Phrasal verbs, also known as two-word verbs, are verbs that require specific prepositions. Because preposition following the verb affects the verb’s meaning, writers must use the proper verb-preposition combination in order to communicate clearly. Saying “Jane believed John” means something entirely different than saying “Jane believed in John.” Using the wrong preposition leads to confusing or awkward prose. Saying “Jane believed to John,” for example, does not make sense. Below are only some of the most common verbs that take prepositions.
The UWC has excellent resources for a more comprehensive list of verbs that take prepositions. Here are a few of our favorites: A Dictionary of Modern Usage (Bryan A. Garner), The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms (Christine Ammer), and NTC’s Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs and Other Idiomatic Verbal Phrases (Richard A. Spears). Or try the Online Writing Lab (OWL).
- account for
- Nothing could account for his depression.
- accuse. . . of
- They accused him of robbing a bank.
- agree on
- No one could agree on anything.
- agree with
- I agree with the man who is speaking.
- allude to
- It is not polite to allude to someone’s disability.
- apologize for
- He did apologize for running away.
- apologize to
- The leader did not want to apologize to the people.
- apply for
- Every June college graduates apply for jobs.
- approve of
- We do not approve of his behavior.
- argue with
- It does little good to argue with a judge.
- argue about
- A judge does not want you to argue about anything unless you have a good case.
- arrive at
- He arrived at a conclusion quickly.
- ask for
- Children like to ask their parents for gifts, but they especially like to ask for special toys.
- become of
- John has disappeared; I do not know what has become of him.
- believe in
- Do you believe in magic?
- belong to
- Whom does this pet belong to? It belongs to her.
- blame . . . for
- Don’t blame me for your problems!
- blame . . . on
- Don’t blame your problems on me!
- borrow from
- He has borrowed enough money from the bank.
- care for
- She enjoys the time she can care for her nieces and nephews.
- come from
- She came from Honduras with her family.
- compare with
- How does a small car compare with a large car?
- complain about
- He is always complaining about something.
- compliment on
- Compliment them on their performance.
- congratulate on
- They deserve to be congratulated on (or for) their good work.
- consent to
- The parents refused to consent to their son’s marriage.
- consist of
- The solution consists of some strange chemicals.
- convince of
- I am convinced of his good intentions.
- decide between
- I cannot decide between the two.
- delight in
- My child delights in watching the ducks.
- depend on/upon
- Do not depend upon other people.
- detract from
- Such behavior detracts from your beauty.
- dream about/of
- We are dreaming about going to Paris.
- excuse. . . for
- The teacher excused the child for his behavior.
- explain... to
- It is difficult to explain a problem to people who don’t care.
- happen to
- Oh, I just happened to be in the neighborhood.
- hear of
- Have you ever heard of something like that?
- hear about
- Did you hear about Mary? She’s got a new job.
- hear from
- Did you get a letter from him? I never hear from him.
- insist on
- The decorator insists on blue drapes.
- invite . . . to
- It would be a good idea to invite him to the party.
- laugh about
- We laugh about the crazy things we used to do.
- laugh at
- It’s not nice to laugh at someone.
- laugh with
- When a person laughs, it’s good to laugh with him.
- listen for
- I’m listening for the mail carrier; she should be here by now.
- listen to
- Listen to me when I’m speaking to you.
- look at
- It is not polite to look at someone for a long time.
- look for
- My child is lost! We must look for him.
- object to
- Most people do not object to helping someone in need.
- prefer . . . to
- I prefer red cars to blue cars
- plan on
- Why don’t you plan on staying at our place?
- provide . . . with
- My parents have provided me with enough money to last for one month.
- recover from
- It often takes a long time to recover from a serious illness.
- refer to
- If you are referring to me, you should say so.
- rely on
- I can always rely on my strength.
- remind . . . of
- You remind me of a bear.
- search for
- We searched for the lost child for three hours, but we couldn’t find her.
- spend . . . on
- Anna spent all of her money on a new car.
- substitute for
- When I was absent, William substituted for me.
- talk to
- When I am talking to you, I expect you to listen to me.
- talk about
- It is not nice to talk about people when they are not present.
- thank . . . for
- Thank you for the nice gift.
- vote for
- You should vote for my candidate.
- wait for
- Please wait for me! I’ll be ready in a moment.
- wait on
- No, I will not bring you breakfast in bed. I won’t wait on you like that.
- work for
- We should all work for the good of mankind. Mukesh works for that big company.
- worry about
- Mothers always worry about their children, and so do fathers.
- wrestle with
- We spent three hours wrestling with that problem, but we could not solve it.
Using and Framing Direct Quotations
Visual Aids