Lesson 33 – Prepositions after Verbs

The game show format is back in today’s lesson! The first round has twenty
questions – try to guess the correct preposition after each verb. Give yourself one
point for each correct answer.

Round 1
1. I often dream about/with flying.
2. Your success depends of/on your effort.
3. I need to concentrate in/on solving this problem.
4. This movie is based from/on a true story.
5. The lab instructor provided us by/with safety goggles.
6. He confessed for/to stealing the money.
7. They could benefit from/of some counseling.
8. Something is interfering on/with the transmission.
9. The accident resulted at/in a lawsuit.
10. Why do you always insist in/on getting your own way?
11. We object for/to that on principle.
12. I felt like everyone was staring at/to me.
13. The kit is composed of/with ten tools.
14. I borrowed these shoes from/of my sister.
15. I forgave her for/from what she did.
16. That type of work really appeals for/to me.
17. Would you like to participate in/with the workshop?
18. My kids believe about/in Santa Claus.
19. My grandmother doesn’t approve from/of tattoos.
20. He apologized about/for being rude to me.

(Answers at the end of this document)

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Typical Preposition/Verb Combinations
ABOUT
The word about usually refers to a topic or issue, so it appears after a lot of verbs
for communication:

 talk about
 hear about
 write about
 complain about
 joke about
 argue about
 warn someone about something
One exception is “discuss” – we don’t “discuss about” the topic, we simply discuss
the topic.
Some verbs involving thoughts and feelings are also followed by about:

 think about
 worry about
 feel about
 wonder about
One exception is “consider” – we don’t “consider about” something, we simply
consider it.

IN
There aren’t too many verbs followed by in, but some of the main ones are:

 believe in
 trust in
 involve in

FOR
The word for often appears after verbs that indicate we want to get something, for
example:

 ask for / beg for

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  arrange for
 hope for / long for
 pray for
 prepare for
 look for / search for
 vote for
It is also used after some verbs referring to things that happened in the past:

 blame for
She blamed me for the mistake.
 apologize for
We apologize for the delay.
 forgive for
I forgave him for lying.
 thank for
They thanked us for the gift.

FROM
The word from often refers to the source or origin of something:

 benefit from
 borrow from
 differ from
 escape from
 hide from
 resign from
 suffer/recover from an illness
We also use from with some verbs involving preventing or making something more
difficult:

 stop/prevent someone from doing something

 deter someone from doing something
 distract someone from doing something
 discourage someone from doing something
(but we encourage someone to do something)

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OF
The common verbs followed by of include:

 approve/disapprove of
 accuse/suspect (someone) of (doing something)
 composed of / consists of / made of
 cure (someone) of (a disease)
 remind (someone) of (something)
but we say remind (someone) to (do an action)

ON
The words depend, rely, and count are all followed by on. These all have
essentially the same meaning. We also concentrate on or focus on something.
When something great happens, we often congratulate a person on it. We often use
the form “congratulations,” and we can say:

 Congratulations on (a noun)
Congratulations on your engagement!
 Congratulations on (-ING form)
Congratulations on finishing the course!
If you want to add your opinion to a topic, you comment on it. And if you feel very
strongly about something, you’ll insist on it. Finally, we work on our projects.

TO
A few of the verbs followed by to are:

 (something) belongs to (someone)

 compare to
(we can also say compare with)
 contribute to
 listen to
always include “to” after “listen”!
 object to
 lend (something) to (someone)
 react to
 reply/respond to
(but not “answer to”)
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WITH
The word with implies togetherness, so the verbs it follows often contain two
people or things:

 collide with
 compete with
 deal/cope with an issue
 communicate/correspond with
 agree/disagree with
 meet with
 share with

Round 2: More than one possible preposition

This round is a little more difficult! Some verbs can be followed by different
prepositions, which change the meaning of the phrase a little bit.
You’ll see two sentences and several possible prepositions. Try to put the correct
one in each sentence. Remember that some of the prepositions will not be used!
There are 22 possible points in this round.
1. for / on / to / with
My parents can’t agree _____________ each other _____________ anything.
He agreed _____________ mow the lawn for $20.
2. at / in / to
If we leave now, we’ll arrive _____________ the restaurant in about 15 minutes.
I was very cold when I arrived _____________ London in December.
3. for / on / with
You can’t blame all your problems _____________ your ex-husband.
The boy blamed his friend _____________ breaking the window.
4. for / from / to
She asked me _____________ a cup of coffee.
They asked us _____________ keep quiet.

