Common English Foundation

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• Common English Foundation
• Prepositions, prepositional verbs and phrasal
  verbs

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What do prepositions indicate?

• It wasnt too crowded in London.
• I keep staying in the library all day.
• A. Physical location
• I just got back from America.
• I hope you will spend a couple days with us.
• B. Relations between items
• Thank you for your message.
• We were at the same university as a matter of
  fact.
• C. Grammatical connection

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What do prepositions depend on?

• I hope that you had a good time with your family.
• She was in terrible pain on 13th March.
• Preposition Noun
• some words must be preceded by a particular
  preposition.
• Thank you for your message.
• She could have given up but she insisted on not
  being a complete invalid.
• Verb Preposition the choice of preposition
  is dependant on the preceding verb.
• I am capable of handling this.
• She is proud of her only son.
• Adjective Preposition the choice of
  preposition is dependant on the preceding
  adjective.

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Verbs that take the preposition after

• Ask / enquire after sb. (try to get information
  about sb., particularly about their health)
• Look after sb. (take care of sb.)
• Be named after sb.

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Adjectives and verbs that take the preposition of

• Know of (a fact)
• Learn of (a fact)
• Notify sb. of sth.
• Remind sb. of sth.
• Warn sb. of/against sth.
• Accuse sb. of sth.
• Approve of sth.
• Cure sb. of sth.
• Die of sth.

• Afraid of
• Ashamed of
• Aware of
• Capable of
• Fond of
• Proud of
• Tired of

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Adjectives and verbs that take the preposition at

• Be bad / good at sth.
• Aim at sth.
• Arrive at/in a place
• Laugh at sb.
• Look at sb.
• Shout / scream at sb.
• Smile at sb.

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Verbs that take the preposition for

• Argue for sth.
• Go for sb./sth.
• Opt for sth.
• Stand up for sb./sth.
• Vote for sb.
• Arrange for sth.
• Get ready for sth.
• Qualify for sth.
• Compete / contend with sb. for sth.
• Run for (office)

• Look / search for sb./sth.
• Listen for sth.
• Reach for sth.
• Press / push for sth.
• Hope / long / wish for sth.
• Beg / plead / pray for sth.
• Plan / prepare for sth.
• Care for sb. (look after sb.)
• Care for sth. (like sth.)
• Wait for sb./sth.

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Verbs that take the preposition for (2)

• Answer for sth.
• (be responsible for)
• Account for sth.
• (be able to explain sth.)
• Stand for sth.
• Compensate for sth.
• Be mistaken for sb./sth.

• Apologize to sb. for sth.
• Blame sb. for sth.
• Censure sb. for sth.
• Criticize sb. for sth.
• Forgive sb. for sth.
• Penalize sb. for sth.
• Punish sb. for sth.
• Substitute A for B

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Verbs that take the prepositionon

• Depend / count / rely on sb. for sth.
• Act on (impulses)
• Draw on (experience)
• Concentrate / focus on (work)
• Insist on (ethics)
• Vote on (political reform)
• Decide / settle on (a name for the baby)

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Verbs that take the prepositionon (2)

• Agree with sb. on sth.
• Collaborate with sb. on sth.
• Lecture on sth.
• Comment on sth.
• Elaborate / expand on sth.
• Congratulate sb. on sth.

• Is based / founded / premised on sth.
• Spend () on sth.
• Impose (a tax) on sth.
• Put (emphasis) on sth.
• Exert (pressure) on sb.
• Capitalize on (the opportunity)
• Cut back / economize on (government spending)

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Verbs that take the prepositionto

• React / reply / respond to sb./sth.
• Adhere / stick to sth.
• Apply to sth.
• Belong to sth.
• Compare to sth.
• Conform to sth.
• Relate to sth.

• Attribute (his success) to (hard work)
• Contribute to sth.
• Expose to sth.
• Introduce to sth.
• Refer to sb./sth.
• Admit to sth.
• Devote to sth.

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Verbs that take the prepositionwith

• Fill with
• Provide / supply sb. with sth.
• Equip sb. with sth.
• Burden sb. with sth.
• Associate sth. with sth.
• Combine sth. with sth.
• Equate sth. with sth.
• Confuse sth. with sth.
• Is charged with (murder)

• Begin with
• Greet with
• Cope / deal with
• Help with
• Confront with
• Agree with
• Comply with
• Experiment with
• Interfere with
• Sympathize with

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Verbs that take the preposition by

• Abide by (the rules)
• Stand by (a friend)
• (Oil prices) has increased / decreased by (50)
• (Global temperature) has been lowered / raised by
  (2 degrees Celsius)
• Pass by (a shop)
• Stop by (a post office)

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Verbs that take the prepositionin

• Believe in (oneself)
• Major in (a subject)
• Specialize in (an area)
• Invest in (real estate)
• Delights in (art)
• Immerse oneself in (the language)
• Indulge in (drugs)

• Participate in (sports)
• Be involved in (a club)
• Intervene in (others affairs)
• Persevere in (his studies)
• End in (a draw)
• Result in (a riot)

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Verbs that take the preposition about

• Bother sb. about sth.
• Care about sth.
• Ask about sth.
• Argue about sth.
• Complain about sth.
• Dream about sth.
• Forget about sth.
• Hear about sth.

