Verbs with prepositions Flashcards
abstain
from
The doctor advised me to abstain from the use of alcohol and tobacco.
accuse
of
He accused me of taking some important papers from his desk.
adapt
to
When you travel you have to adapt to the habits and customs of the country you visit.
adhere
to
This glue will not adhere to glass or leather.
agree
on or with
They couldn’t agree on the subject of foreign policy.
I don’t agree with a word you say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.
apologize
for
I have to apologize for the way this room looks. I haven’t gotten around to cleaning it.
approve
of
She doesn’t approve of alcohol in any form.
argue
with
I won’t argue with you; I can see your mind’s made up already.
arrive
at
He arrived at my house just at supper time.
They arrived in New York last Tuesday. (cities, country)
ask
about or for
We asked about the condition of the roads between there and the Capital.
I asked for a quite room on the second floor of the hotel.
assure
of
The unions assured the new owners of the workers’ loyalty to the company.
bargain
with/for
I bargained with the dealer for more than two hours for that old sofa. He finally let me have it for eight dollars.
believe
in
Do you believe in Darwin’s Theory of Evolution?He doesn’t believe in letting the children have money unless they have earned it.
belong
to
This book doesn’t belong to me. It’s a library book.(be a member of a group or organization)What clubs do you belong to, if any?
beware
of
My father told me to beware of strangers, women, and mad dogs.
blame
for
I blame myself for all that happened yesterday.
brake
of
I’m trying to break myself of the habit of biting my nails when I’m nervous.
buy
from or at or in
I bought it from a salesman who came to the door.
I bought it at a department store.
He bought it in Rome.
care
for or of
Who cares for the children when you go out of town?
I don’t care much for hillbilly music or western ballads.
caution
against
I want to caution you against believing everything he says. He is not always to be trusted.
complain
about
What are you complaining about? You got your share.
consent
to
Her parents wouldn’t consent to her marriage to a man almost twice her age.
consist
of
The student body of this school consists of students from nearly fifty countries.
contrast
with
This student’s present grades contrast very favorable with those he made when he entered the school.
contibute
to
Do you want to contribute a dollar to the Red Cross?
convicted
of
He was convicted of murder and sentenced to death.
correspond
with
This signature does not correspond with the one on his ID card.
count
on
Can I count on your cooperation in this matter?
cure
of
He claims he was cured of dysentery by a diet of peanuts and bananas
deal
in or with
He deals in diamonds and precious stones.
I don’t like to deal with that store: they’re overcharged me too many times.
How you deal with a situation like that?
My next lecture will deal with the so-called “law” of supply and demand.
decide
against or on
We thought for a while of buying a large house, but we’ve decided against it, at least for the present.
We haven’t yet been able to decide on a name of the baby.
defend
from or against
The city is well defended from (against) attack by land or sea but not, of course, from the air.
delight
in
He delights in telling jokes about Texas and Texans.
depend
on
You can depend on him to do a good job.
My going to the movies with you tonight depends on how soon I can finish my homework.
deprive
of
We were deprived of a great many luxuries during the war.
died
of or from
He died of a heart attack.
He died from falling off the roof.
differ
from
He differs from his brother in both his appearance and his manner.
I differ from him on a few minor details; but we agree on all the basic issues.
disagree
I disagree with you completely.
entrust
to or with
I’m afraid to entrust anything valuable to him.
I’m afraid to entrust him with anything valuable.
excel
in
He is not much of a student, but he excels in all outdoor sports.
excuse
from Can I be excused from class this afternoon?
fall in love
with
He fell in love with her at first sight.
furnish
in or with
Their house is furnished in Southern Colonial Style, all except the kitchen, which is strictly modern.
They furnished him with all that was necessary for his trip.
guard
against
In this work you have to guard against letting your feelings influence your judgment.
guess
at
The gauge is broken; we’ll just have to guess at the amount of gas in tank.
hear
from or of
We haven’t heard from him since he moved to California.
There may be such a place, but I’ve never heard of (about).
Have you heard about (of) Joe’s trip to South America?
hinder
from
Don’t let me hinder you from doing your work.
hint
at
He couldn’t tell us the real story behind the headlines, but he hinted at it.
hope
for
I’ve been hoping for an answer to the letter I wrote him.
impose
on
The weather is so bad you’d better spend the night here. You’re very kind, but I’m afraid I’d be imposing on you.
inflict
on
I don’t want to inflict my troubles on you any longer.
inform
against
I don’t like to inform against anybody, but it’s my duty to report this to the authorities.
inquire
into
The committee is going to inquire into the possible misuse of public funds in this case.
insist
on
I insist on an answer to my question.
interfere
in or with
I’m not going to interfere in their quarrel. It’s no business of mine.
