In addition to the volumetric groups of certain phrasal verbs, our beloved English language has a wide range of other specific combinations of verbs with prepositions that have become firmly established in speech. As you probably already assumed, there are absolutely no rules for their construction, and, of course, you just have to learn them by heart. Bravo, you are absolutely right, it’s immediately clear that this is not the first day of English! So, for today our granite of science is verbs with prepositions in the English language, a table of which ( and not alone!) will be given below. Well, let's gather our will and start studying?
Since this topic is very voluminous and difficult to understand, we tried to group such english words according to a common feature, which in this case is a preposition. Agree, learning large volumes of new words in parts is much more convenient than trying to cover all the material at once. In addition, phrases with the construction to be are included in a separate list, requiring some kind of preposition after them. Let's take a closer look at how such combinations are used and what role prepositions play in the English construction of set expressions.
Preposition group for
The following verbs with prepositions for in English belong to this group.
| Verb | Pretext | Meaning | Use |
| depart |
+ for |
depart, departsomewhere | The next train departs for Berlin at 3 o'clock. |
| care | To look after, take care of, look after someone. | I will care for your pets. | |
| play | Play for smb. | He played for my brother in that match. | |
| ask | Beg/ask for something. | The girl asked for a glass of orange juice. | |
| charge | Charge for sth. | What do they charge for a call? | |
| apply | Address; apply for smth. | Will she apply for the job? | |
| thank you | Give thanks for something. | We thank you our guests for these presents. | |
| blame | Blame smb. for bad actions. | I blamed my cat for crushing dishes. | |
| reach | Reach for some object. | Jane reached for his coat. | |
| look | Searchsmb. | Father is looking for his purse. | |
| answer | Responsible for someone/sth. | He answers for my daughter. | |
| excuse | To apologize for something. | Please, excuse my son for his actions. | |
| search | Look for someone | Our neighbors search for their daughters | |
| pay | Pay for sth. | Our friend will pay for lunch. | |
| wait | Wait, wait. | My little sister is waiting for my birthday. | |
| leave | Leave, leave, leave. | They left for Madrid 3 days ago. | |
| go | To do, to offer to do something. | Let's go for a jog! | |
| long | To really desire, to crave. | We long for peace, but they long for war. | |
| run | run;
Get involved in the election race. |
Ray Jones will run for president | |
| offer | Offer any amount for a product/service. | Jack offered me 100$ for my silence. | |
| take | Confused, mistaken for someone else. | Sorry, we took you for our friend. | |
| account | Explain the reason. | I can't account for the missing money. | |
| stand | Mean sth. | What does IBM stand for ? | |
| work | Work for smb. | Bill works for Apple. | |
| vote | Vote for someone, support. | I voted for rock band AC/DC. |
So, we have already studied one of the largest groups of stable combinations of prepositions and verbs in English. These are frequently used expressions, so knowing their meanings will help you not get confused when a similar compound combination appears in the text or in the speech of your interlocutor.
Preposition group on
This is a very small section containing only a dozen phrases. Despite their small number, designs with on are used quite active.
| Verb | Pretext | Meaning | Use |
| concentrate | + on | Concentrate, concentrate. | The students must concentrate on their studies. |
| live | Liveondef.means. | We lived on$100 a week when we worked in advertising. | |
| spend | Spend money and time on smth. | The boy spends all of his money on comics. | |
| congratulate | Congratulate on something. | We congratulated our sister on her wedding | |
| rely | Rely on someone | I can always rely on my best friend. | |
| depend | Depend on someone. | My English lessons depend on my mood. | |
| insist | Insist on smth. | They insist on telling the truth to Michael. | |
| comment | Comment. | I want to comment on the article. | |
| get | Get into transport. | She got on a train to Prague. | |
| count | Count on someone | He can always count on his parents for help. |
Preposition group about
Let's continue to study fixed expressions with prepositions in English. Let's see how used in phrases the preposition about.
