# Dependent Prepositions

https://langs123.com/en/english/prepositions/dependent-prepositions/
CEFR B2–C1 · 2026-10-19 · CC BY 4.0, langs123 contributors (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

> 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.

## Cheatsheet

| Point | Rule | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Verb | verb + preposition + noun; the verb selects the preposition | I depend on my parents. |
| Adjective | adjective + preposition + noun; learn the pair | She is afraid of spiders. |
| Noun | noun + preposition + noun; learn the pair | What is the reason for the delay? |
| After the preposition | a noun, an object pronoun or an -ing form | She insisted on paying. |
| Questions and passives | the preposition stays with its verb | What are you waiting for? |
| Two prepositions | the preposition changes the meaning | I'm looking for a map. / She looks after her brother. |
| Participles | participles take fixed prepositions; -ing follows committed to | The film is based on a true story. / We are committed to helping. |
| 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. |
| Academic nouns | abstract nouns keep one preposition each | the impact on small shops / a link between sleep and memory |
| Formal verbs | formal verbs take fixed prepositions | Staff must comply with the rules. / Costs amount to ten thousand pounds. |
| Trap | discuss, mention, enter and attend take no preposition | We discussed the plan. |
| Trap | comprise and emphasise take no preposition | The course comprises six units. |

## Overview

| Pattern | Example |
| --- | --- |
| verb + preposition + noun | I depend on my parents. |
| adjective + preposition + noun | She is afraid of spiders. |
| noun + preposition + noun | What is the reason for the delay? |

| After the preposition | Example |
| --- | --- |
| a noun | She is interested in music. |
| a pronoun in the object form | Wait for me, please. |
| an -ing form | She insisted on paying. |

| The preposition stays with its verb in | Example |
| --- | --- |
| a question | What are you waiting for? |
| a relative clause | This is the girl I spoke to. |
| a passive | The problem was dealt with quickly. |

- 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: about

| Verb | Example |
| --- | --- |
| worry about | She worries about her exams. |
| complain about | Guests complained about the noise. |
| care about | He cares about his health. |
| hear about | Did you hear about the party? |
| argue about | They argue about money. |

## Verbs: at

| Verb | Example |
| --- | --- |
| look at | Look at this photo. |
| laugh at | Everyone laughed at his joke. |
| aim at | The film aims at young viewers. |
| shout at | Please don't shout at me. |
| stare at | He stared at the screen. |

## Verbs: for

| Verb | Example |
| --- | --- |
| wait for | We waited for the bus. |
| ask for | She asked for a glass of water. |
| look for | I'm looking for my keys. |
| search for | They searched for the boy all night. |
| apply for | He applied for a job in a bank. |
| pay for | I paid for the tickets. |
| blame someone for | They blamed the driver for the delay. |
| apologise for | She apologised for being late. |
| thank someone for | I thanked them for their help. |
| hope for | We hope for good weather. |
| prepare for | He is preparing for an exam. |

## Verbs: from

| Verb | Example |
| --- | --- |
| suffer from | She suffers from headaches. |
| recover from | He is recovering from the flu. |
| protect someone from | A hat protects you from the sun. |
| prevent someone from | Heavy rain prevented the match from starting. |
| escape from | Two prisoners escaped from the jail. |
| differ from | My view differs from yours. |
| benefit from | Everyone benefits from exercise. |

## Verbs: in

| Verb | Example |
| --- | --- |
| believe in | I believe in hard work. |
| succeed in | She succeeded in finding a job. |
| specialise in | The shop specialises in old books. |
| result in | The storm resulted in power cuts. |
| participate in | All students participate in the project. |

## Verbs: of

| Verb | Example |
| --- | --- |
| consist of | The team consists of six people. |
| think of | I often think of my old school. |
| dream of | He dreams of becoming a pilot. |
| approve of | My parents don't approve of my plan. |
| remind someone of | You remind me of my sister. |
| accuse someone of | They accused him of stealing. |
| die of | He died of a heart attack. |
| smell of | The kitchen smells of coffee. |

## Verbs: on

| Verb | Example |
| --- | --- |
| depend on | It depends on the weather. |
| rely on | You can rely on me. |
| insist on | She insisted on paying. |
| concentrate on | Please concentrate on your work. |
| focus on | Let's focus on the main problem. |
| congratulate someone on | We congratulated her on her new job. |
| comment on | Nobody commented on the news. |
| spend money on | He spends too much on clothes. |

## Verbs: to

| Verb | Example |
| --- | --- |
| belong to | This bag belongs to Maria. |
| listen to | I listen to the radio. |
| talk to | Can I talk to you for a minute? |
| refer to | She often refers to her notes. |
| object to | Many residents object to the new road. |
| respond to | He didn't respond to my email. |
| lead to | Bad sleep leads to stress. |
| reply to | I must reply to her letter. |
| happen to | What happened to your arm? |

