Common Expressions With Prepositions
It is not easy to figure out which preposition to use after a particular noun, verb or adjective.
Accuse somebody of something
She accused me of reading her letters.
Afraid of
I am afraid of the dark.
Agree with a person, opinion or policy
I don’t agree with your opinion.
Do you agree with the argument that education should be free for all?
Agree about a subject of discussion
My husband and I agree about most things.
Agree on a matter for discussion
Let’s agree on a price.
Angry with
Why are you angry with me?
Anxious about
I am anxious about his health. (= I am worried about his health.)
Anxious for
We are all anxious for an end to this misunderstanding. (= We are eager to have an end to this misunderstanding.)
Anxious to
I am anxious to find a good job. (= I am eager to find a good job.)
Apologize to somebody for something
I think you should apologize to him.
I must apologize for disturbing you.
Arrive at / in
We will arrive at / in Madrid in the morning.
Bad at
I am not particularly bad at tennis.
Believe in
Do you believe in life after death?
Belong in / on
Those glasses belong on the top shelf.
Belong to
He belongs to a local football club.
Blue with
She was blue with cold.
Clever at
She is quite clever at solving puzzles.
Congratulate on
I must congratulate you on your promotion.
I must congratulate you for / on winning the first prize.
Depend / dependent on
He is still dependent on his parents.
Die of / from
A lot of people died of flu last year.
He died from his injuries a few days after the accident.
Different from / to / than
This is different from/ to / than this.
Difficulty with
I am having difficulty with my travel arrangements.
Disappointed with/at/about something
I am quite disappointed with/about my results.
Disappointed with somebody
My mother said that she was disappointed with me.
Discussion about
We had a discussion about his plans.
Divide into
The book is divided into 12 chapters.
Dream of
I often dreamt of becoming a famous writer when I was younger.
Dressed in
She was dressed in white.
Enter into
We have entered into an agreement with them.
Explain something to somebody
Can you explain this to me?
Fight with, struggle with
He spent his whole life fighting with the government.
Frightened of
The children were frightened of the noise.
Get into a car / get out of a car
When I got into my car I found that my camera had been stolen.
Good at
She is quite good at writing.
Ill with
He has been ill with flu for many days.
Impressed with / by
I am very impressed with your work.
We were impressed by her performance.
Increase in
We want to see a big increase in productivity.
Independent of
She wants to be independent of her parents.
Independence from
India got independence from Britain in 1947.
Insist on
She insisted on paying for the drinks.
Interested in
Are you interested in social work?
Kind to
She was very kind to me.
Lack of
Lack of time prevented me from finishing the job.
Laugh at
Please do not laugh at the beggar.
Listen to
Please listen to me.
Look at
Why are you looking at me like that?
Look after
There was no one to look after the old woman.
Look for
I am looking for my keys.
Marriage to
Her marriage to Samuel did not last long.
She has been married to him for over two decades.
Nice to
She is nice to everyone.
Operate on
The surgeons operated on him yesterday.
Pay for
Who will pay for the drinks?
Pleased with / at / about something
I am quite pleased with/at / about my results.
Pleased with somebody
I am quite pleased with myself.
Polite to
Try to be polite to strangers.
Prevent from + ing
She prevented me from entering her home.
Proof of
I want proof of your love.
Reason for
What is the reason for the accident?
Remind of
She reminds me of my mother.
Responsible for
Who is responsible for cooking dinner?
Rude to
He was rude to everyone.
Run into
I ran into your mother yesterday. (= I met your mother yesterday.)
Search for
The police are searching for a bald man in his thirties.
Shocked at / by
I was shocked at / by the news of his death.
Shout at
Why are you shouting at me?
Smile at
She didn’t even smile at me when I met her yesterday.
Sorry about
I feel sorry about her.
Sorry for / about something that you have done.
I am sorry for / about disturbing you.
Speak to /speak with
Can I speak with / to you for a moment?
Suffer from
My grandfather suffers from dementia.
Surprised at / by
I was surprised by / at his ignorance.
Think of / about
I am thinking of studying law.
I have also thought about studying philosophy.
The thought of
The thought of failing never entered his head.
Throw at
Don’t throw stones at the dog.
Trip over
She tripped over the bag and fell.
Wrong with
What is wrong with you?