| Verb | Pretext | Meaning | Use |
| think |
+ about |
Think about someone/sth. | I think about my future. |
| complain | Complain about someone/sth. | She complains to me about her boyfriend | |
| ask | Ask about something. | ||
| care | To love someone; be interested in smth. | Ask me about my hobby. | |
| feel | Have an opinion about smth. | How do you feel about t that object? | |
| talk | Talk about something. | We are talking about our weekend. | |
| forget | Forget. | Don't forget about your enemies. | |
| dream | To dream about something. | She dreamed about her wedding | |
| agree | Agree. | We don't always agree about how to proceed. | |
| hear | Hear about something. | I heard about your accident. | |
| warn | Warn. | They warned me about this situation in the office. | |
| argue | Argue about smth. | We argue about the films. | |
| say | Express an opinion, say something. | Do you want to say a few words about our magazine? | |
| worry | To worry about someone, to worry about something. | Parents worry about their children all the time. |
Preposition group of
The last numerous representative phrasal structures type " verb+preposition ».
| Verb | Pretext | Meaning | Use |
| hear | + of | Hear/know smth. about smb. | I've never heard of you. |
| remind | Remind me of something. | Remind him of our meeting. | |
| think | Think. | What does he think of fashion? | |
| accuse | Blame someone for something. | John was accused of the road accident. | |
| take care | To look after someone/sth., to take care. | I took care of my grandmother. | |
| inform | Report something. | The lawyer informed us of his decision. | |
| approve | Approve. | Father approves of my choice. | |
| consists | To consist, to contain smth. in yourself. | Apples consists of water. | |
| boast | Boast. | These sportsmen are always boasting of their achievements. | |
| deprive | To deprive someone of something. | She was deprived of her property. | |
| die | Die from something. | The boy died of an unknown disease. |
United Group
Some prepositions are combined with only a few verbs, so we have combined them into one general group. So, verbs with prepositions in English - summary table.
| Verb | Pretext | Meaning | Use |
| believe | + in | Believe. | I believe in Christmas miracles. |
| check | Check. | Check the word in the dictionary. | |
| succeed | To succeed in smth. | My husband will succeed in life. | |
| look | + at | Look at someone or something; consider. | Look at me! |
| hint | Hint at something. | I don't understand what you're hinting at . | |
| point | Point, direct at someone. | Don't point the gun at me. | |
| shout | Yell at smb. | Why do you shout at children? | |
| laugh | Laugh, make fun of. | They often laugh at my little dog. | |
| agree | + with | Agree with someone or something. | I agree with my trainer. |
| argue | Argue, quarrel. | My sister often argues with our parents. | |
| begin | Start with something. | I began my way with a first step. | |
| happen |
+ to |
Happen to someone, something. | We don't know what's happened to our car. |
| listen | Listen, obey someone. | I like listen to his stories. | |
| belong | Belong. | All buildings in this street belong to me. | |
| complain | Complain to someone. | I can't complain to my father. | |
| add | Add to smth. | Could you add some milk to my tea? | |
| move | Move. | We moved to Moscow yesterday. |
Use without pretext
There are also several opposite cases. The following verbs will almost always be used without prepositions.
- to enter - to enter, cross the threshold, penetrate. I entered her room.
- tofollow – Follow, accompany, monitor. Don't follow me.
- tojoin – To join, join, enter service. Join our club!
- to discuss ( something) – Discuss something. We discuss the article.
Such non-prepositional constructions are often found in English speech.
Verbs with prepositions in English table with to be
We have already learned how the British like to use in stable expressions English verbs with and without different prepositions. But don't forget about the design. tobe, phrases from which occupy a huge layer of the English language. Of course, it is almost impossible to learn all verbs with such a combination, so we will limit ourselves to only the most commonly used phrases.
