prepositional verbs

Commonly Used Prepositional Verbs
Account for			We must account for all the information in our report.
Accuse (someone) of			The teacher accused Michael of cheating on the test.
Adapt to			We have adapted to living in the U.S.
Add to			6 added to 5 equals 11. The new requirement has added to my worries about paying for my education.
Agree on			We agreed on an answer for the problem
Agree to			We agreed to the solution for the problem.
Agree with			I agree with your answer for the problem.
Apologize for something			He apologized for his rude behavior.
Apologize to someone			He apologized to his friends for his rude behavior.
Apply for			She is applying for Georgia State University. She applied for a teaching assistantship.
Approve of			The teacher approved of his plan for his research paper.
Argue with someone			Michael argued with his teacher about his grade.
Argue about something			I argued politely with Michael about his ideas on the economy.
Arrive at			We arrived at the test center on time. They arrived at the same solution for the problem.
Ask for			We asked for more time on the test.
Become of			What became of Michael? Have you seen him lately? I haven't seen him for a long time.
Believe in			He believes in his solution for the problem.
Belong to			She belongs to a tennis club.
Blame someone/something for something			He blames his poor English for his grade on the test. The citizens blame the government for the economic problems.
Blame something on someone			He blamed his grade on his English. The police blamed the explosion on a separatist group.
Borrow from			I borrowed some paper from my roommate. Shakespeare borrowed his plots from other writers.
Care about			I really care about the environment.
Care for			I don't care for his attitude--I don't like it at all. He is caring for his elderly parents.
Catch up with			Run faster--we have to catch up with the rest of the group. I caught up with the homework last weekend.
Come from			He comes from Egypt.
Comment on			The teacher commented on the effect of the election on the economy.
Communicate about something			He communicated with his teacher about his grade.
Communicate with someone			He communicated with his teacher about his grade.
Compare with			Please compare Clinton's presidency with Reagan's. He compared the food in the cafeteria with his mother's cooking.
Complain about			The students complained about the food in the cafeteria.
Compliment someone on something			The teacher complimented Maria on the good work she did on the examination.
Congratulate someone on something			The teacher congratulated all the students on their final reports.
Concentrate on			I want to concentrate on my major.
Consent to			My advisor consented to my plan.
Consist of			Grammar consists of syntax, morphology, semantics, and phonology. Water consists of hydrogen, oxygen, and a few other elements.
Convince someone of something			Michael convinced his teacher of the correctness of his answer on the test. He convinced his teacher to change his grade.
Decide between			I have to decide between coffee and tea to go with my lunch. He decided between the U.S. and Australia as the place to study English.
Decide on			Michael decided on biology as his major.
Depend on			I depend on my family for money.
(Dis)approve of			Mary approves of my plan. Michael disapproves of my ideas.
Dream about			He dreams about being a doctor.
Dream of			He dreams of Maria. He dreams of being a doctor.
Excuse someone for something			She excused him for being rude.
Explain something to someone			She explained her ideas about the project to the teacher.
Get along with			He gets along well with many different people.
Get back from			We just got back from Egypt.
Get rid of			I need to get rid of my old car.
Get through with			I'll get through with school in late May.
Get used to			I can't get used to American food.
Happen to			What happened to Michael? He seems sad. What happened to the oranges that I put in the refrigerator? They're not there.
Have confidence in			Our teacher has confidence in our dedication to study.
Have influence on			His father had a lot of influence on his major.
Have an opportunity for			I have an opportunity for getting a scholarship. I have an opportunity to get a scholarship.
Have patience with			The teacher has patience with us.
Have a reason for			You must have a good reason for your answer on the math test.
Hear about			I heard about the lecture from Michael.
Hear from			I just got an email from Michael--I hear from him everyday.
Hear of			Have you ever heard of a music group called "Echelon"? They seem to be popular in France.
Insist on			The teacher insists on our being on time to class.
Introduce someone to something/someone			Mary introduced her grammar teacher to Michael.
Invite someone to			Mary invited her grammar class to the lecture.
Keep for someone			Michael will be out of town for the summer. Mary willkeep his cat for him while he is gone.
Keep away from someone			I don't like John's attitude. I want to keep away from him.
Keep on			To learn English, you must keep on studying. You can't stop after a few months.
Laugh about			Mary and Michael laughed about the article in the newspaper.
Laugh at			They laughed at the silly joke.
Learn about			I learned about his problems from his mother.
Listen for			John and Mary are supposed to get home at 5:00 P.M. Their mother is listening for their car.
Listen to			We listened to the new CD. I listened to the teacher's lecture.
Look at			Please look at my answer to this problem.
Look for			I looked for information on the Web.
Look forward to			I am looking forward to my visit to Egypt. Michael looked forward to visiting his family.
Object to			I object to your tone. They objected to having a test on the last day of class.
Participate in			All the students participated in the discussion.
Pay for			He paid for our lunch. We paid $120 for our textbooks.
Plan on			Michael planned on studying in the U.S We're planning on going to the movie tonight.
Prefer to			I prefer tea to coffee. He prefers English to chemistry.
Prepare for			Mary is preparing for TOEFL.
Prevent from			Her poor Spanish prevented her from getting the job in Peru.
Provide for			His family provides for his tuition.
Provide someone with something			I provided Michael with information for his report.
Recover from			She was very sick. But, she's recovering from her illness rapidly.
Refer to			He referred to the Internet in his report.
Relate to			Michael related the economic decline to oil prices.
Rely on			I rely on my family for money. We relied on the Internet for our research papers.
Remind someone of			Michael reminds me of my brother.
Search for			I searched for information about water pollution.
See about			We need to see about buying our textbooks for the semester.
Send for			We sent for some books from home about the history of our country.
Separate something from something			Separate the yolk from the white of the egg. Separate the truth from fiction.
Show up at			We didn't invite him--he just showed up at the party.
Spend money on something/someone			He spends a lot of money on his girlfriend.
Stop from			His teacher wants him to stop from answering all the questions in class.
Substitute for			Margarine can substitute for butter. Mary will substitute for Michael next week--she can teach his class for him.
Subtract from			The company will subtract the cost of insurance fromyour salary. His bad temper substracts from his other good qualities.
Succeed at			Mary will succeed at any task she attempts. I want to succeed at this new job.
Succeed in			He succeeded in passing the test. She succeeded in her ambition to be a teacher.
Take advantage of			Let's go to the store right now. I want to take advantage of the sale. He's not a very good person. He will take advantage ofhis friends to make money.
Talk about			Let's talk about your problem.
Talk over			We talked over the possible answers.
Talk to			I talked to my teacher about my test grade.
Talk with			Mary talked with Michael about this temper.
Thank someone for something			Michael thanked Mary for her advice.
Think about			The students thought about their answers to the math problem. They considered all the possible answers.
Think of			They thought of several new ways to do the problem. They developed several new methods.
Throw away			They cleaned their apartment and threw away two sacks of old newspapers.
Vote for			We voted for the president of the student government.
Wait for			Michael was late for the meeting, and Mary waited for him for thirty minutes.
Waste money on something/someone			My brother wasted a lot of money on a very old car. He wasted time and energy on that car, too.
Wish for			He wished for a new car.
Work for			Michael works for a computer company.
Worry about			Mary worries about her grades. Michael worries about money.