Blog about English
Verbs followed by specific prepositions.
A prepositional verb consists of a verb followed by a preposition that introduces its object.
The verb and preposition function together as a lexical unit, but the preposition still has an object.
Many English verbs require a specific preposition.
Examples include depend on, believe in, apologize for and belong to.
The object follows the preposition rather than the verb.
For example: depend on your friends, listen to music, believe in yourself.
Certain prepositions frequently occur with particular verbs.
Examples include to, for, on, in, at, about, with, from and of.
After a preposition, the following verb normally takes the gerund form.
Examples include apologize for being late and insist on paying.
Many prepositional verbs can be used in passive constructions.
For example: The children were looked after by their grandparents.
Some verb-preposition combinations have multiple meanings depending on context.
For example, look at may describe physical sight or careful consideration.
Prepositional verbs differ from phrasal verbs in grammar.
Unlike particles in phrasal verbs, the preposition always introduces an object and cannot normally be separated from it.
Many verb patterns include fixed prepositions.
Learning complete verb patterns is more effective than memorizing isolated prepositions.
Some prepositional verbs are characteristic of formal English, while others are more common in conversation.
Register influences verb choice in different contexts.
Dictionaries indicate which preposition follows each verb.
Consulting dictionary patterns helps learners avoid common errors.
Verb-preposition combinations vary considerably across languages.
Learners should memorize English combinations instead of translating directly.
Use the preposition required by each verb.
Common mistakes include choosing the wrong preposition, omitting required prepositions, adding unnecessary prepositions and confusing prepositional verbs with phrasal verbs.