| Design | Meaning | Use |
| be sure of | To have confidence in something, to be confident. | I am sure of my skills. |
| be afraid of | To have fear, to be afraid of something. | Many people are afraid of losing their jobs. |
| be married to | To be married to someone, to be married. | Alice was married to a policeman. |
| be tired of | Get tired of smth. | I am tired of the lesson |
| be satisfied with | To be pleased, satisfied with smth. | My mother was never satisfied with the results of her work. |
| be proud of | Be proud of smth., someone. | My friend Roman was really proud of his pictures. |
| be surprised at | Be surprisedsomethingl. | I was surprised at your actions. |
| be ashamed of | Feel ashamed about smth. | I am not ashamed of Roman's pictures too. |
| be good at | To have the ability to be good at something. | They say I am very good at foreign languages. |
| be careful of | Be careful, beware. | Be careful of the angry dog. |
| be dressed in | To be dressed in smth. | All my relatives were dressed in various red suits at my birthday party. |
| be jealous of | Feelings of envy, jealousy. | He is just jealous of his wife. |
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Exercise
In order to connect an adjective with other members of a sentence, it is necessary to use prepositions. Usually an adjective with a preposition is followed by noun, pronoun or verb in ing form. In this lesson, Anastasia will look at several designs "Adjective + Preposition", which are often used in speech.
good/nice/kind/generous/stupid of you to do something
– kindly/generously/stupidly of you (your) to do anything
good/nice/friendly/kind/polite/rude to somebody
– nice/friendly/polite/rude towards someone
angry/furious/annoyed about something
– angry/furious about something, dissatisfied with something
excited/nervous/worried about something
– excited (positively)/nervous/worried about something
angry/furious/annoyed with somebody
– angry/furious with someone, dissatisfied with someone
satisfied/pleased/delighted/disappointed with
something– satisfied/pleased/upset with something
Lesson script
Hi all!
Prepositions, prepositions, prepositions, it's easy headache everyone who learns English English. But you can’t escape them, so today let’s look at some adjectives and prepositions with which they are usually used. My name is Anastasia, this is the PE channel...
In one of the previous videos we talked about verbs with prepositions. If you haven't watched it, follow the link above. Today we will talk about adjectives with prepositions.
As a rule, in order to express a thought, it is not enough for us to use one adjective. He needs a preposition that will connect this adjective with a noun, pronoun or verb in the ing form. (Adj.+Prep.+Noun/Pronoun/Ving) This is the formula that is usually used. Together, this construction forms a kind of small phrase with its own meaning. There are a huge number of such constructions in the English language, and today we will consider only a few of them.
It was generous of you to do that.
In this case, we translate this construction using the words “from your side.”
It was nice or kind/ /generous/ stupid of you to do that.
What if, for example, I want to talk about a good or bad attitude towards someone?
Here I will need an adjective with the preposition TO.
He is so good/ nice/friendly/ kind/rude/ to Kate.
He treats Kate so well.
He's so sweet/friendly/kind/rude to Kate.
Sometimes we get upset or even angry about something or something:
My mum is angry / furious /annoyed/ about waiting for so long..
My mom is angry about/because of such a long wait.
My mother is unhappy with such a long wait. It annoys her to wait so long.
However, if we are angry with someone, then we need another excuse:
Don’t be angry // furious / annoyed with me!
Don't be mad at me!
When we want to say that we feel something about a situation, we can use the preposition ABOUT:
I am excited about going to the Fiji.
I'm excited about going to Fiji.
I am nervous/ worried about meeting him.
I'm nervous, worried about/about meeting him.
Either WITH
Are you satisfied with your exam results? - Are you satisfied with the results of your exam?
I am pleased/delighted with the present you gave me. - I am pleased with the gift you gave me.
I am disappointed with your speech.
Some adjectives can be used with only one preposition, but others can have several, with different meanings. for example, the adjective happy can be used with the prepositions about and with.
Are you happy about getting the presents? Are you glad that you received gifts?
Here we use the preposition about, because. We are talking about an event that happened - Someone received gifts and we wonder if he is happy. However:
Are you happy with the present I gave you? - Do you like the gift I gave you?
Happy with is used when talking about what someone likes, is satisfied with, or is satisfied with what they have.
So, in conclusion, I would like to say that the choice of preposition is individual for each adjective, so if you are not sure which preposition to use, you will have to consult a dictionary. The article on the adjective you need should indicate with what prepositions it can be used. We have selected only a small number of adjectives, some of the most commonly used.
That's all! Don't forget to do exercises after class to remember better new material. Good luck everyone! Bye bye!