• Enquire about sth.
• Know about (a topic)
• Learn about (a topic)
• Read about sth.
• See about sth.
• (get sth. done )
• Wonder about sth.
• Worry about sth.

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Transitive and intransitive uses of
prepositional verbs

• Get through
• Transitive sense finish (successfully)
• E.g. She got through four rounds of interviews
  with flying colors.
• Intransitive sense get into telephone
  communication
• E.g. I called him several times, but couldnt
  get through.

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Transitive and intransitive uses of
prepositional verbs

• Look up
• Transitive sense visit
• E.g. Look me up when you come to Hong Kong.
• Intransitive sense improve (for describing
  business, weather, etc.)
• E.g. Climbing out of depression, the economy is
  finally beginning to look up.

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Transitive and intransitive uses of
prepositional verbs

• Set off
• Transitive sense start a series of events
• e.g. The power shortage set off a series of
  problems for the city.
• Intransitive sense start a journey
• e.g. Well set off for Europe tomorrow!

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Three-word prepositional verbs

• Cut back on (spending)
• End up in (a fight)
• Get back on (ones feet)
• Live up to (others expectations)
• Look down on (the weak)
• Look up to (his hero)
• Put up with (her nagging)

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Nouns formed by verb preposition

• Outbreak (of war / disease)
• (Nervous) breakdown
• (Upper-class) upbringing
• Outcome (of these discussions)
• Layout (of the page)
• Outlet (for anger)
• Sell-out (of the concert tickets)
• Intake (of students)

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Prepositions after nouns

• Usually, nouns take the same prepositions as
  their related verbs/adjectives. e.g. satisfied
  with / satisfaction with
• Some nouns, however, are followed by different
  prepositions. e.g. fond of / fondness for
  proud of /pride in
• Some nouns take a preposition where their verbs
  do not.e.g. ban sth. / impose a ban on sth.
  admire sb. / express admiration for sb.
• discuss sth. / hold a discussion on/about sth.
• lack sth. / suffered the lack of sth.

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Exercise Can you spot some wrong uses of
prepositions in this passage?

• Jane Archers article discusses about media and
  violence. After studying about children who watch
  television and play violent video games for more
  than three hours everyday, Archer warns us the
  danger of over-exposure to violence in the media.
  
• She suggests for parents who care the
  well-being of their children to prevent them
  watch too many violent television programmes.
  Archer believes the importance of nurturing the
  creativity and imagination of children through
  artistic and outdoor activities.
• She concludes by her study that children should
  participate more socially interactive games. In
  her article, Archer refers with the studies of
  other psychologists whose research results
  correspond her beliefs. These psychologists all
  agree about the damage of media violence on
  childrens development.

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Incorrect uses of prepositions

• Jane Archers article discusses media and
  violence.
• 2. After studying children who watch television
  and play violent video games for more than three
  hours everyday,
• 3. Archer warns us of/about/against the danger of
  over-exposure to violence in the media.
• 4. She suggests that parents who care about the
  well-being of their children should prevent them
  from watching too many violent television
  programmes.
• 5. Archer believes in the importance of nurturing
  the creativity and imagination of children
  through artistic and outdoor activities.

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Answers

• When I was young, instead of abiding (1) by the
  guidelines set (2) down by teachers, I delighted
  (3) in drawing (4) up my own version of things.
  Teachers disapproved (5) of my creations and
  equated them (6) with rebellion. I was always
  punished (7) for being creative. I never got (8)
  away with it.

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• My classmates would laugh (9) at my work and join
  the teacher (10) in criticizing my work.
  Gradually, I began to feel ashamed (11) of myself
  and decided that life would be easier if I
  conformed (12) to the teachers instructions.

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• Looking (13) back on that short period of
  rebellion, I wonder what would have happened if
  I had stood (14) up bravely for own beliefs and
  press (15) for acceptance and respect, instead of
  giving (16) up and surrendering so soon. Why
  should I be penalized (17) for being different?

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• I should have felt proud (18) of my difference
  and believed firmly (19) in my vision! Should I
  have persevered (20) in, adhered (21) to, and
  even taken pride (22) in my unique way of
  interpreting the world around me, mankind would
  have seen the birth of another Picasso!

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• Can I blame my narrow-minded teachers (23) for
  crushing the artist in me? The truth is that I
  could not come (24) to terms with the fact that I
  did not fit (25) in. So I chose to become a
  pleaser instead of the rebel I could have been. I
  have only myself to blame!