Verb + Preposition List

REF	LEVEL	VERB PATTERN	NOTE	MEANING	EXAMPLE
VERB + ABOUT
VP04		boast about/of sth	BRAG	express too much pride in yourself	American girls like boys who boast about how cool they are.
VP11		care about sth	WORRY	feel interest in something	Chain smokers don't care about the dangers of smoking.
VP18		complain about sth	WHINE	say or write that you are unhappy, sick	Customers are sure to complain about the price increase.
VP08		forget about sth	FAIL TO RECALL	not remember to do something	In the excitement she forgot all about her little sister.
VP05		fret about/over sth	NERVOUS	be nervous or worried	It turned out that it was nothing to fret about.
VP13		gossip about sb/sth	RUMORS	talk about other people's private lives	They often gossip with each other about their neighbours.
VP04		grumble about sth	COMPLAIN	complain quietly about something	Some of the customers have been grumbling about poor service.
VP08		quarrel about/over sth	ARGUE	argue about or disagree with sth	Susan and her husband are always quarrelling about money.
VP08		think about sth	CONTEMPLATE	consider doing something	I was thinking about changing my job.
VP06		wail about sth	MOAN	cry about th in a loud high voice	It's no use wailing about something that happened so long ago.
VP08		worry about/over sb/sth	PROBLEM	think about problems or fears	There's no point in worrying about things you can't change.
VERB + AGAINST
VP07		insure sth against sth	COVER	buy insurance for something	They have insured their house against fire and flood damage.
VP16		protest against sth	OBJECT	show that you are strongly against sth	Miners took to the streets to protest against the decision.
VERB + AT
VP03		aim at sth	INTEND	try or plan to achieve something	Some politicians aim at closing the gap between rich and poor.
VP12		arrive at sth	REACH	(buildings, small places) reach a place	The bus arrived at the station fifteen minutes late.
VP02		estimate sth at sth	GUESS	form an idea of the cost, size, value	Costs were unofficially estimated at about $10,000.
VP05		gape at sb/sth	LOOK	look in great surprise at sb or sth	Susan stood there gaping at me, too shocked to speak.
VP02		grin at sb	SMILE WIDELY	smile a wide smile	They grinned at her in a friendly way and she returned their smiles.
VP07		hint at sth	SUGGEST	suggest something in an indirect way	She's hinted at the possibility of moving to the Netherlands.
VP09		laugh at sb/sth	GIGGLE	show that you think sb or sth is stupid	I can't go to the pub looking like this - everyone will laugh at me.
VP19		look at sth	EXAMINE	examine something closely	You should have a doctor look at your ankle.
VP02		marvel at sth	BE AMAZED	show great surprise or admiration	We marvelled at our mother's ability to remain calm in a crisis.
VP02		nag at sb	PESTER	complain often in an annoying way	Some children complain that their parents nag at them.
VP09		point sth at sb	AIM	aim something at sb/sth	Julia said that the man had pointed the gun at her head.
VP06		roar at sb	SHOUT	shout something very loudly	"Get down and don't move," the policeman roared at him.
VP09		smile at sb/sth	HAPPINESS	make a smile appear on your face	He smiled at the thought of finally being able to see her again.
VP15		stare at sb/sth	GAZE	look at sb or sth for a long time	She spends a lot of my time staring at a computer screen.
VP09		swear at sb/sth	RUDE WORDS	use rude or offensive language	When the shop assistant started to swear at her, she walked away.
VERB + BY
VP05		abide by sth	OBEY	accept and be guided by something	He said he would abide by the court's decision.
VERB + FOR
VP06		account for sth	EXPLAIN	explain the reason for something	How can we account for the recent population explosion?
VP13		admire sb for sth	RESPECT	feel respect or approval for sb or sth	Eddie is much admired for his courage.
VP03		allow for sb/sth	CONSIDER	consider or include sb/sth	When buying property, you should allow for future growth.
VP08		apologise to sb for sth	SAY SORRY	express regret for doing sth wrong	We apologise to our customers for the inconvenience caused.
VP07		applaud sb for sth	PRAISE	express approval of sb/sth	We applauded Ann for having the courage to refuse.
VP05		barter sth for sth	EXCHANGE	exchange goods for other things	She bartered her postcard collection for his comics.
VP10		beg for sth	BESEECH	make a very strong request	Like many people, they can only beg for help.
VP10		blame sb for sth	BE AT FAULT	think sb is wrong to do sth	The company blames the poor economy for its financial losses.
VP11		care for sb	PROTECT	look after somebody	The children are being cared for by their grandmother.
