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Verb + Preposition Collocations

Hi English learners. Welcome to a new lesson. Today, we are going to look at some commonly used verb + preposition collocations with about, at, by, for, from, in, of, to, with.

Verb + about collocations

Argue aboutIt’s no use arguing about that.
Ask aboutHe asked me about my plans for the weekend.
Care aboutA year after the divorce, she didn’t care about him any more.
Complain aboutThe customer complained about the soup.
Forget aboutI’m so sorry, I totally forgot about our arrangement.
Hear aboutHave you heard about the earthquake?
Know aboutWhat do you know about computers?
Laugh aboutWe all laughed about the joke.
Talk aboutThe writer talked about his new novel.
Think aboutWhat do you think about my new dress?
Worry aboutMildred is worried about her exam.

Verb + AT collocations

Aim atShe aims at saving £100 every month.
Arrive atThe tourists arrived at the hotel just before noon.
Excel atHer son excelled at maths.
Laugh atEveryone laughed at Michael.
Look atLook at that cat over there!
Point atThe teacher pointed at the boy.
Shout atShe lost her patience and shouted at him.
Smile atSara smiled at us and waved.
Stare atMark stared at me without a word.

Verb + FOR collocations

Admire forEveryone admired Brian for his bravery.
Apologize forYou should apologize for what you did.
Ask forMary asked me for help.
Beg forA woman in the street begged for money.
Care forMy son has never cared for music.
Fight forHe fought for his country during WW2.
Hope forShe closed her eyes and hoped for the best.
Long forAfter a year abroad, they longed for their own home.
Pay forHow much did you pay for the tickets?
Provide forLucy had two children she had to provide for.
Search forHe searched for his phone but he couldn’t find it.
Wait forWho are you waiting for?
Work forSimon works for a multinational company.

Verb + FROM collocations

Benefit fromPauline benefited from her friend’s advice.
Borrow fromI borrowed a book from Jill.
Come fromGeorge comes from a small town in Scotland.
Differ fromThe two siblings didn’t differ much from each other.
Escape fromA man escaped from prison yesterday.
Graduate fromShe graduated from college in 2015.
Recover fromNigel had fully recovered from his illness.
Rescue fromMike rescued an old man from drowning in the sea.
Resign fromA member of the parliament resigned from his position.
Retire fromShe retired from business when she was 55.
Save fromThey saved some valuable books from the fire.
Separate fromShe was separated from her husband.
Suffer fromAndy suffered from memory loss after the accident.

Verb + IN collocations

Arrive inThe cruiser arrived in the city harbour.
Believe inIf you want to be successful you have to believe in yourself.
Confide inJade felt she could confide in her friend.
Engage inHe tried to engage in a discussion at the conference.
Invest inWe invested some money in the company shares.
Participate inHe tried to participate in the discussion.
Result inThe company’s bad policy resulted in bankruptcy.
Specialize inHelen specialized in Russian Literature.
Succeed inHe succeeded in repairing his old motorbike.
Trust inShe absolutely trusted in her husband’s judgment.

Verb + OF collocations

Approve ofHis parents didn’t approve of his decision to study history.
Consist ofThe book consisted of fifteen chapters.
Dream ofThey could only dream of buying a new house.
Hear ofHave you heard of the accident?
Take care ofDon’t worry about him. He can take care of himself.
Think ofSandra always thought of her mother in that house.

Verb + TO collocations

Adapt toIt took us a while to adapt to our new home.
Admit toHe found it difficult to admit to himself he was overweight.
Agree toFinally, he agreed to sign the contract.
Apologize toMira apologized to her date for being late.
Belong toThe car belongs to Mr Smith from the second floor.
Consent toJenifer refused to consent to her son’s staying out late.
Lead toThe street led to a big square.
Listen toHe listened to the music over his earphones.
Object toMost employees objected to the proposal
Relate toHe was related to a family living on the island.
Respond toSorry I haven’t responded to your email.
Speak toJulie spoke to the receptionist.
Talk to
Can I talk to you about some private matters?
Travel toWe travelled to Greece by bus.
Turn toI believe it’s your turn to buy us a drink.

Verb + WITH collocations

Agree withShe didn’t agree with him on many things.
Argue withWill you stop arguing with your brother?
Begin withThe book began with a description of the family.
Compare withCompared with other children, Tom was quite tall.
Compete withSmall shops can’t compete with big supermarket chains.
Cope withHow do you cope with this heat?
Deal withI don’t like dealing with customers’ complaints.
Meet withThe president met with the ambassador of his country.
Verb + Preposition Collocations
Verb + Preposition Collocations

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1 Comment

Praveen Sharda · 22 Feb 2023 at 4:53 am

A preposition is always followed by a noun as its object. In all of the sample sentences, preposition is followed by a noun/pronoun/gerund. So these are sentences made up of prepositional phrasal verbs.

What about prepositions that are used as particles, meaning adverbs.

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