Many verbs, adjectives and nouns take one fixed preposition, as in depend on, afraid of and reason for. A noun, an object pronoun or an ‑ing form follows the preposition: wait for me, insist on paying.
No information at the current level. This view starts at B2: choose B2 or a higher level.
No information at the current level. This view starts at B2: choose B2 or a higher level.
CheatsheetB2–C1
| Point | Rule | Example | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verb | verb + preposition + noun; the verb selects the preposition | I depend on my parents. | B2 |
| Adjective | adjective + preposition + noun; learn the pair | She is afraid of spiders. | B2 |
| Noun | noun + preposition + noun; learn the pair | What is the reason for the delay? | B2 |
| After the preposition | a noun, an object pronoun or an ‑ing form | She insisted on paying. | B2 |
| Questions and passives | the preposition stays with its verb | What are you waiting for? | B2 |
| Two prepositions | the preposition changes the meaning | I'm looking for a map. / She looks after her brother. | B2 |
| Participles | participles take fixed prepositions; ‑ing follows committed to | The film is based on a true story. / We are committed to helping. | C1 |
| Finer contrasts | one word, two meanings: responsible for a task, responsible to a person | He is responsible to the manager. / I prefer tea to coffee. | C1 |
| Academic nouns | abstract nouns keep one preposition each | the impact on small shops / a link between sleep and memory | C1 |
| Formal verbs | formal verbs take fixed prepositions | Staff must comply with the rules. / Costs amount to ten thousand pounds. | C1 |
| Trap | discuss, mention, enter and attend take no preposition | We discussed the plan. | B2 |
| Trap | comprise and emphasise take no preposition | The course comprises six units. | C1 |
OverviewB2
| Pattern | Example | |
|---|---|---|
| verb + preposition + noun | I depend on my parents. | B2 |
| adjective + preposition + noun | She is afraid of spiders. | B2 |
| noun + preposition + noun | What is the reason for the delay? | B2 |
| After the preposition | Example | |
|---|---|---|
| a noun | She is interested in music. | B2 |
| a pronoun in the object form | Wait for me, please. | B2 |
| an ‑ing form | She insisted on paying. | B2 |
| The preposition stays with its verb in | Example | |
|---|---|---|
| a question | What are you waiting for? | B2 |
| a relative clause | This is the girl I spoke to. | B2 |
| a passive | The problem was dealt with quickly. | B2 |
- A particle that changes the meaning, as in look up, makes a phrasal verb. See Phrasal Verbs.
- Verbs that take ‑ing or a to‑infinitive directly are in Gerund vs Infinitive.
Verbs: aboutB2
| Verb | Example | |
|---|---|---|
| worry about | She worries about her exams. | B2 |
| complain about | Guests complained about the noise. | B2 |
| care about | He cares about his health. | B2 |
| hear about | Did you hear about the party? | B2 |
| argue about | They argue about money. | B2 |
Verbs: atB2
| Verb | Example | |
|---|---|---|
| look at | Look at this photo. | B2 |
| laugh at | Everyone laughed at his joke. | B2 |
| aim at | The film aims at young viewers. | B2 |
| shout at | Please don't shout at me. | B2 |
| stare at | He stared at the screen. | B2 |
Verbs: forB2
| Verb | Example | |
|---|---|---|
| wait for | We waited for the bus. | B2 |
| ask for | She asked for a glass of water. | B2 |
| look for | I'm looking for my keys. | B2 |
| search for | They searched for the boy all night. | B2 |
| apply for | He applied for a job in a bank. | B2 |
| pay for | I paid for the tickets. | B2 |
| blame someone for | They blamed the driver for the delay. | B2 |
| apologise for | She apologised for being late. | B2 |
| thank someone for | I thanked them for their help. | B2 |
| hope for | We hope for good weather. | B2 |
| prepare for | He is preparing for an exam. | B2 |
Verbs: fromB2
| Verb | Example | |
|---|---|---|
| suffer from | She suffers from headaches. | B2 |
| recover from | He is recovering from the flu. | B2 |
| protect someone from | A hat protects you from the sun. | B2 |
| prevent someone from | Heavy rain prevented the match from starting. | B2 |
| escape from | Two prisoners escaped from the jail. | B2 |
| differ from | My view differs from yours. | B2 |
| benefit from | Everyone benefits from exercise. | B2 |
Verbs: inB2
| Verb | Example | |
|---|---|---|
| believe in | I believe in hard work. | B2 |
| succeed in | She succeeded in finding a job. | B2 |
| specialise in | The shop specialises in old books. | B2 |