Speech, spoken or written, rarely consists of simple sentences, therefore, very often adjectives can be used with prepositions or additional words that expand their meanings. What can you use after adjectives?
Ways to distribute offers
- Preposition + noun. For example:
I'm interested in music.
Why are you so nervous about the trip? - Infinitive: Susan is ready to go.
We are happy to see you!
Tom is so happy to get the present. - Subordinate clause: I'm glad that you are here.
It's important that you feel comfortable.
After some adjectives you can use a preposition, an infinitive, and subordinate clause. It is best to check these adjectives in a dictionary:
Mum was surprised by the news.
She was surprised to see her brother again.
I was surprised that our relationship changed.
Using prepositions with adjectives
It can be difficult to remember which prepositions go with which adjectives. In this case, it is best to combine adjectives into groups:
- Adjectives with prepositions ABOUT/WITH:
Angry/annoyed ABOUT something
Angry/annoyed/furious WITH somebody FOR doing something. - angry / irritated / enraged
Excited/worried/upset/nervous/happy ABOUT - excited/nervous/upset/nervous/happy
Pleased/satisfied/disappointed WITH- satisfied/satisfied/disappointed
For example: I'm so excited about my new school! — I'm so excited about my new school!
Dad is angry with Megan for coming late. — Dad is angry with Megan for coming late.
They're disappointed with the new car. — They are disappointed with the new car.
- Adjectives with prepositions AT/WITH/BY:
surprised/shocked/amazed/astonished AT/BY- surprised/shocked/amazed impressed WITH/BY impressed
fed up/bored WITH - fed up / bored
For example: I'm impressed with your English. It's very good. — I'm impressed by your English. You speak very well.
She was astonished at his rudeness. “She was shocked by his rudeness.
The children are bored with the film. — The children are tired of this film.
- Adjectives with prepositions ABOUT/FOR:
sorry ABOUT something FOR doing something - regretful about something
Sorry can be used with both an infinitive and a subordinate clause.
For example: Sorry for interrupting you... — Sorry to interrupt...
I'm sorry that your brother lost his job. - It's a pity that your brother lost his job.
We are sorry to hear that your father is at hospital. — We're sorry to hear that your father is in the hospital.
I'm very sorry about the accident. - I regret the incident.
- Adjectives with preposition OF:
aware/conscious - conscious
capable/incapable – capable/incapable
full/short – full/not enough
typical - typical
tired - tired
certain/sure OF/ABOUT- confident
afraid/frightened/scared - scared
fond/proud/jealous - loving/proud/jealous
suspicious/critical - suspicious/critical
tolerant - tolerant
For example: My little brother is afraid of dogs — My little brother is afraid of dogs.
We should teach our children to be tolerant of other people. — We must teach our children to be tolerant of other people.
He is short of money this week. — He doesn’t have enough money this week.
It's very kind of her to help us. “It’s good that she decided to help us.”
But! Another construction can be used with the same adjectives: “ be…kind/ good/ polite/ friendly/ cruel to…»:
Your mum is always so kind to us. “Your mother is always so kind to us.”
Why is he always so cruel to his daughter? Why is he always so cruel to his daughter?
Lesson assignments
Task 1. Combine into one sentence.
- My sister dances. She is interested in it.
- The contract is ready. We can sign it.
- She's met you. She is happy.
- My daughter has won the competition. I'm very pleased.
- She refused the offer. It's silly.
- You It's important. They can continue their work.
Task 2. Complete with prepositions.
- These plants are tolerant… frost.
- I was very disappointed… myself.
- He is simply jealous…your life.
- I’m so sorry… overreacting.
- Are you satisfied…the results of your test?
- We can’t be certain… anything.
- I was very angry… myself.
- They are very tired…waiting.
Answer 1.
- My sister is interested in dancing.
- The contract is ready to sign.
- She is happy to meet you.
- I’m very pleased that my daughter has won the competition.
- It’s silly of her to refuse the offer.
- It's important that they can continue their work.
Answer 2.