## Verbs: with

| Verb | Example |
| --- | --- |
| agree with | I agree with you. |
| deal with | She deals with customer complaints. |
| cope with | He copes with stress well. |
| argue with | Don't argue with your sister. |
| provide someone with | The hotel provides guests with towels. |
| compare something with | Compare this price with that one. |
| interfere with | Noise interferes with my sleep. |

## Verbs with no preposition

| Verb | Example |
| --- | --- |
| discuss | We discussed the plan. |
| mention | She didn't mention the price. |
| attend | Over two hundred people attended the meeting. |
| answer | Please answer the question. |
| enter | He entered the room quietly. |
| approach | The cars approached the bridge slowly. |
| reach | We reached the hotel at noon. |
| marry | She married a teacher. |
| obey | Children must obey the rules. |
| resemble | He resembles his father. |
| contact | Contact the office by Friday. |
| comprise | The course comprises six units. |
| emphasise | The teacher emphasised the need for practice. |

- These verbs take their object directly, with no preposition before it.

## Adjectives with a preposition

| Adjective | Example |
| --- | --- |
| afraid of | She is afraid of spiders. |
| aware of | Are you aware of the problem? |
| fond of | He is fond of his old dog. |
| proud of | We are proud of our team. |
| capable of | She is capable of hard work. |
| tired of | I'm tired of this weather. |
| good at | He is good at maths. |
| surprised at | I was surprised at the price. |
| interested in | She is interested in art. |
| different from | My phone is different from yours. |
| famous for | Paris is famous for its food. |
| ready for | Are you ready for the test? |
| responsible for | She is responsible for the budget. |
| keen on | He is keen on football. |
| similar to | Your bag is similar to mine. |
| married to | She is married to a doctor. |
| kind to | Be kind to animals. |
| angry with | She is angry with her brother. |
| pleased with | I'm pleased with my results. |
| disappointed with | We were disappointed with the hotel. |
| angry about | He is angry about the delay. |
| worried about | I'm worried about my exams. |
| excited about | The children are excited about the trip. |

## Nouns with a preposition

| Noun | Example |
| --- | --- |
| reason for | What is the reason for the delay? |
| need for | There is a need for more nurses. |
| demand for | The demand for tickets is high. |
| cause of | Speed is a cause of many accidents. |
| example of | This is a good example of teamwork. |
| lack of | A lack of sleep makes me tired. |
| advantage of | One advantage of the flat is its size. |
| knowledge of | He has a good knowledge of history. |
| problem with | I have a problem with my phone. |
| relationship with | She has a good relationship with her sister. |
| difficulty in | He had difficulty in finding the house. |
| difficulty with | She has difficulty with spelling. |
| increase in | There was an increase in prices. |
| difference in | There is a big difference in price. |
| solution to | I can't find a solution to this problem. |
| answer to | What is the answer to question five? |
| reaction to | Her reaction to the news was calm. |
| attitude to | His attitude to work is serious. |
| access to | Students have access to the library. |
| relationship between | The relationship between the two countries is good. |
| difference between | What is the difference between these two words? |

## Compare: one verb, different prepositions

| Verb | Meaning | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| look at | direct your eyes towards | Look at this map. |
| look for | search | I'm looking for a map. |
| look after | take care of | She looks after her brother. |
| look into | investigate | The police are looking into the theft. |
| think of | have in mind; form an opinion | What do you think of this song? |
| think about | consider carefully | I'm thinking about a new job. |
| care about | feel that something matters | She cares about the planet. |
| care for | look after; like | He cares for his mother. |
| agree with | share someone's opinion | I agree with you. |
| agree to | accept a plan or a request | She agreed to the plan. |
| agree on | reach one decision together | We agreed on a date. |
| blame someone for | say that a person is at fault | They blamed him for the delay. |
| blame something on | say that a person is the cause | They blamed the delay on him. |
| pay for | give money for what you buy | I paid for the tickets. |
| pay to | give money to a person or an office | Please pay the fee to the receptionist. |
| speak to | say something to a person | Can I speak to the manager? |
| speak with | have a conversation with a person | We spoke with the manager for an hour. |
| laugh at | find a person or a thing funny | Don't laugh at me. |
| laugh about | find a past event funny | We laughed about it later. |
| shout at | speak angrily to a person | He shouted at the referee. |
| shout to | call so that a person hears | She shouted to me across the street. |

## Preposition and -ing

| Pattern | Example |
| --- | --- |
| verb + preposition + V-ing | She insisted on paying. |
| adjective + preposition + V-ing | I'm afraid of flying. |
| noun + preposition + V-ing | I like the idea of leaving early. |
| prevent + person + from + V-ing | The noise prevented us from sleeping. |
| blame + person + for + V-ing | He blamed her for losing the keys. |
| congratulate + person + on + V-ing | We congratulated her on winning. |
| thank + person + for + V-ing | I thanked them for helping. |
| accuse + person + of + V-ing | She accused him of lying. |
| discourage + person + from + V-ing | The cost discouraged her from going. |