| result in | The storm resulted in power cuts. | B2 |
| participate in | All students participate in the project. | B2 |
Verbs: ofB2
| Verb | Example | |
|---|---|---|
| consist of | The team consists of six people. | B2 |
| think of | I often think of my old school. | B2 |
| dream of | He dreams of becoming a pilot. | B2 |
| approve of | My parents don't approve of my plan. | B2 |
| remind someone of | You remind me of my sister. | B2 |
| accuse someone of | They accused him of stealing. | B2 |
| die of | He died of a heart attack. | B2 |
| smell of | The kitchen smells of coffee. | B2 |
Verbs: onB2
| Verb | Example | |
|---|---|---|
| depend on | It depends on the weather. | B2 |
| rely on | You can rely on me. | B2 |
| insist on | She insisted on paying. | B2 |
| concentrate on | Please concentrate on your work. | B2 |
| focus on | Let's focus on the main problem. | B2 |
| congratulate someone on | We congratulated her on her new job. | B2 |
| comment on | Nobody commented on the news. | B2 |
| spend money on | He spends too much on clothes. | B2 |
Verbs: toB2
| Verb | Example | |
|---|---|---|
| belong to | This bag belongs to Maria. | B2 |
| listen to | I listen to the radio. | B2 |
| talk to | Can I talk to you for a minute? | B2 |
| refer to | She often refers to her notes. | B2 |
| object to | Many residents object to the new road. | B2 |
| respond to | He didn't respond to my email. | B2 |
| lead to | Bad sleep leads to stress. | B2 |
| reply to | I must reply to her letter. | B2 |
| happen to | What happened to your arm? | B2 |
Verbs: withB2
| Verb | Example | |
|---|---|---|
| agree with | I agree with you. | B2 |
| deal with | She deals with customer complaints. | B2 |
| cope with | He copes with stress well. | B2 |
| argue with | Don't argue with your sister. | B2 |
| provide someone with | The hotel provides guests with towels. | B2 |
| compare something with | Compare this price with that one. | B2 |
| interfere with | Noise interferes with my sleep. | B2 |
Verbs with no prepositionB2–C1
| Verb | Example | |
|---|---|---|
| discuss | We discussed the plan. | B2 |
| mention | She didn't mention the price. | B2 |
| attend | Over two hundred people attended the meeting. | B2 |
| answer | Please answer the question. | B2 |
| enter | He entered the room quietly. | B2 |
| approach | The cars approached the bridge slowly. | B2 |
| reach | We reached the hotel at noon. | B2 |
| marry | She married a teacher. | B2 |
| obey | Children must obey the rules. | B2 |
| resemble | He resembles his father. | B2 |
| contact | Contact the office by Friday. | B2 |
| comprise | The course comprises six units. | C1 |
| emphasise | The teacher emphasised the need for practice. | C1 |
- These verbs take their object directly, with no preposition before it.
Adjectives with a prepositionB2
| Adjective | Example | |
|---|---|---|
| afraid of | She is afraid of spiders. | B2 |
| aware of | Are you aware of the problem? | B2 |
| fond of | He is fond of his old dog. | B2 |
| proud of | We are proud of our team. | B2 |
| capable of | She is capable of hard work. | B2 |
| tired of | I'm tired of this weather. | B2 |
| good at | He is good at maths. | B2 |
| surprised at | I was surprised at the price. | B2 |
| interested in | She is interested in art. | B2 |
| different from | My phone is different from yours. | B2 |
| famous for | Paris is famous for its food. | B2 |
| ready for | Are you ready for the test? | B2 |
| responsible for | She is responsible for the budget. | B2 |
| keen on | He is keen on football. | B2 |
| similar to | Your bag is similar to mine. | B2 |
| married to | She is married to a doctor. | B2 |
| kind to | Be kind to animals. | B2 |
| angry with | She is angry with her brother. | B2 |
| pleased with | I'm pleased with my results. | B2 |
| disappointed with | We were disappointed with the hotel. | B2 |
| angry about | He is angry about the delay. | B2 |
| worried about | I'm worried about my exams. | B2 |
| excited about | The children are excited about the trip. | B2 |
Nouns with a prepositionB2
| Noun | Example | |
|---|---|---|
| reason for | What is the reason for the delay? | B2 |
| need for | There is a need for more nurses. | B2 |
| demand for | The demand for tickets is high. | B2 |
| cause of | Speed is a cause of many accidents. | B2 |
| example of | This is a good example of teamwork. | B2 |
| lack of | A lack of sleep makes me tired. | B2 |
| advantage of | One advantage of the flat is its size. | B2 |
| knowledge of | He has a good knowledge of history. | B2 |
| problem with | I have a problem with my phone. | B2 |
