A verb + preposition collocation is a familiar combination in which a verb regularly appears with a particular preposition. Common examples include depend on, listen to, believe in, and apologise for.
The preposition connects the verb to another part of the sentence. We listen to a recording, depend on someone’s help, and apologize for a mistake. In other constructions, a person or thing comes between the verb and preposition, as in remind someone of an appointment.
Common Verb + Preposition Collocations with Examples
The following combinations are grouped by preposition. They are common patterns, although not all are equally fixed.
Verbs Followed by To
| Collocation | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| Listen to | The sound engineer listened to the rehearsal from the control room. |
| Belong to | The antique compass belonged to Clara’s great-uncle, who had used it on sailing trips. |
| Respond to | Sophie responded to her brother’s message after arriving at the airport. |
| Refer to | During the presentation, the researcher referred to a study published the previous year. |
| Object to | Several parents objected to moving the school entrance onto the busy road. |
Verbs Followed by For
| Collocation | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| Wait for | The hikers waited for the fog to lift before following the ridge. |
| Search for | Jamal searched for his passport beneath a pile of travel brochures. |
| Prepare for | Olivia prepared for her first interview by practising answers aloud. |
| Pay for | Her grandparents paid for the violin she had been saving to buy. |
| Qualify for | After winning the regional race, Sam qualified for the national final. |
Verbs Followed by On
| Collocation | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| Depend on | The launch date depends on when the final safety tests are completed. |
| Rely on | During the journey, the cyclists relied on paper maps whenever phone signals disappeared. |
| Insist on | Tessa insisted on checking every invoice before authorising payment. |
| Concentrate on | The pianist concentrated on the difficult passage until she could play it smoothly. |
| Comment on | The curator declined to comment on the painting’s estimated value. |
Verbs Followed by About
| Collocation | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| Worry about | Felix worried about his dog’s recovery after surgery. |
| Complain about | Guests complained about the noise coming from the rooftop bar. |
| Talk about | During lunch, the cousins talked about their grandmother’s collection of postcards. |
| Care about | Jasmine cared about keeping the neighbourhood playground accessible to everyone. |
Verbs Followed by With
| Collocation | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| Deal with | The customer service team dealt with the duplicate orders before dispatch. |
| Cope with | After the timetable changed, commuters struggled to cope with the longer transfer. |
| Collaborate with | The illustrator collaborated with a local printer on the limited-edition posters. |
| Interfere with | Loud music from the neighbouring apartment interfered with Daniel’s online interview. |
Verbs Followed by In
| Collocation | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| Believe in | The coach believed in giving newer players time to develop confidence. |
| Participate in | More than a hundred residents participated in the library’s oral-history project. |
| Specialise in | The small workshop specialises in repairing mechanical watches. |
| Succeed in | After several attempts, Ren succeeded in restoring the corrupted audio file. |
Verbs Followed by From
| Collocation | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| Recover from | The café was still recovering from last winter’s prolonged road closure. |
| Benefit from | Young gardeners benefited from the weekly lessons on soil care. |
| Borrow from | Isla borrowed a camera from her neighbour to photograph the meteor shower. |
| Suffer from | Several households suffered from repeated power cuts during the heatwave. |
Verbs Followed by Of
| Collocation | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| Approve of | Marcus didn’t approve of publishing the photographs without permission. |
| Consist of | The tasting menu consists of five small courses served over two hours. |
Verbs Followed by At
| Collocation | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| Look at | The architect looked at the revised floor plan before signing the drawing. |
| Stare at | The toddler stared at the moving shadows on the ceiling. |
| Laugh at | Everyone laughed at the story about Oliver’s disastrous first attempt at baking bread. |
How Changing the Preposition Changes the Meaning
Some verbs accept different prepositions. The choice may change the meaning or simply shift the emphasis.
Agree With, Agree On, and Agree To
Imagine a committee discussing a new timetable.
I agree with Elena that the current timetable needs changing.
After discussing the alternatives, the committee agreed on a revised timetable.
The venue manager agreed to the revised timetable.
Agree with commonly expresses sharing someone’s opinion or accepting a particular view.
Agree on often describes people reaching a shared decision about a matter.
Agree to can express accepting a proposal, request, or arrangement.
These are not absolute distinctions. Someone can agree with a proposal when they support it or agree to a proposal when they accept it.
Apologise To and Apologise For
Both prepositions can appear in the same sentence.