- about/of
Adjectives with fixed prepositions are included in the predicate, which is called compound nominal predicate. A compound nominal predicate consists of a link-verb and a nominal part of predicate or predicative. The linking verb performs service functions; it connects the subject with the nominal part of the predicate and serves as an indicator of tense, voice, mood, and in some cases person and number. The most common connective is the verb “to be”. In addition to the verb to be, the function of a connective can be performed by other verbs, such as: to get, to become, to grow, to turn, to come, to go, to look, to run, to wear, to seem, to appear, to feel, to fall. Don't confuse linking verbs with meaningful verbs. The same verb can “work” as both a linking verb and a verb with a basic meaning.
For example:
The leaves on the trees turned yellow.= The leaves on the trees have turned yellow. (to turn – linking verb)
He turned the key in the lock. = He turned the key in the lock. (to turn = “turn, rotate”, that is, in the basic meaning)
She trembled and grew faint= She trembled and lost consciousness. (to grow – linking verb)
My brother is a farmer. He grows vegetables.(to grow – “grow, grow”, that is, in the basic meaning)
The nominal part of the predicate can be expressed by a noun, adjective, numeral, adverb, impersonal forms of verbs, prepositional phrases and phrases.
If the nominal part of a compound nominal predicate is expressed by an adjective, then it can be followed by a preposition - and this preposition is fixed, as if glued to a specific adjective. The list of adjectives with fixed prepositions is very long, and some adjectives have double control, that is, they can have two prepositions behind them.
How to learn and remember all adjectives with fixed prepositions? You can learn mechanically, but it is unlikely to give a good result. It's best to go the logical route.
So, if you take a closer look at the long list of adjectives with fixed prepositions, you will notice that those adjectives that are followed by a specific preposition are united by one common idea, a common meaning. Let's look at the most common adjectives with the preposition AT.
First, let's take the preposition AT and find out its meaning, namely the meaning, not the meaning. The preposition AT, if considered as a preposition of place and position, has two main meanings: The first meaning is being near, near, near a certain place and the second meaning is activity, action in a certain place. Space and time are interconnected and the preposition AT also indicates proximity to a certain point in time.
Now look at the adjectives with the fixed preposition AT. Conventionally, they can be divided into two groups.
There are several adjectives in each group, as you can increase or decrease the degree of saturation.
First group united by one idea that has a modal connotation - ABILITY, SKILL for something, and, conversely, INABILITY, MEDIOCILITY and INABILITY.
to be good AT(doing something) = to be capable of something. This can be the study of subjects, that is, we talk about mental abilities, for example, “to be capable of mathematics” or “to study foreign languages" You can talk about the ability to draw, sew, sing, but you can’t list everything. The translation of such constructions can be quite free.
For example:
He is good at mathematics. = Mathematics is easy for him. He has a talent for mathematics.
My son is not very good at repairing things. = My son is unable to fix anything.
to be quick AT(doing something) = to be smart, to do something quickly. We are talking about intelligence, that is, you can think quickly or think slowly. Something can reach a person slowly or quickly. The same can be said about action. Some people have everything in their hands, and some people have everything falling out of their hands.
For example:
He was quick at answering the question. = He was not at a loss and answered the question. He immediately answered the question.
to be prompt AT(doing something) = to be agile, fast, efficient.
to be clever AT(doing something) = to be capable, to have a gift and talent for something.
For example:
He is clever at playing chess. = He plays chess well.
to be brilliant AT(doing something) = do brilliantly in some subjects or do some work brilliantly.
For example:
She is brilliant at literature. = She does brilliantly in literature.
to be excellent AT(doing something) = doing excellently, excellently in some subjects or doing excellent and excellent work.
For example:
He is excellent at repairing cars. = He is excellent at fixing cars.
to be skilful AT(doing something) = to be skillful in performing some action. The point is that abilities alone are not enough, you also need to learn and train to do something.
For example:
My mother was very skillful at cooking. = My mother was a great cook. My mother was a skilled cook.
to be bad AT(doing something) = to be incapable of something, to do poorly in some subjects.
He is bad at skiing. = He is bad at skiing.
to be slow AT(doing something) = to think poorly and slowly, to be slow-witted, to be slow at work.