| relationship with | She has a good relationship with her sister. | B2 |
| difficulty in | He had difficulty in finding the house. | B2 |
| difficulty with | She has difficulty with spelling. | B2 |
| increase in | There was an increase in prices. | B2 |
| difference in | There is a big difference in price. | B2 |
| solution to | I can't find a solution to this problem. | B2 |
| answer to | What is the answer to question five? | B2 |
| reaction to | Her reaction to the news was calm. | B2 |
| attitude to | His attitude to work is serious. | B2 |
| access to | Students have access to the library. | B2 |
| relationship between | The relationship between the two countries is good. | B2 |
| difference between | What is the difference between these two words? | B2 |
Compare: one verb, different prepositionsB2
| Verb | Meaning | Example | |
|---|---|---|---|
| look at | direct your eyes towards | Look at this map. | B2 |
| look for | search | I'm looking for a map. | B2 |
| look after | take care of | She looks after her brother. | B2 |
| look into | investigate | The police are looking into the theft. | B2 |
| think of | have in mind; form an opinion | What do you think of this song? | B2 |
| think about | consider carefully | I'm thinking about a new job. | B2 |
| care about | feel that something matters | She cares about the planet. | B2 |
| care for | look after; like | He cares for his mother. | B2 |
| agree with | share someone's opinion | I agree with you. | B2 |
| agree to | accept a plan or a request | She agreed to the plan. | B2 |
| agree on | reach one decision together | We agreed on a date. | B2 |
| blame someone for | say that a person is at fault | They blamed him for the delay. | B2 |
| blame something on | say that a person is the cause | They blamed the delay on him. | B2 |
| pay for | give money for what you buy | I paid for the tickets. | B2 |
| pay to | give money to a person or an office | Please pay the fee to the receptionist. | B2 |
| speak to | say something to a person | Can I speak to the manager? | B2 |
| speak with | have a conversation with a person | We spoke with the manager for an hour. | B2 |
| laugh at | find a person or a thing funny | Don't laugh at me. | B2 |
| laugh about | find a past event funny | We laughed about it later. | B2 |
| shout at | speak angrily to a person | He shouted at the referee. | B2 |
| shout to | call so that a person hears | She shouted to me across the street. | B2 |
Preposition and ‑ingB2
| Pattern | Example | |
|---|---|---|
| verb + preposition + V-ing | She insisted on paying. | B2 |
| adjective + preposition + V-ing | I'm afraid of flying. | B2 |
| noun + preposition + V-ing | I like the idea of leaving early. | B2 |
| prevent + person + from + V-ing | The noise prevented us from sleeping. | B2 |
| blame + person + for + V-ing | He blamed her for losing the keys. | B2 |
| congratulate + person + on + V-ing | We congratulated her on winning. | B2 |
| thank + person + for + V-ing | I thanked them for helping. | B2 |
| accuse + person + of + V-ing | She accused him of lying. | B2 |
| discourage + person + from + V-ing | The cost discouraged her from going. | B2 |
Participles and passives with a prepositionC1
| Participle | Use | Example | |
|---|---|---|---|
| known for | famous because of | The town is known for its cheese. | C1 |
| known as | called by a name or a role | This area is known as the Old Town. | C1 |
| made of | the material stays visible | The table is made of wood. | C1 |
| made from | the material changes | Paper is made from wood. | C1 |
| made by | the maker | The cake was made by my aunt. | C1 |
| involved in | taking part in | She is involved in a local charity. | C1 |
| associated with | connected with | Stress is associated with poor sleep. | C1 |
| exposed to | left without protection from | Children are exposed to a lot of advertising. | C1 |
| committed to | dedicated to | They are committed to the project. | C1 |
| based on | built on | The film is based on a true story. | C1 |
| concerned about | worried by | I'm concerned about the noise. | C1 |
| concerned with | about the subject of | The book is concerned with trade. | C1 |
| convinced of | sure of | She is convinced of his honesty. | C1 |
| equipped with | provided with | The room is equipped with a projector. | C1 |
| opposed to | against | Many people are opposed to the plan. | C1 |
| accustomed to | used to | I'm accustomed to early starts. | C1 |
- After committed to, opposed to and accustomed to, to is a preposition and ‑ing follows. We are committed to helping everyone. / I'm accustomed to getting up early.
