Test Your Preposition Flashcards
The house is to be sold ___ auction.
[be sold by auction]
but:
The painting will be sold at auction next week.
I never seem to win very often ___ tennis.
[win at something]
To be victorious in some competitive event or activity.
Let Albert works it out; he has an aptitude ___ figures.
[aptitude for]
My son has no aptitude for sport.
You could tell ___ a glance that he was no ordinary speaker.
[tell at a glance]
[see at a glance]
She could see at a glance that something was seriously wrong.
Most people think the government is to blame ___ rising unemployment.
[be to blame for]
Officials believe that more than one person may be to blame for the fire.
Do you know of a cure ___ baldness?
“A Cure for Wellness”
She takes great pride ___ her work.
[take pride in]
You should take more pride in (=care more for) your appearance.
He was the sort of person who immediately made you feel ___ ease.
[feel at ease]
[]
A dog in the office may help someone be more at ease.
I’m sorry, but I’m not ___ liberty to tell you anymore.
[be at liberty to]
While I am still free, I am at liberty to take my pleasure when I choose.
John’s get very strange taste ___ clothe, hasn’t he?
[taste in]
A taste for beer means a liking for beer, not necessarily any knowledge of beer.
Good taste in beer means the ability to tell good beer from bad.
We didn’t know ___ certain wether they would come or not.
[know for certain]
I know for certain it’s in here somewhere.
So he was ___ a bad mood and very tired ___ arrival at Lime Street stration.
[on arrival]
[in a good mood]
On arrival at the police station, they were taken to an interview room.
Moral and social responsibility should be integrated ___ ever child’s schooling.
[integrate into]
[integrate with]
The idea with young children is to integrate learning with play.
You need to integrate exercise into your normal life.
It’s impossible to attend ___ a task properly you’re worrying about something else.
[attend to]
Doctors tried to attend to the worst injured soldiers first.
It’s a good idea to make notes ___ what you’re reading if you want to remember it.
[make note of] [take note of] I'll just take a note of your name and address. [make note on] to make notes on what you're reading
Unfortunately, many university courses do not provide students ___ the basic study skills they really need.
[provide with]
Jack took early retirement as he was losing his grip ___ the job.
[lose grip on]
Are you starting to lose your grip on reality?
I find it very hard to commit historical dates ___ memory.
[commit sth to memory]
He committed the entire letter to memory.
Lack of sleep can seriously interfere ___ your ability to think rationally.
[interfere with]
Even a low level of noise interferes with my concentration.
[to prevent something from working effectively or from developing successfully]
All new models have been fitted ___ a safety lock.
[be fitted with]
Is your car fitted with an alarm?
You look really scruffy. Can’t you tuck your shirt ___ your trousers at least?
[tuck shirt in]
[tuck shirt into]
The sudden movement of the train threw me ___ balance and I fell head-first down the steps.
[throw off balance]
Jenny threw me off balance when she said she wanted to have a baby.
The over-use of fertilizers and pesticides is one of the greatest threats ___ wildlife today.
[threat to]
Major threats to wildlife include habitat destruction/degradation/fragmentation, overexploitation, poaching, pollution and climate change.
Arnold was falsely accused ___ stealing cash from the till
[be accused of]
Are you accusing me of lying?
Trevor is absolutely hopeless ___ taking photos - he always cuts your head or feet off.
[be hopeless at]
Steve is just hopeless at math—we have help him with his homework every night.
Emma was furious with me ___ inviting her ex-boyfriend to the party.
[furious with sb for sth]
He was furious with himself for letting things get so out of control.
I’m tired ___ the same old faces every day - I need a change!
[be tired of]
[be tired from]
I’m tired of working overtime.
I’m tired from walking such a long distance.
Tired of…
This means you are tired of a repeated or annoying action.
Tired from…
This means that you are tired from an activity.
Dr Farquar is famous ___ forgetting people’s names.
[famous for]
Marie Curie is famous for her contribution to science.
I’ve no idea why Tony is so angry. He never confides ___ me.
[confide in]
She’s nice, but I don’t feel I can confide in her.
There’s no need to exercise ___ the point of exhaustion.
[exercise to the point of]
Moving house often has a negative effect ___ people’s mental health.
[effect on]
Certain chemicals have been banned because of their damaging effect on the environment.
He is fairly well-read ___ his field, which is medicine.
[well-read in]
He’s very well read in the field of solar energy.
He cannot just let things go, he just not comfortable ___ inaccuracies.
[comfortable with]
I’m not comfortable with the idea of leaving her on her own.
John takes a very irresponsible attitude ___ his own safety – he never wears a crash helmet.
[attitude towards]
[attitude to]
He has a very bad attitude to/towards work.
Fiona’s twisted ankle prevented her ___ going skating
[prevent from]
His disability prevents him (from) driving.
We spent loads of money ___ new equipment for our camping holiday.
[spend on]
We’ve just spent $1.9 million on improving our computer network.
She is very experienced ___ marketing.
[experienced in]
What sort of work are you experienced in?
They’re very polite ___ your presence, but you get the feeling they’re laughing up their sleeves.
[polite in]
[impolite in]
He’s usually quite polite in my presence.
You have to be tough to be successful ___ politics.
[successful in]
The company was successful in its bid.
You should be ashamed ___ yourselves.
[ashamed of]
You’ve got nothing to be ashamed of.
Were you aware ___ the risks at the time?
[aware of]
I suddenly became aware of (= started to notice) him looking at me.
Only the Democratic Party is capable ___ running the country.
[capable of]
When she’s drunk she’s capable of saying (= likely to say) awful, rude things.
I think she’s very conscious ___ being the only person in the office who didn’t have a university education.
[conscious of]
My tooth doesn’t exactly hurt, but I’m conscious of it (= I can feel it) all the time.
I’m very envious ___ your new coat - it’s beautiful.
[envious of]
I’m envious of people that have those big boats.
The commission must remain independent ___ political control.
[independent of]
They all made the same comment, quite independent of each other.
He had always been very jealous ___ his brother’s good looks.
[jealous of]
Why are you jealous of her? She’s no competition!
I’m scared ___ telling her what really happened.
[scared of]
He’s scared of spiders.
It was silly ___ you to go out in the sun without a hat.
[silly of]
Was it silly of me to try?
It was sweet ___ you to help me.
[sweet of]
It was sweet of you to help me.
This kind of hot and spicy food is very typical ___ the food in the south of the country.
[typical of]
It’s typical of the boss to kick someone when they’re down.
I’m not accustomed ___ being treated like this.
[accustomed to]
She quickly became accustomed to his messy ways.
By the age of 14 he was addicted ___ heroin.
[addicted to]
A lot of people nowadays have become addicted to the internet.
My dad’s allergic ___ pop music.
[allergic to]
I’m allergic to cats.
We are firmly committed ___ reducing unemployment.
[committed to]
We are committed to withdrawing our troops by the end of the year.
The Green Party is dedicated ___ protecting the environment.
[dedicated to]
She’s completely dedicated to her work.
She was utterly indifferent ___ his irritation.
[indifferent to]
Why don’t you vote - how can you be so indifferent (to what is going on)?
So how long have you been married ___ Nicky?
[married to]
Rachel seems to be married to (= very involved with) her new job at the moment, so we hardly ever see her.
The government is not receptive ___ the idea of a Freedom of Information Act.
[receptive to]
I think you’re more receptive to new ideas when you’re younger.
For babies, breastfeeding is superior ___ bottle-feeding
[superior to]
She thinks she’s morally superior to the rest of us.
The government troops were superior in numbers (= there were more of them)
Companies are migrating to the suburbs to avoid governments perceived as unfriendly ___ business.
[unfriendly to]
The villagers were really quite unfriendly towards us.
The cancer risks associated ___ smoking have been well documented.
[associated with]
He did not associate himself with the pro-democracy movement.
Fortunately we were blessed ___ fine weather.
[blessed with]
She is blessed with both beauty and brains.
I thought I would stay calm, but when I was confronted ___ the TV camera, I got very nervous.
[confronted with]
[confronted by]
We were confronted with a lot of problems when we tried to buy a house in Germany.
The police were confronted by crowds of rioters.
He seems fairly content ___ his life.
[content with]
I’d be content with a modest income.
Unusually, the town was not crowded ___ tourists.
[crowded with]
The room was crowded with many people.
I’m sorry, I’m not familiar ___ your poetry.
[familiar with]
Are you familiar with the controls?
That song was popular ___ people from my father’s generation.
[popular with]
[popular among]
How popular is Madonna among/with teenagers?
Are you satisfied ___ the new arrangement?
[satisfied with]
Her teachers seem satisfied with her progress.
This book belongs ___ Sarah.
[belong to]
You shouldn’t take what doesn’t belong to you.
At the age of 25, he decided to devote himself ___ God.
[devote to]
He left the Senate to devote more time to his family.
I don’t think anyone will object ___ leaving early.
[object to]
He objects to the label “magician”.
The judge reacted angrily ___ the suggestion that it hadn’t been a fair trial.
[react to]
Many people react (badly) to (= are made ill by) penicillin.
I try to reply ___ letters the day I receive them.
[reply to]
She replied to the threats by going to the police.
I admired him ___ his determination.
[admire for]
I really admire you for your courage.
We cannot excuse him ___ these crimes.
[excuse for]
[excuse from]
Please excuse me for arriving late - the bus was delayed.