VP01		cater for sb/sth	PROVIDE	provide what is needed by sb/sth	He says they have good facilities and can cater for children.
VP01		compensate for sth	EXCHANGE	make up for some defect or weakness	The price of the item was reduced to compensate for a defect.
VP04		crave for sth	LONG FOR	have a very strong desire for sth	The less you crave for food, the more you reduce weight.
VP10		criticise sb for sth	DISAPPROVAL	express disapproval of sb or sth	The judge was widely criticised for his verdict.
VP01		earmark for sb/sth	SET ASIDE	designate sth for a particular purpose	15% of the budget has been earmarked for a new security system.
VP19		forgive sb for sth	STOP BLAMING	stop being angry with someone	She never forgave him for walking out on her.
VP01		nominate sb/sth for sth	SUGGEST	propose as a candidate	He has been formally nominated for the presidency.
VP08		pay sb for sth	BUY	give money for goods or services	Did he pay you for looking after his dogs while he was away?
VP01		pose for sb/sth	POSITION	sit or stand in a particular position	She has never been asked to pose for the cover of a magazine.
VP18		prepare for sth	MAKE READY	expect that something will happen	He spends a lot of money on computer games.
VP17		punish sb for sth	CRIME	make sb suffer for a crime or fault	Motorists should be severely punished for dangerous driving.
VP12		search sb for sth	LOOK FOR	examine sb's clothes to find sth	They were searched by the guards for weapons.
VP16		schedule sth for sth	PLAN	plan something at a certain time	The publication of his novel is scheduled for the winter.
VP04		strive for sth	SEEK	try very hard to do or achieve sth	They encourage all members to strive for the highest standards.
VP08		thank sb for sth	BE GRATEFUL	tell sb that you are grateful for sth	They said goodbye and thanked us for the dinner.
VP08		wait for sth	STAY IN	stay where you are until sth comes	Tina read the newspaper while waiting for the train.
VERB + FROM
VP02		abscond from sth	ESCAPE	depart secretly and hide oneself	Dave absconded from every children's home they placed him in.
VP10		ban from sth	FORBID	forbid people from using something	He was banned from the team because of alcohol abuse.
VP18		benefit from sth	PROFIT	be helped by sth or to help someone	I'm lucky to be able to get the full benefit from your knowledge.
VP09		borrow sth from sb/sth	RECEIVE	take or receive temporarily	You could always borrow some money from the bank.
VP03		conceal sb/sth from sth	HIDE	hide somebody/something	For a long time her death was concealed from him.
VP02		derive sth from sth	GET	get something from something	We derived great satisfaction from our friendship.
VP06		deter sb from sth	PREVENT	discourage sb from doing something	The weather did not deter some people from swimming in the sea.
VP09		differ from sb/sth	BE DIFFERENT	be different from sb/sth	Your views differ considerably from those of your brother.
VP04		elicit sth from sb	OBTAIN	get information from somebody	Has she managed to elicit a response from John yet?
VP05		emerge from sth	TRANSPIRE	(of facts, ideas) become known	A pattern is beginning to emerge from our analysis of the data.
VP07		eradicate sth from sth	GET RID OF	get rid of something completely	They are determined to eradicate racism from sport.
VP19		escape from sth	GET AWAY	get free from sth like a prison or cage	A prisoner has escaped from a jail in southern Germany.
VP12		expel sb from sth	PERSON	force someone to leave a school	His sister was expelled from school for bad behaviour.
VP15		extract sth from sth	REMOVE	remove or take out something	The machines extract the juice from the oranges.
VP17		graduate from sth	EDUCATION	complete a first university degree	She graduated from the university last June.
VP09		hide sb/sth from sb	CONCEAL	prevent from being seen or discovered	We hid her from the police in our summer house.
VP02		infer sth from sth	DEDUCE	form an opinion from evidence	What do you infer from this woman's hesitating manner?
VP02		inherit sth from sb	QUALITY	derive a quality from one's ancestors	He inherited a passion for poetry from her grandmother.
VP14		prevent sb/sth from sth	STOP	stop sb/sth from doing something	She grabbed my arm to prevent me from falling.
VP17		prohibit sb/sth from sth	FORBID	officially refuse to allow something	The town prohibited youths from being in the streets after 10 p.m.
VP13		recover from sth	REGAIN	return to a normal state of mind	The country will recover from this recession eventually.
VP03		refrain from sth	DESIST	stop yourself from doing something	In order to avoid forest fires, please refrain from smoking.
VP14		resign from sth	LEAVE	give up a job or position	He resigned from his job as principal of the school.