## Participles and passives with a preposition

| Participle | Use | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| known for | famous because of | The town is known for its cheese. |
| known as | called by a name or a role | This area is known as the Old Town. |
| made of | the material stays visible | The table is made of wood. |
| made from | the material changes | Paper is made from wood. |
| made by | the maker | The cake was made by my aunt. |
| involved in | taking part in | She is involved in a local charity. |
| associated with | connected with | Stress is associated with poor sleep. |
| exposed to | left without protection from | Children are exposed to a lot of advertising. |
| committed to | dedicated to | They are committed to the project. |
| based on | built on | The film is based on a true story. |
| concerned about | worried by | I'm concerned about the noise. |
| concerned with | about the subject of | The book is concerned with trade. |
| convinced of | sure of | She is convinced of his honesty. |
| equipped with | provided with | The room is equipped with a projector. |
| opposed to | against | Many people are opposed to the plan. |
| accustomed to | used to | I'm accustomed to early starts. |

- 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 word

| Form | Meaning | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| different to | the British form beside different from | My phone is different to yours. (US: different than) |
| compared to | say that two things are alike | He compared her voice to velvet. |
| compared with | examine how two things differ | Compared with Paris, London is bigger. |
| prefer X to Y | to joins the two things, also before -ing forms | I prefer tea to coffee. / She prefers walking to driving. |
| protect against | guard in advance against a risk; protect from names a danger already there | Vaccines protect children against disease. |
| responsible to | answering to the person above you; the task takes for | He is responsible to the manager. |
| angry at | a person or a thing in the moment; with takes a person, about a situation | She was angry at the waiter. |
| good for | helpful to a person or a thing | Exercise is good for you. |
| good to | kind to a person | She was always good to her staff. |
| sorry for | your own action, or pity for a person | I'm sorry for the noise. / I feel sorry for him. |
| sorry about | a situation or some news | I'm sorry about your job. |
| grateful to | the person who helped | I'm grateful to my teacher. |
| grateful for | the help or the gift | I'm grateful for your help. |
| typical of | characteristic of a person or a group | Late arrival is typical of him. |

## Abstract and academic nouns with a preposition

| Noun | Example |
| --- | --- |
| impact on | The new law had a big impact on small shops. |
| influence on | Friends have a strong influence on teenagers. |
| influence over | She has great influence over the committee. |
| emphasis on | The school puts great emphasis on reading. |
| effect on | Noise has an effect on sleep. |
| contribution to | Her contribution to the project was huge. |
| commitment to | We admire her commitment to her patients. |
| attitude towards | The company's attitude towards risk is careful. |
| tolerance of | The town shows great tolerance of newcomers. |
| tolerance for | He has a low tolerance for noise. |
| insight into | The book gives insight into village life. |
| expertise in | She has expertise in employment law. |
| preference for | He has a preference for quiet places. |
| concern over | There is growing concern over rising prices. |
| concern about | Parents voiced concern about safety. |
| correlation between | Researchers found a correlation between diet and health. |
| link between | There is a link between sleep and memory. |
| shortage of | There is a shortage of nurses. |
| excess of | An excess of sugar harms health. |

## Formal verbs with a preposition

| Verb | Meaning | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| adhere to | follow a rule or a belief closely | All staff must adhere to the safety rules. |
| comply with | do what a rule or a request asks | The company complied with the law. |
| conform to | match a standard | The product conforms to European standards. |
| abide by | accept and follow a rule or a decision | You must abide by the referee's decision. |
| account for | explain; make up a part | Rain accounts for the delay. |
| contribute to | help to cause or produce | Stress contributes to illness. |
| derive from | come from a source | The word derives from Latin. |
| attribute to | say that something is caused by or belongs to | She attributes her success to hard work. |
| allude to | mention indirectly | He alluded to a problem without naming it. |
| amount to | add up to | The costs amount to ten thousand pounds. |
| resort to | use as a last choice | They resorted to force. |

## Typical errors

| ✗ | ✓ | Rule |
| --- | --- | --- |
| We discussed about the plan. | We discussed the plan. | discuss takes its object directly |
| It depends of the weather. | It depends on the weather. | depend takes on |
| She is married with a doctor. | She is married to a doctor. | married takes to |
| I'm interested on music. | I'm interested in music. | interested takes in |
| Can you explain me the rule? | Can you explain the rule to me? | explain puts the person after to |
| He entered in the room. | He entered the room. | enter takes its object directly |
| I'm afraid of to fly. | I'm afraid of flying. | the -ing form follows a preposition |
| You must comply to the rules. | You must comply with the rules. | comply takes with |
| The course comprises of six units. | The course comprises six units. | comprise takes its object directly |
| The report emphasises on safety. | The report emphasises safety. | emphasise takes its object directly; the noun emphasis takes on |
| I prefer tea than coffee. | I prefer tea to coffee. | prefer joins the two things with to |
| The law had an impact to small shops. | The law had an impact on small shops. | impact takes on |
| They are committed to help the project. | They are committed to helping the project. | to is a preposition here, so -ing follows |