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 5. about / for / with
Everyone was talking _____________ the World Cup.
I’d like to talk _____________ you for a moment.
6. on / to / with
I don’t trust him _____________ my money.
We trust you _____________ do the right thing.
7. about / of / to
We’ve been thinking _____________ buying a new car.
What do you think _____________ this design?
8. about / for / to
I totally forgot _____________ the meeting.
Don’t forget _____________ finish your homework!
9. against / for / from / over
The rebels are fighting _____________ the army.
My kids are fighting _____________ the remote control.
We need to fight _____________ equal rights.
10. against / between / for
I’m trying to decide _____________ these two English schools.
He decided _____________ flying – he’ll take the train instead.

Answers – More than one possible preposition

1. My parents can’t agree with each other on anything.
He agreed to mow the lawn for $20.
You agree/disagree with a person. You agree/disagree about/on the topic. And
you agree to do an action.
2. If we leave now, we’ll arrive at the restaurant in about 15 minutes.

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 I was very cold when I arrived in London in December.
We arrive at specific points, and in cities/countries. We never “arrive to” a
place.
3. You can’t blame all your problems on your ex-husband.
The boy blamed his friend for breaking the window.
We blame things on people, and blame people for what happened.
4. She asked me for a cup of coffee.
They asked us to keep quiet.
Ask for an object, and ask someone to do an action. We can also ask about a
topic.
5. Everyone was talking about the World Cup.
I’d like to talk with you for a moment.
We talk/speak about a topic, and talk/speak with/to a person.
6. I don’t trust him with my money.
We trust you to do the right thing.
We trust a person with something, and trust a person to do an action.
7. We’ve been thinking about buying a new car.
What do you think of this design?
We usually think about things for a longer time, and think of things in a quick
moment. We don’t usually use “think to”.
8. I totally forgot about the meeting.
Don’t forget to finish your homework!
We forget about an object or event, and forget to do an action.
9. The rebels are fighting against the army.
My kids are fighting over the remote control.
We need to fight for equal rights.
You fight against your opponent, and you fight for the thing you want to

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 support. You fight over the object that is in the middle of the dispute. We can
also fight about a topic, and fight with another person.
10. I’m trying to decide between these two English schools.
He decided against flying – he’ll take the train instead.
You decide between or among two or more options. If you decide against
something, it means you choose NOT to do it. When you decide YES to an action,
then you decide to do it.

You’ve finished Lesson 33! Now take the quiz to review what you’ve learned.

Writing Task
“No thief, however skillful, can rob one of knowledge, and that is why knowledge is the
best and safest treasure to acquire.” ― L. Frank Baum
What’s something that you really enjoy learning about (besides English!) Describe
why this topic is interesting to you, and share some of the things you’ve learned.
Send me your text at shayna@espressoenglish.net for feedback and correction!

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Quiz – Lesson 33
Complete each sentence with a preposition. You can use them more than once.

about from of to
for in on with

1. Pollution contributes ___________ global warming.

2. The spy was captured and accused ___________ treason.
3. This new law aims to deter people ___________ throwing trash on the streets.
4. You did a great job - I knew I could count ___________ you!
5. Acupuncture finally cured me ___________ my back pain.
6. It was terrible for them to joke ___________ the tragedy.
7. Have you heard ___________ the policy change?
8. This course focuses ___________ Greek mythology.
9. How did he react ___________ the news?
10. We're very involved ___________ our church.
11. The mouse managed to escape ___________ the trap.
12. Who did you vote ___________ in the last election?
13. I share an apartment ___________ two friends.
14. I'm not sure how to deal ___________ this problem.
15. She's preparing everything ___________ the birthday party.

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Answers – Quiz – Lesson 33
1. Pollution contributes to global warming.
2. The spy was captured and accused of treason.
3. This new law aims to deter people from throwing trash on the streets.
4. You did a great job - I knew I could count on you!
5. Acupuncture finally cured me of my back pain.
6. It was terrible for them to joke about the tragedy.
7. Have you heard about the policy change?
8. This course focuses on Greek mythology.
9. How did he react to the news?
10. We're very involved in our church.
11. The mouse managed to escape from the trap.
12. Who did you vote for in the last election?
13. I share an apartment with two friends.
14. I'm not sure how to deal with this problem.
15. She's preparing everything for the birthday party.

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Answers – Round 1
1. I often dream about flying.
2. Your success depends on your effort.
3. I need to concentrate on solving this problem.
4. This movie is based on a true story.
5. The lab instructor provided us with safety goggles.
6. He confessed to stealing the money.
7. They could benefit from some counseling.
8. Something is interfering with the transmission.
9. The accident resulted in a lawsuit.
10. Why do you always insist on getting your own way?
11. We object to that on principle.
12. I felt like everyone was staring at me.
13. The kit is composed of ten tools.
14. I borrowed these shoes from my sister.
15. I forgave her for what she did.
16. That type of work really appeals to me.
17. Would you like to participate in the workshop?
18. My kids believe in Santa Claus.
19. My grandmother doesn’t approve of tattoos.
20. He apologized for being rude to me.

www.espressoenglish.net
© Shayna Oliveira 2014