Verb+Preposition Collocations

The following verbs have been listed alphabetically and also an example sentence has been provided. The
prepositions are underlined.
A
accuse sb of sth/doing sth
-He was accused of murder.
-Smith accused me of lying.
-What are you accusing me of?
admire sb for sth/doing sth
-I really admire you for your patience as a teacher.
-I really admire him for being determined.
agree with
-I’m afraid I don’t agree with you.
apologize for sth/doing sth
-He apologized for his bad behavior.
-I really apologize for losing my temper during the meeting.
apply for
-Are you applying for a job at the moment?
-Is this the job you’re applying for?
argue with sb - argue about sth
-The couple next door are always arguing about money.
-Do you often argue with your brothers or sisters?
-I always argue with my father about politics.

B
believe in
-Do you believe in ghosts?
belong to
-I belong to an exclusive club in this city.
-Who does this pen belong to?
blame sb for sth
-Real Madrid blamed the referee for last week’s defeat.

C
compared to/with sth
-The police compared the suspect’s fingerprints to/with those found in the crime scene.
complain to sb – complain about sth
-Who did you complain to? -You should complain to the restaurant manager, not to the waiter.
-I hate people complaining about everything.
-We complained to the restaurant manager about the cold food.
congratulate sb on/for sth/doing sth
-We’d like to congratulate you on your promotion.
-The teacher congratulated me for getting the best exam results.
consist of sth
-This buffet consists of different Indian dishes.
-What does water consist of?
cover with sth
-John covered his face with his hands.

D
decide on (=choose)
-Have you decided on a date for the wedding?
depend on sth/sb
-We might travel or not. It depends on the weather.
-What does the success of the programme depend on?
dream about/of sb/sth
-I dreamt about you last night.
-She’s dreaming about fame.

E
escape from sb/sth
-He escaped from prison in October.

F
forgive sb for sth/doing sth
-I’ll never forgive you for cheating on me.

G
get rid of sb/sth
-I need to get rid of this old stuff.
-We need to find a way to get rid of Peter. He’s a real pain in the neck.
graduate from
-Kate graduated from university last year.

H
help sb with sth
-Can you help me with my homework?

I
insist on sth/doing sth
-People insist on a change of government.
-John insisted on seeing the manager.
invest (money) in sth
-The school invested a huge sum of money in a new computer laboratory.
invite sb to sth
-They invited me to dinner, but I had to refuse their invitation.

J
joke about sb/sth
-I hate people joking about money.

L
laugh at sb/sth
-What are you laughing at?
-I never laugh at Mario’s jokes.
listen to sb/sth
-What are you listening to?
-I listen to the radio every morning.

O
object to sth/doing sth
-Rob strongly opposed to the terms of the contract.
-I objected to going to the dentist.
P
participate in sth
-John participated actively in class.
pay for sth
-Jim can come with us as long as he pays for his own meals and drinks.
pray for sb/sth
-Let us pray for peace in our country.
-We pray for the sick and their families.
prevent sb from sth/doing sth
-The guard prevented us from entering the place.
provide sb with sth
-The search provided the police with several vital clues.

R
recover from sth
-It took me ages to recover from flu.
refer to sth
-What are you referring to?
-This paragraphs refers to the events of last year.
rely on sb/sth
-I know I could rely on David.
-This school relies on a group of well-qualified teachers.
remind sb of sb/sth
-This song reminds me of my days in the army.
-Corinne reminds me of a friend I had in London.
resign from
-She resigned from her job last week.

S
search for sth
-The rescue team are searching for survivors.
shout at sb
-I hate being shouted at.
-he was shouting angrily at the lorry driver.
smile at sb
-Susan smiled and me and said ‘goodbye’.
stand for sth
-What does ATM stand for?
stare at sb/sth
-The man over there is staring at me suspiciously.
-What are you staring at?
substitute sb/sth for sb/sth
-You can substitute oil for butter in this recipe.
-Ronaldo was substituted for Bale in the second half of the game.
succeed in sth/doing sth
-Jenny succeeded in losing weight.
-Jerry wants to succeed in the show business.
suffer from sth
-Johnny sufferes from asthma.
save sb from sth/ doing sth
-He saved a little girl from falling into the water.
-He had to borrow money to save his business from bankruptcy.
sentence sb to sth
-The judge sentenced Sam to three years in prison.
suspect sb of sth/doing sth
-He is suspected of murder.
-I suspect Phillip of giving secret information.

T
talk to sb – talk about sth
-Can I talk to John for a while?
-What are you talking about? -I hate talking about religion.
thank sb for sth/doing sth
-I want to thank you for letting me stay in your house.
-Did you thank Rob for the present?
think of/about sb/sth (also think of/about doing sth)
-I can’t stop thinking about her.
-What do you think of the new boss?

V
vote for sb/sth
-I voted for the Labour candidate in the last election.

W
wait for sb/sth
-I’ve been waiting for you for ages.
-What are you waiting for?
worry about sb/sth
-Don’t worry about mistakes. They are very common.
-Peter worries about his daughter a lot.