I asked the teacher if I could be excused from (= allowed not to do) hockey practice as my knee still hurt.
Harriet has a good head __ figures.
[head for]
Do you have a head for heights (= are you able to be in high places without fear)?
I’m longing ___ news of him.
[long for]
I love my job, but I long for my family when I have to spend so much time on the road.
Let us pray ___ the victims of this terrible disaster.
[pray for]
We’re praying for good weather for tomorrow’s game.
This course prepares students ___ middle and senior managerial positions.
[prepare for]
Have you prepared for your interview?
His mother scolded him ___ breaking her favourite vase.
[scolded for]
I got a scolding for coming home late.
The police searched the woods ___ the missing boy.
[search for] He searched (in/through) his pockets for some change.
Some families abstain ___ eating fried food.
[abstain from]
He took a vow to abstain from alcohol/smoking/sex.
I had to borrow a pen ___ the invigilator to do the exam.
[borrow from]
English has borrowed many words from French.
Lorna graduated ___ Freiburg University.
[graduate from]
[graduate with in]
After he graduated from high school, he joined the Army.
Tom has just graduated with first-class honours in psychology.
What do you infer ___ her refusal?
[infer from]
I inferred from her expression that she wanted to leave.
The lifeboat rescued the sailors ___ the sinking boat.
[rescue from]
The government has refused to rescue the company from bankruptcy.
He resigned ___ the company in order to take a more challenging job.
[resign from]
He resigned from a high-profile job as economic adviser to the prime minister.
[retire from]
He resigned ___ policy director to become deputy chief of staff.
[resign as]
She resigned as director.
[retire as]
He fell in the river but his friend saved him ___ drowning.
[save from]
He fell in the river but his friend saved him from drowning.
I try to keep meat separate ___ other food in the fridge.
[separate from]
You can get a special device for separating egg whites from yolks.
She’s been suffering ___ cancer for two years.
[suffer from]
Johnny suffers from (= is often ill with) asthma.
The film is based ___ a short story by Thomas Mann.
[base on]
The film is based on a real-life story.
The tutor’s comments ___ my work were very apt and to the point.
[comment on]
[comment about]
I don’t want any comments on/about my new haircut, thank you!
I can’t concentrate __ my work with all that noise.
[concentrate on]
I’m going to concentrate on my writing for a while.
Granny rang up to congratulate him ___ passing his exams.
[congratulate sb on sth]
I congratulated Jill on winning the award.
The council has imposed a ban ___ alcohol in the city parks.
[impose sth on sth]
Very high taxes have recently been imposed on cigarettes.
He prides himself ___ his loyalty to his friends.
[pride yourself on]
He prides himself on his loyalty to his friends.
Aim __ the yellow circle.
[aim at]
The new budget aims at providing extra support for the unemployed.
[aim for]
Let’s aim for (= go in the direction of) Coventry first, and then we’ll have a look at the map.
There are no photographs of him, so we can only guess ___ what he looked like.
[guess at]
Oh wow, I was only guessing at Cynthia’s phone number, but I’m glad I got it right!
He’s hinted ___ the possibility of moving to Canada.
[hint at]
Their impact for the local level, however, has been all but hinted a
We paused to marvel ___ the view.
[marvel at]
I marvel at her patience with the children.
The publisher smiled ___ the illustrator of the writers who was dressed colorfully.
[smile at]
When he smiled at me I knew everything was all right.
Don’t stare ___ people like that, it’s rude.
[stare at]
He just stared blankly at me.
For a second I thought he was being serious, but then he winked ___ me.
[wink at]
Laura winked at me as Stephen turned his back.
Parents enjoy boasting ___ their children’s achievements.
[boast about]
He’s always boasting about his sexual prowess.
I had a very strange dream ___ you last night.
[dream about]
[have a dream about]
What did you dream about last night?
It seemed unlikely that the debt would ever be paid off so we just forgot ___ it.
[forget about]
I completely forgot about Jenny’s party.
The museum offers workshops to acquaint children ___ the world of radio.
[acquaint sb with]
Take time to acquaint yourself with the rules.
[no acquaint]
Most people associate this brand ___ good quality.
[associate with]
I am happy, indeed proud, to be associated with this project.
The kids always clutter the hall ___ school bags and coats and stuff.
[clutter with]
[clutter up with]
I try not to clutter (up) my mind with useless information.
If the heavy rain had coincided ___ an extreme high tide, serious flooding would have resulted.
[coincide with]
I timed my holiday to coincide with the children’s.
It was predicted that a comet would collide ___ one of the planets.
[collide with]
He went off the road to avoid colliding with another car.
There are serious penalties for failure to comply ___ the regulations.
[comply with]
The builders have not complied with the architect’s instructions.