VP09		suffer from sth	FEEL PAIN	experience physical or mental pain	He's been suffering from cancer for four years now.
VERB + IN(TO)
VP12		arrive in sth	REACH	(cities, countries) reach a place	What time does the plane arrive in Amsterdam?
VP09		believe in sth	BE CERTAIN	be certain that something exists	Mark says he doesn't believe in ghosts.
VP18		break into sth	USE FORCE	force your way into something	Someone tried to break into our house while we were away.
VP17		bump into sb	MEET	meet someone by chance	We bumped into Rose when we were in Dublin last month.
VP01		confide in sb	SECRET	tell personal and private things to sb	Teachers are highly respected and children will confide in them.
VP09		contain in sth	HOLD	include something as a part	She was opposed to some of the provisions contained in the bill.
VP19		decline in sth	GO DOWN	gradually become less, worse, or lower	This section of the market has slowly declined in importance.
VP09		dress sb in sth	WEAR	wear a particular type of clothes	Why do people insist on dressing little boys in blue?
VP03		embroil sb in sth	INVOLVE	involve in conflict or difficulties	She was reluctant to embroil herself in our problems.
VP01		establish yourself in sth	PROVE	hold a position for long enough	As a doctor he worked hard to establish himself in the town.
VP06		implicate sb/sth in sth	INVOLVE	show sb to be involved in a crime	His investigation would implicate his sister in the crime.
VP17		include sb/sth in sth	CONTAIN	add sth or sb into a group	Tax is included in the displayed retail price of the item.
VP01		indulge in sth	ALLOW	allow to do sth as a special pleasure	We went into town to indulge in some serious shopping.
VP04		instruct sb in sth	TEACH	teach somebody something	All our staff have been instructed in sign language.
VP11		involve in sth	TAKE PART	take part in something	The teacher tried to involve all the children in the game.
VP17		participate in sth	TAKE PART	become involved in an activity	Many people felt that America should not participate in the war.
VP01		persist in/with sth	CONTINUE	try to do or continue doing something	Why does she persist in blaming herself for what happened?
VP04		prevail in sth	EXIST	be usual, common, or popular	Barbaric customs still prevail in the mountainous area.
VP05		result in sth	CAUSE	cause something to happen	The closure of the factory resulted in over 200 redundancies.
VP07		seduce sb into sth	PERSUADE	persuade someone to do something	She seduced people into following her by telling them lies.
VP16		specialise in sth	SPECIAL SKILL	work on a particular subject or skill	My mechanic specialises in repairing foreign cars.
VP09		succeed in sth	ACHIEVE	achieve the correct or desired result	They will never succeed in this business.
VP10		translate sth into sth	INTERPRET	change words into a another language	His latest book has been translated into 12 languages.
VP11		turn sth into sth	CHANGE	become something	He has seen his little girl turn into a beautiful woman.
VERB + OF
VP15		accuse sb of sth	CHARGE WITH	say that sb has done sth wrong	He was accused of sexually molesting a female colleague.
VP01		acquit sb of sth	NOT GUILTY	decide that sb is not guilty of a crime	Tom was acquitted of all the charges against him.
VP13		approve of sb/sth	ACCEPT	think that sb/sth is good	I don't approve of her treating her husband the way she does.
VP05		be composed of sth	FORM	be formed from various things	The houses in my hometown were chiefly composed of wood.
VP03		conceive of sb/sth	IMAGINE	imagine something	It is difficult to conceive of a society without money.
VP14		consist of sth	BE MADE OF	be made of or formed from something	The team consists of three Germans and two Englishmen.
VP07		convict sb of sth	FIND GUILTY	prove that sb is guilty of a crime	He was convicted of tax evasion and spent 4 months in prison.
VP14		cure sb of sth	MAKE WELL	make sb with an illness healthy again	The doctor managed to cure him of his illness.
VP18		deprive sb/sth of sth	STRIP	prevent someone from having sth	The children are being deprived of a good education.
VP01		despair of sb/sth	GIVE UP HOPE	lose hope or be without hope	She had begun to despair of ever finding a flat she could afford.
VP06		disapprove of sb/sth	REJECT	feel that sth or sb is bad, wrong	The workers strongly disapprove of the firm's new policies.
VP03		dispose of sb/sth	GET RID OF	get rid of sb or sth	Please dispose of your cigarette butts in one of the ashtrays.
VP10		dream of sth	SLEEP	think about sth that you'd like to have	Tina dreamed of drowning and woke up trembling.
VP13		suspect sb/sth of sth	THINK GUILTY	think that sb is guilty of a crime	She was the least likely to be suspected of his murder.
