Prepositions after specific verbs

(Using English prepositions that follow individual verbs)

Table of contents – prepositions after certain verbs

On this page you will find the following:

  1. Combinations of verb and preposition
  2. List of combinations
  3. Further explanations and exercises

What are the combinations of verb and preposition?

Now, the previous articles have taught us that prepositions in general and especially in the English language are difficult to learn due to missing rules. However, various verbs are connected to a specific preposition for one particular meaning. When such a connection occurs, the preposition comes after the verb (but not necessarily directly after it) and before the object. As these word combinations are fixed, it is, therefore, a good idea to learn these verbs together with the corresponding prepositions.

Since there are many such verbs in English, the excerpt below presents the most frequently used ones. Have a look at the list:

List of combinations consisting of verb and preposition

Commonly used prepositions connected to verbs
English verb English preposition Example sentence
adapt to “When you move to another country, you should adapt to its culture.”
agree on “They finally agreed on that solution.”
apologise for “We apologise for any inconvenience.”
apply for “Have you applied for the job yet?”
approve of “We do not approve of your behaviour.”
ask for “I’m sure you can have it. You just need to ask for it.”
base on “The film is based on a true story.”
believe in “Do you believe in God?”
belong to “The car belongs to my friend.”
boast about “He boasted about his new job.”
borrow from “He’s always borrowing money from me.”
care for “She cares for her brother.”
concentrate on “Please, concentrate on your work.”
depend on “It all depends on the weather.”
die of “If you don’t drink, you die of thirst.”
differ from “The two products only differ from each other in the price.”
introduce to “May I introduce you to my assistant?”
listen to “I never listen to the radio.”
pay for “My boss paid for everything.”
prepare for “She’s preparing for the meeting.”
protect from “A helmet protects you from falling objects.”
provide with “The tour guide provides us with the necessary equipment.”
recover from “He has almost recovered from a flu.”
refer to “The essay has many footnotes that refer to the same author.”
respond to “He hasn’t responded to any of my emails.”
save from “All the passengers could be saved from drowning.”
specialise in “This company specialises in e-bikes.”
succeed in “If you work hard, you will succeed in business.”
suffer from “She’s been suffering from a cold.”
wait for “We were waiting for the train.”
worry about “Don’t worry about that!”
yearn for “After that long hike the two adventurers yearn for a steak.”

Further explanations related to the ‘Prepositions after certain verbs’

The following explanations are related to the topic ‘Using prepositions after certain verbs in English’ and may therefore be helpful too: