth
to be determined to do sth (often sth that other people think you should not do)
e.g. He seems to be intent on joining the army.
to invest in sth
to give or lend money for a useful or profitable purpose
e.g. Would you like to invest in my company?
judging by sth
based on what I can see / have seen / have heard, this is my opinion
e.g. Judging by the look on his face, I’d say that he has just received some very good news.
to be justified in doing sth
to have a good reason for doing sth
e.g. The local council were perfectly justified in evicting them - they hadn’t paid their rent for months.