VP01		weary of sth	TIRE	lose your interest for something	She never seems to weary of eating the same type of food.
VERB + (UP)ON
VP02		accompany sb on/at sth	PLAY MUSIC	perform an accompaniment to or for	The singer was accompanied on the piano by his brother.
VP14		agree on/about sth	SAME OPINION	decide with sb else to do something	He can't expect them to agree on everything.
VP08		base sth (up)on sth	OPINION	form sth by using sth as a basis	Her first book was based on her own experiences as a doctor.
VP04		bet sth on sth	RISK MONEY	risk money on a race or an event	He bet $2,000 on the horse that came in third.
VP10		comment on/about sth	REMARK ON	express an opinion about something	Several people have commented on her new evening dress.
VP08		congratulate sb on sth	SUCCESS	praise someone or something	They congratulated her on her driving test results.
VP14		count (up)on sb/sth	BANK ON	expect something to happen	My sister might loan me some money, but I can't count on it.
VP07		deliver on sth	PRODUCE	do what you promised to do	I am certain that she will deliver on her promise.
VP08		depend (up)on sb/sth	TRUST	rely on somebody/something	I'm not sure if I'll have the picnic. It depends on the weather.
VP05		elaborate (up)on sth	EXPLAIN	add more information to or explain sth	She said he was resigning but did not elaborate on her reasons.
VP02		embark (up)on sth	START	start something new or important	The band are about to embark on a seven-month world tour.
VP12		force sth (up)on sb	NO CHOICE	make somebody accept something	It's no good trying to force a diet on someone.
VP02		impose sth (up)on sb/sth	FORCE	introduce a new law, rule, tax	This decision will impose serious constraints on all schools.
VP08		insist on sth	DEMAND	demand that something happen	George was determined to insist on his rights.
VP06		lecture on sth	TEACH	give a formal talk to a group of people	He travelled widely in Europe, lecturing on Balkan Linguistics.
VP03		linger on	REMAIN	take longer than usual to disappear	Snow may linger on the high passes as late as April.
VP02		pride yourself on sth	TAKE PRIDE IN	be proud of something	She prides herself on being able to organise her own life.
VP11		rely (up)on sb/sth	DEPEND ON	need or depend on sb/sth	He relies on his brother to drive him to school.
VP18		spend sth on sth	MONEY	use up or pay out money	He spends a lot of money on computer games.
VP11		work on sth	IMPROVE	try hard to improve something	We have a team of ten working on product development.
VERB + TO
VP12		be admitted to sth	HOSPITAL	allow someone to enter a hospital	Keith was admitted to hospital suffering from asthma.
VP06		appeal to sb	REQUEST	make a serious or formal request	They asked that the leader appeal directly to their citizens for help.
VP19		apply to sb/sth for sth	REQUEST	request something, usually officially	Please apply in writing to the address below.
VP02		attribute sth to sth/sb	ASCRIBE	say that sth is because of sb/sth	His doctor attributes his health problems to a poor diet.
VP08		belong to sb/sth	BE OWNED	be owned by somebody/something	The car belongs not just to him, but to his wife as well.
VP02		commit yourself to sth	PROMISE	keep to an agreement or arrangement	Both sides committed themselves to settle the dispute peacefully.
VP13		confess to sth	ADMIT	admit you have done sth wrong	He's still refusing to confess to the murder.
VP04		confine to sth	LIMIT	limit an activity, person, or problem	Please confine your comments to 500 words.
VP02		consent to sth	AGREE	agree to do something	She has kindly consented to give us some of his valuable time.
VP10		contribute to sth	IMPROVE	help to cause something to happen	Many players have contributed to the team's success.
VP03		convey sth to sb	COMMUNICATE	make ideas, feelings known to sb	John managed to convey his enthusiasm to his wife.
VP16		describe sb/sth to sb	TELL	say what something or someone is like	Can you please describe the robber to us?
VP07		devote yourself to sb/sth	DEDICATE	give most of your time, etc. to sb/sth	Betty devoted herself entirely to writing poetry.
VP18		donate sth to sb/sth	GIVE MONEY	give (money, food etc.) to sb/sth	I will now donate the money to charity.
VP11		explain sth to sb	MAKE CLEAR	make sth clear or easy to understand	The firefighter explained the rules to the children.
VP18		fasten sth to sth	FIX	fix one thing to another	She fastened the calendar to the wall.
VP08		hand sth to sb	PASS	pass or give something to somebody	The waitress smiled politely as she handed my bill to me.