Don’t let me interfere with your work.
laught
at or with
MofarseIt’s better to have people laugh with you than laugh at you.
My wife often laughs at my jokes.
When we studied a new language we laugh with each other at our mistakes.
lecture
on
What subject is the professor going to lecture on today?
listen
to or for
I’d rather listen to music than watch TV.
During the war we used to sit in the shelter, listening for all –clear signal to tell us we could go back to work.
I’d rather listen to music than watch TV.
live
for
We should learn to live for other people, not for ourselves.
look
at or like
Would you like to look at these photographs of my children?
Look at that man over there! Doesn’t he look like my brother?
object
to
I don’t object to people having fun, but you’re keeping the whole neighborhood awake!
pay
for
How much did you pay for that overcoat?
prefer
to
I prefer swimming to fishing.He prefers John to his brother.
present
with
When he retired, they presented him with a gold watch.
prevent
from
I tried to prevent the dog from following me, but it was no use.
prohibit
from
There are certain parts of the city that military personnel are prohibited from visiting. They’re off limits.
protect
from
Put on this coat, it’ll protect you from rain.
punish
for
He was punished for a crime he didn’t commit.
quarrel
about
I won’t quarrel with you about (over) a nickel.
quote
from
The teacher likes to quote long passages from Shakespeare.
reason
with
You can’t reason with an angry man.
rebeal
against
I’m beginning to rebel against this quite life I’ve been leading.
reconcile
to or with
I’m not reconciled to being without a car here.
He’d like to be reconciled with her, but she refuses to speak to him.
recover
from
He has just recovered from a serious illness.
refrain
from
All personnel are expected to refrain from talking during briefings.
rely
on
Can I relay on you to close the window when you leave?
remind
of
She reminds me of my mother. She looks so much like her.
May I remind you of your obligations to your country?
reply
to
That remark was in bad taste and I don’t intend to reply to it!
require
from/ of
That course is too easy. It doesn’t require anything of (from) the student except his presence in class.
result
from or in
Most of my difficulties resulted from my lack of money.
His bad behavior resulted in his losing weekend privileged for a month.
reward
for
He was rewarded for his heroism with a medal.
rob
of
He was robbed of fifty dollars in some border town. Nothing ever fobs him of his self assurance.
scoff
at
The townspeople used to scoff at his ideas and call him a crackpot, but he knows more than any of them.
sentece
to
He was sentenced to five years in prison.
stare
at
He stared at me as though he ware seeing a ghost.
struggle
against or with
In his youth he had to struggle against poverty and prejudice.
I’ve been struggling with this problem for fifteen minutes.
speak
on or to
He will speak on the necessity of international cooperation.
Dr. Hartman will speak to our group on Monday.
suscribe
to
I subscribe to two daily papers and several magazines.
I don’t subscribe to all of his ideas by any means, but I voted for him.
substitute
for
Miller is substituting for Brown in tomorrow’s game.
suceed
in
He succeeded quite well in business but not so well in his personal life.I succeeded in persuading him to come on the trip with us.
surrender
to
The Rebels still refuse to surrender to the central Government.
sympathize
with
I can sympathize with your point of view, but, frankly, I don’t share it.
take advantage
of
You should take advantage of his offer; you may never have such an opportunity again.
talk
to
You’ll have to talk to Willy; you’re his father, and he won’t listen to me!
Mr. Brown will talk to the new students at 10:00 in Room 312.
think
about
I’ll think about it tonight and let you know tomorrow.
trust
in or with
We have to trust in the integrity of our leaders.In God we Trust.
I’d trust him with my last dollar!
vote
against or for
I voted against amendment No. 3, but for all the others.
Who are you going to vote for?
wait
for
I’ll wait for you on the corner of 6th Av. and 8th St.
wish
for
If you had three wishes, what would you wish for first?
wonder
at
I wonder at the way some people act in public.
work
at or for
I hear you’re working on a novel.Not really. I just work at it, when I have a little spare time, or feel in the mood.
What are you working on there?This? This is going to be a chair, if I ever finish it.
yearn
for
If you’re the kind of person who yearns for peace and quite and plenty of sunshine, this is the place for you!
discourage
from
I just need to discourage them both from coming.
experiment
on
In a more extended experiment on 657 railway-men 402 escaped.
help
with
I don’t need help with the bills.
know
about
I didn’t know about any of this until we came down here for a visit.
study
for
I study for the exam.
