You know the adjective. You know the verb. You understand the sentence.
Then comes the preposition.
Is it interested in or interested on?
Do we succeed in doing something or succeed to do it?
Is someone responsible for a problem or responsible of it?
These tiny words are surprisingly easy to get wrong.
For B2 First students, dependent prepositions are particularly important because they appear naturally in Reading and Use of English, writing and speaking. Knowing the correct combination also helps you avoid small grammatical mistakes that can make otherwise good English sound unnatural.
In this lesson, we will look at 40 common dependent prepositions for B2 First, grouped into:
- adjective + preposition
- verb + preposition
- noun + preposition
Adjective + preposition
| interested in | wanting to know more about something | She’s interested in learning languages. |
| good at | having ability in something | He’s good at solving problems. |
| bad at | not skilled at something | I’m bad at remembering names. |
| afraid of | frightened or worried about something | She’s afraid of making mistakes. |
| famous for | well known because of something | The town is famous for its castle. |
| responsible for | having control or duty | Who is responsible for organising the event? |
| proud of | pleased about an achievement | Her parents are proud of her. |
| satisfied with | pleased with something | Are you satisfied with your result? |
| disappointed with | unhappy with a result or thing | I was disappointed with the service. |
| worried about | anxious about something | She’s worried about the exam. |
| similar to | almost the same as | Your answer is similar to mine. |
| different from | not the same as | This version is different from the old one. |
| capable of | able to do something | She’s capable of working independently. |
| familiar with | knowing something well | Are you familiar with the exam format? |
| keen on | very interested in something | He’s keen on joining the club. |
Verb + preposition
| depend on | be decided or influenced by | It depends on the weather. |
| succeed in | achieve what you tried to do | She succeeded in passing the exam. |
| insist on | demand or strongly maintain | He insisted on paying. |
| apologise for | say sorry for something | She apologised for being late. |
| complain about | express dissatisfaction | They complained about the noise. |
| apply for | formally ask for something | He applied for the job. |
| belong to | be owned by | This bag belongs to me. |
| concentrate on | focus attention on | Try to concentrate on the question. |
| deal with | manage or solve | We need to deal with the problem. |
| recover from | return to normal after something | He recovered from the illness. |
| suffer from | experience an illness/problem | Many people suffer from back pain. |
| participate in | take part in | She participated in the competition. |
| prevent someone from | stop someone doing something | Snow prevented us from travelling. |
Noun + preposition
| reason for | cause or explanation | What’s the reason for the delay? |
| solution to | answer to a problem | We need a solution to this problem. |
| advantage of | positive feature | One advantage of working remotely is flexibility. |
| disadvantage of | negative feature | A disadvantage of city life is traffic. |
| increase in | growth in something | There has been an increase in prices. |
| decrease in | reduction in something | We’ve seen a decrease in crime. |
| effect on | result or influence | Stress can have an effect on sleep. |
| influence on | power to affect something | Parents have an influence on their children. |
| attitude towards | way of thinking about something | Her attitude towards work has changed. |
| relationship with | connection with someone | He has a good relationship with his colleagues. |
| difference between | way two things are not alike | What’s the difference between these words? |
| need for | requirement for something | There is a need for better transport. |
Dependent Prepositions Quiz
Download Dependent Prepositions for B2 First Practice Worksheet in PDF here
The Most Important Rule: Learn the Whole Chunk
Trying to memorise prepositions individually is difficult because English prepositions do not always follow a logical pattern.
Instead of learning: responsible
learn: responsible for something
Instead of: succeed
learn: succeed in doing something
Instead of: solution
learn: a solution to a problem
This is called learning vocabulary in chunks.
It is one of the most effective ways to make these combinations automatic.
Preparing for B2 First Use of English?
If you’d like more practice with the vocabulary, grammar and fixed expressions that appear in the exam, my B2 First Use of English Skills Builder gives you structured practice with the key language patterns you need for Parts 1–4.
Dependent Prepositions in B2 First Use of English
Dependent prepositions can be particularly useful in Reading and Use of English because recognising the correct combination can help you identify the missing word very quickly.
Consider this sentence:
Marta eventually succeeded ___ finding a solution.
If you know the expression:
succeed in doing something
the answer is immediately clear:
✅ in
Dependent Prepositions and Key Word Transformations
These combinations can also help with sentence transformations.
Example 1
She managed to persuade him to change his mind.
SUCCEEDED
She __________ him to change his mind.
✅ succeeded in persuading
Example 2
The snow made it impossible for us to leave.
PREVENTED
The snow __________.
✅ prevented us from leaving
Example 3
He said he was sorry for arriving late.
APOLOGISED
He __________ late.
✅ apologised for arriving
Notice how knowing the whole structure makes the transformation much easier.
Studying for the full B2 First exam?
You can also get the complete B2 First collection, with focused practice for Use of English and other key exam skills.
Related posts:
- Adjective + Preposition Collocations
- Verb + Preposition Collocations
- Noun + Preposition Collocations
- B2 First Open Cloze: Tips, Strategy and Practice Quiz
- Sentence Transformations for B2 First
- How to Prepare for B2 First (FCE): Complete Exam Guide
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