VP08		happen to sb/sth	EXPERIENCE	have an effect on sb/sth	It's the best thing that has ever happened to her.
VP08		listen to sb/sth	HEAR	pay attention to somebody/something	Everyone listened carefully to the firefighter's instructions.
VP13		object to sb/sth	OPPOSE	say that you disagree with something	Many people object to the amount of violence on television.
VP02		pledge sth to sb/sth	PROMISE	formally promise to give or do sth	The government has pledged to clean up industrial emissions.
VP16		prefer sth to sth	CHOOSE	choose one thing rather than another	She much prefers classical music to rock music.
VP11		present sth to sb	GIVE	give, provide, or make sth known	She presented the report to his colleagues at the conference.
VP17		propose to sb	MARRIAGE	ask someone to marry you	I remember the day your boyfriend proposed to you.
VP15		refer to sb/sth	NOTE	have a direct connection to something	The numbers shown in the text refer to footnotes of the page.
VP15		reply to sb/sth	ANSWER	say or write sth as an answer to sb	They usually reply immediately to comments on their posts.
VP05		resort to sth	RECOURSE	make use of sth, especially sth bad	They want to resolve this crisis without resorting to violence.
VP19		respond to sb/sth	REPLY	do sth as a reaction to sth	How did the boss respond to my suggestion?
VP06		subject sb/sth to sth	MAKE SUFFER	cause sb/sth to experience sth harmful	The test involved subjecting the sample to intense heat.
VP02		succumb to sth	SURRENDER	lose the determination to oppose sth	He finally succumbed to Ann's charms and agreed to marry her.
VERB + WITH
VP09		agree with sb	OPINION	have the same opinion	I myself agree with you, but I can't speak for my boss.
VP09		argue with sb	DISAGREE	give reasons for or against something	He continued to argue with the referee throughout the game.
VP01		associate sb/sth with sth	LINK	connect or bring into relation	They were closely associated with each other during the war.
VP09		begin sth with sth	START	start doing something	They usually begin their lessons with a warm-up exercise.
VP06		clutter sth with sth	MESS UP	be in a mess, make untidy	Try to avoid cluttering your desk with books and papers.
VP01		coincide with sth	TAKE PLACE	happen at or near the same time	The show is timed to coincide with the launch of his new record.
VP15		collide with sb/sth	CRASH	hit something violently	Three people were killed after the car collided with a lorry.
VP07		commence with sth	BEGIN	begin something	The festivities will commence with a moment of silence.
VP19		communicate with sb/sth	INFORMATION	share or exchange information, ideas	He has a unique ability to communicate with animals of all kinds.
VP17		compare sth with/to sth	LIKEN TO	say that sth is similar to sth else	The poet compared his sweetheart with a beautiful rose.
VP01		comply with sth	STANDARDS	meet particular standards	New vehicles must comply with set safety standards.
VP18		confuse sb with sb	MIX UP	mix up two separate things or people	You're confusing me with my brother - he's the drummer.
VP04		console sb with sth	COMFORT	give comfort or sympathy to sb	She consoled herself with the thought that things could be worse.
VP13		cope with sth	MANAGE	deal successfully with sth difficult	She says she can no longer cope with the demands of the job.
VP09		deal with sth	TAKE ACTION	solve a problem, perform a task	They discussed different ways of dealing with the problem.
VP11		enclose sth with sth	SEND	include sth with a letter	Please enclose a cheque with your application.
VP07		enrich sth with sth	ENHANCE	improve the quality of something	Breakfast cereals can be enriched with vitamins and minerals.
VP12		equip with sth	PROVIDE	provide sb with necessary supplies	We spent a lot of money equipping the school with new tablets.
VP05		fiddle with sth	MOVE THINGS	manipulate, as in a nervous manner	He was fiddling with her pen as he waited for the test to start.
VP01		ingratiate yourself with sb	PRAISING	do things to make somebody like you	She's always trying to ingratiate herself with her teacher.
VP04		mingle sth with sth	MIX	combine two or more things	Her perfume mingled with the smell of woodsmoke from the fire.
VP03		plead with sb	REQUEST	make an emotional appeal	We pleaded with them not to take any action against the girl.
VP12		provide sb with sth	SUPPLY	give sb something that they need	The project was designed to provide young students with work.
VP16		supply sb/sth with sth	PROVIDE	make something available to be used	The company supplied us with the necessary money.
VP01		sympathise with sb/sth	UNDERSTAND	feel sorry for somebody	I can sympathise with those who have lost loved ones.
VP17		quarrel with sb	ARGUE	argue about or disagree with sth	She wished she hadn't quarrelled with Mark.