K to P 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 be kind to
to treat sb / sth in a gentle and friendly way
e.g. He was always very kind to me.
to be lacking in sth
not to have enough of sth
e.g. His problems stem from the fact that he is lacking in confidence.
to lapse into another language
to start speaking in a different language (especially your mother tongue)
e.g. When she got excited she had a tendency to lapse into Italian.
to lavish praise on sb / sth
to say that sth (particularly a book or film) is very good
e.g. “You can’t expect the critics to lavish praise on everything you write,” she said.
to be licensed to do sth
to have official permission to do sth, or to sell sth
e.g. We are not licensed to sell fireworks.
to liken sb / sth to sb / sth else
to say or write that sth / sb is similar to sth / sb else
e.g. The poet likens the lady to a summer’s day.
to long for sth
(literary) to really want sth
e. g. She longed for him to take her dancing.
to marvel at
to be very surprised by sth (because it is very good, very clever, etc) and to admire it as a result
e.g. He marvelled at the way she dealt with the problem.
to meddle in sb’s life / affairs
to interfere in a situation which does not concern you, causing other people problems
e.g. Now she hates you. That’s what you get for meddling in her affairs.
to meet with little / no success
(formal) to be unsuccessful
e. g. The minister tried to persuade the union to call off the strike, but met with little success.
to merge with
to join together to form one (company)
e.g. If BMY merges with Vectron, the resulting company will become the biggest automobile manufacturer in the world.
to model sth on sth else
to design a particular system (educational, legal, electoral, transport, etc) so that it is a copy of another system
e.g. They’ve modelled their electoral system on ours.
to be a newcomer to
to have recently started / arrived
e.g. We’re newcomers to this area.
to be noted for
to be well known and admired for [Note: to be notorious for: to be well known for having a bad quality]
e.g. This region of Chile is noted for its beautiful mountain scenery.
Chanta Air is notorious for its appalling in-flight service.
to be obsessed with
not to be able to stop thinking about sth
e.g. He is obsessed with football.