Compare: finer contrasts in one wordC1
| Form | Meaning | Example | |
|---|---|---|---|
| different to | the British form beside different from | My phone is different to yours. (US: different than) | C1 |
| compared to | say that two things are alike | He compared her voice to velvet. | C1 |
| compared with | examine how two things differ | Compared with Paris, London is bigger. | C1 |
| prefer X to Y | to joins the two things, also before ‑ing forms | I prefer tea to coffee. / She prefers walking to driving. | C1 |
| protect against | guard in advance against a risk; protect from names a danger already there | Vaccines protect children against disease. | C1 |
| responsible to | answering to the person above you; the task takes for | He is responsible to the manager. | C1 |
| angry at | a person or a thing in the moment; with takes a person, about a situation | She was angry at the waiter. | C1 |
| good for | helpful to a person or a thing | Exercise is good for you. | C1 |
| good to | kind to a person | She was always good to her staff. | C1 |
| sorry for | your own action, or pity for a person | I'm sorry for the noise. / I feel sorry for him. | C1 |
| sorry about | a situation or some news | I'm sorry about your job. | C1 |
| grateful to | the person who helped | I'm grateful to my teacher. | C1 |
| grateful for | the help or the gift | I'm grateful for your help. | C1 |
| typical of | characteristic of a person or a group | Late arrival is typical of him. | C1 |
Abstract and academic nouns with a prepositionC1
| Noun | Example | |
|---|---|---|
| impact on | The new law had a big impact on small shops. | C1 |
| influence on | Friends have a strong influence on teenagers. | C1 |
| influence over | She has great influence over the committee. | C1 |
| emphasis on | The school puts great emphasis on reading. | C1 |
| effect on | Noise has an effect on sleep. | C1 |
| contribution to | Her contribution to the project was huge. | C1 |
| commitment to | We admire her commitment to her patients. | C1 |
| attitude towards | The company's attitude towards risk is careful. | C1 |
| tolerance of | The town shows great tolerance of newcomers. | C1 |
| tolerance for | He has a low tolerance for noise. | C1 |
| insight into | The book gives insight into village life. | C1 |
| expertise in | She has expertise in employment law. | C1 |
| preference for | He has a preference for quiet places. | C1 |
| concern over | There is growing concern over rising prices. | C1 |
| concern about | Parents voiced concern about safety. | C1 |
| correlation between | Researchers found a correlation between diet and health. | C1 |
| link between | There is a link between sleep and memory. | C1 |
| shortage of | There is a shortage of nurses. | C1 |
| excess of | An excess of sugar harms health. | C1 |
Formal verbs with a prepositionC1
| Verb | Meaning | Example | |
|---|---|---|---|
| adhere to | follow a rule or a belief closely | All staff must adhere to the safety rules. | C1 |
| comply with | do what a rule or a request asks | The company complied with the law. | C1 |
| conform to | match a standard | The product conforms to European standards. | C1 |
| abide by | accept and follow a rule or a decision | You must abide by the referee's decision. | C1 |
| account for | explain; make up a part | Rain accounts for the delay. | C1 |
| contribute to | help to cause or produce | Stress contributes to illness. | C1 |
| derive from | come from a source | The word derives from Latin. | C1 |
| attribute to | say that something is caused by or belongs to | She attributes her success to hard work. | C1 |
| allude to | mention indirectly | He alluded to a problem without naming it. | C1 |
| amount to | add up to | The costs amount to ten thousand pounds. | C1 |
| resort to | use as a last choice | They resorted to force. | C1 |
Typical errorsB2–C1
| Wrong | Right | Rule | |
|---|---|---|---|
| We discussed about the plan. | We discussed the plan. | discuss takes its object directly | B2 |
| It depends of the weather. | It depends on the weather. | depend takes on | B2 |
| She is married with a doctor. | She is married to a doctor. | married takes to | B2 |
| I'm interested on music. | I'm interested in music. | interested takes in | B2 |
| Can you explain me the rule? | Can you explain the rule to me? | explain puts the person after to | B2 |
| He entered in the room. | He entered the room. | enter takes its object directly | B2 |
| I'm afraid of to fly. | I'm afraid of flying. | the ‑ing form follows a preposition | B2 |
| You must comply to the rules. | You must comply with the rules. | comply takes with | C1 |
| The course comprises of six units. | The course comprises six units. | comprise takes its object directly | C1 |
| The report emphasises on safety. | The report emphasises safety. | emphasise takes its object directly; the noun emphasis takes on | C1 |
| I prefer tea than coffee. | I prefer tea to coffee. | prefer joins the two things with to | C1 |
| The law had an impact to small shops. | The law had an impact on small shops. | impact takes on | C1 |
| They are committed to help the project. | They are committed to helping the project. | to is a preposition here, so ‑ing follows | C1 |
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The AlphabetA0The 26 letters of the English alphabet and their names, used to spell words aloud.Start over
The AlphabetA0The 26 letters of the English alphabet and their names, used to spell words aloud.Start over
The AlphabetA0The 26 letters of the English alphabet and their names, used to spell words aloud.Start over
The AlphabetA0The 26 letters of the English alphabet and their names, used to spell words aloud.Start over
The AlphabetA0The 26 letters of the English alphabet and their names, used to spell words aloud.Start over
The AlphabetA0The 26 letters of the English alphabet and their names, used to spell words aloud.Start over
The AlphabetA0The 26 letters of the English alphabet and their names, used to spell words aloud.Start over
The AlphabetA0The 26 letters of the English alphabet and their names, used to spell words aloud.Start over
The AlphabetA0The 26 letters of the English alphabet and their names, used to spell words aloud.Start over
The AlphabetA0The 26 letters of the English alphabet and their names, used to spell words aloud.