He is slow at his work. = He is very slow at work.
to be hopeless AT(doing something) = to be mediocre, hopeless for anything, for mastering any subjects or for performing some actions.
She is hopeless at singing. = She has no talent for singing.
Second group adjectives are united by such a meaning as - SURPRISE.
to be surprised AT(something) = to be surprised by something.
For example:
I was surprised at his coming here. = I was surprised that he came here. I was surprised by his coming here.
to be astonished AT(something) = to be surprised, amazed at something.
He was astonished at seeing his friend at the party. = He was very surprised when he saw his friend at the party.
For example:
to be amazed AT(something) = to be very surprised at something, to be amazed;
For example:
He was amazed at her behavior. = He was amazed by her behavior.
to be shocked AT(something) = to be shocked, to be very surprised.
For example:
Everybody was shocked at the news. = Everyone was shocked by the news.
1. Prepositions with nouns
Nouns with the preposition by
by accident - accidentally
by chance - by chance
by mistake - by mistake
by the way - by the way, by the way
by your favor/with your permission - with your permission
Nouns with the preposition for
for a walk/swim, etc. - walk, swim, etc.
for breakfast/lunch, etc. - for breakfast/lunch, etc.
Nouns with the preposition on
on holiday/business/a trip/an cruise - on vacation/on a business trip/on a trip/on an excursion/on a cruise, etc.
on the radio/television - on radio/television
Nouns with the preposition in
in case - in case
in fact - actually, in fact, essentially
in somebody's opinion - according to someone
2. Prepositions with adjectives
Adjectives with the preposition at
to be shocked/surprised, etc. at/by - to be shocked/surprised, etc. anything
to be bad/good/hopeless, etc. at - to have no abilities (success)/to have abilities (success)/to be hopeless, etc. in any activity
Adjectives with the preposition of
to be aware of - to be aware of something
to be afraid/frightened of being - frightened/frightened by something or someone; afraid
to be ashamed/proud of - to be ashamed/proud of something or someone
to be full of - to be full of something (strength, energy)
to be fond of - to love something
to be jealous/envious of - to be jealous/envy someone or something
to be tired of - to be tired of
it is nice (kind/good/stupid/impolite, etc.) of someone - nice, stupid, impolite, etc. from someone's side
Adjectives with the preposition about
to be angry/annoyed about - to be angry/annoyed with someone/something
Adjectives with the preposition for
to be/feel sorry for smb. - feel sorry for/sympathize with someone
to be famous for - to be famous for something (a record, an act, etc.)
to be responsible for - to be responsible for
Adjectives with the preposition in
in general - in general, in general
to be interested in - to be interested in
Adjectives with the preposition with
to be disappointed/satisfied with - to be disappointed/satisfied with something
Adjectives with the preposition to
to be glad to meet smb. - be glad to meet someone
to be similar to - to be similar to
to be married/engaged to - to be married/engaged
it is nice to meet you - nice to meet you
3. Prepositions with verbs
Verbs with the preposition for
apply for - apply for
care for - take care of
go for a (walk/swim) - go for a (walk/go for a swim)
look for - look after
search for - search for something, someone
punish for - punish for
wait for - something, someone
Verbs with the preposition to
belong to - belong
listen to - listen to something, someone
happen to - happen, happen with
speak to/with - say something
Verbs with the preposition in
believe in - believe in
succeed in - succeed in
Verbs with the preposition about/of
complain about - complain about
consist of - consist of
dream about/of - dream about
think about/of - think about
remind of - resemble, remind
Verbs with the preposition at
laugh at - laugh at
mock at - make fun of
look at - look at
shout at - shout at
Verbs with the preposition on
be on go - happen
depend on - depend on
live on - live on
insist on - insist on
rely on - rely on
Verbs with the preposition after
look after - look after
Verbs with the preposition through
look through - look through (newspaper, magazine)
Verbs with the preposition by
stand by - nearby, be ready to help
Verbs with the preposition from
suffer from - suffer from
Verbs with the preposition off
be off - go
put something off - put off, move
Verbs with the preposition around/about
wait around/about - wait
Verbs with the preposition up
get up - rise, stand up
wake up - wake up, wake up