After missing the rehearsal, Miles apologised to the conductor for arriving late.
Apologise to identifies the person receiving the apology.
Apologise for identifies the action or situation being apologised for.
Hear Of, Hear About, and Hear From
Consider three statements about a mountain rescue charity.
I’ve heard of that charity, but I don’t know much about its work.
I heard about its new volunteer training programme last week.
I heard from the charity yesterday about my application.
Hear of often means knowing that someone or something exists.
Hear about usually means receiving information about a person, thing, or event.
Hear from means receiving communication or news from someone or an organisation.
Hear of and hear about may overlap, particularly when the speaker encounters a subject for the first time.
Apply For and Apply To
Both expressions are useful when discussing jobs, education, and other applications.
Nadia applied to the gallery for a weekend position.
Apply to identifies the organisation receiving the application.
Apply for identifies what Nadia wants to obtain.
The verb also has other meanings:
The new parking restrictions apply to everyone using the shared driveway.
Here, apply to means that the rules concern or affect those people, rather than referring to an application.
Think Of and Think About
These expressions frequently overlap when someone is considering a possible action.
We’re thinking of moving closer to the station.
We’re thinking about moving closer to the station.
Both are natural, and neither necessarily indicates that more time has been spent considering the move.
In other contexts, the expressions have different uses.
Can you think of a name for the new puppy?
Here, think of means producing or recalling an idea.
I’d like another day to think about the offer.
Here, think about means considering something.
Using Verb + Preposition Collocations Correctly
The preposition is only one part of the construction. The complete pattern also determines where nouns and pronouns belong and which verb form may follow.
When the Object Follows the Preposition
In an ordinary statement, the object of a preposition normally follows it.
Amelia listened to the recording.
Amelia listened to it.
Incorrect: Amelia listened the recording to.
Correct: Amelia listened to the recording.
English also allows a preposition at the end of a question:
What were you listening to?
This is a normal construction, not an error.
When the Verb Needs an Object Before the Preposition
Other verbs take a direct object before a prepositional phrase.
| Complete pattern | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| Remind someone of something | The message reminded Grace of her appointment with the dentist. |
| Explain something to someone | Hannah explained the delay to her manager before the meeting. |
| Thank someone for something | Daniel thanked his neighbour for collecting the parcel. |
| Protect someone or something from something | The waterproof covers protected the instruments from rain. |
| Provide someone with something | The organisers provided visitors with printed maps. |
Compare:
Ben listened to the instructions.
Ben explained the instructions to his younger brother.
With listen to, the preposition comes before the thing being listened to.
With explain something to someone, the thing being explained is the direct object, while to introduces the recipient.
Incorrect: Ben explained his younger brother the instructions.
Correct: Ben explained the instructions to his younger brother.
The same pattern applies with a pronoun:
Ben explained the instructions to him.
When an -ing Form Follows the Preposition
When a verb follows a preposition as its complement, it normally takes the -ing form.
The residents insisted on keeping the original stone entrance.
Marco succeeded in finding the missing receipt.
Several employees objected to changing the agreed schedule.
In objected to changing, to is a preposition, not an infinitive marker. That is why the -ing form is used.
A noun phrase can follow the same preposition:
Several employees objected to the change.
When No Preposition Is Needed
Some verbs take a direct object without a preposition.
Compare:
We discussed the travel arrangements after dinner.
We talked about the travel arrangements after dinner.
Both sentences are natural, but the constructions differ.
In this meaning, discuss takes a direct object, while talk about uses a preposition to introduce the subject of discussion.
Incorrect: We discussed about the travel arrangements.
Correct: We discussed the travel arrangements.
A preposition may still introduce another participant:
We discussed the travel arrangements with the driver.
Here, with identifies the person involved in the discussion.
How Verb + Preposition Patterns Differ from Phrasal Verbs
Many familiar verb + preposition combinations are also described as prepositional verbs. They differ structurally from separable phrasal verbs.
Compare:
Oliver looked after his neighbour’s cat.
Oliver looked up an unfamiliar word.
With look after, the object follows the preposition:
Oliver looked after it.
With look up, meaning search for information, a pronoun object comes between the verb and particle:
Oliver looked it up.
Incorrect: Oliver looked up it.
Not all multi-word verbs have the same object pattern, and not all phrasal verbs are separable.
These distinctions are covered in more detail in phrasal verbs vs. prepositional verbs.
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