Verbs followed by prepositions

Here are some verbs prepositions for all competitive exams, specially for the CSS and PMS.

The aim of these prepositions is to know their exact usage with the specific used-words. Usually, the candidates use the wrong prepositions while writing essays, paragraphs or answering meanings of difficult words.

Abide by:    We must abide by the rules of our college.

Abstain from:    I abstain from smoking.

Accede to:    He did not accede to my request.

Act from:    He acted from fear.

Admit to:    Admit him to class 11.

Affix to:    Affix this stamp to the upper right-corner of the envelope.

Agree to:    Do you agree to my proposal?

Agree with:    I quite agree with you about it.

Aim at:    (i) He aims at the first prize.
(ii) The hunter aimed at the tiger and shot it.

Appeal to:    The book does not appeal to me.

Appeal for:    He appealed for mercy.

Arrive at:    We arrived at Mughalpura at about 7 o’clock.

Arrive in:    After several days’ long journey he arrived in Karachi.

Ask for:    The beggar asked for bread and some water.

Ask of:    He asked of me more than my expectation.

Avail of:    I availed myself of the opportunity of taking part in debate.

Awake from:    I have just awaked from sleep.

Beg for:    The blind man begged for some money.

Believe in:    I believe in One God.

Belong to:    This pen belongs to me.

Benefit from:    Did you benefit from the lecture of the history today?

Beware of:    Beware of the dog.

Blame for:    I blame you for the accident.

Boast of:    He boasts of his success.

Break into:    Some thieves broke into my house last night.

Buy for:    I bought a book for 10 rupees.

Buy from:    I bought the book from Urdu Bazaar Lahore.

Burst into:    She burst into tears when heard that her son was injured in an accident.

Call on:    I called on him yesterday.

Care for:    He cares a great deal for his younger brother.

Caution against:    The teacher cautioned me against miss spelt words.

Compare with:    In this poem the poet compares life with a journey.

Compare to:    The world is compared to a stage.

Compete with:    I competed with 10 boys of my class for the first prize.

Complain of:    The patient complains of toothache.

Complain against:    The teacher complained to the principal against the misconduct of the boy.

Comply with:    He complied with our request.

Congratulate on:    Let me congratulate you on your success.

Consent to:    He consented to our proposal.

Crave for:    He craved for sympathy.

Cure of:    The medicine cured him of his disease.

Cling to:    The child clings to his mother when climbing upstairs.

Concentrate on:    While studying, concentrate on your subject of study.

Confess to:    He confessed his guilt to his parents.

Cooperate with:    We must cooperate with them.

Delight in:    My mother delights in music.

Deal in:    The merchant deals in crockery.

Deal with:    I have to deal with people most of whom are illiterate.

Demote from:    He has been demoted from class VI to V.

Descend from:    In new frock, she was looking like a fairy descended from some heavenly place.

Devote to:    I devote my evenings to writing poetry.

Differ with:    I differ with you on that point.

Disagree with:    I disagree with you on that matter.

Die of:    He died of heart failure.

Die from:    The solider died from his wounds.

Divide between:    The money was divided between two partners.

Divide among:    The money was divided among three partners.

Escape from:    He escaped from the prison.

Exempt from:    The principal exempted Sehrish from games on medical ground.

Feed on:    The cow feeds on green grass.

Feel for:    I feel for you in your trouble.

Fight against:    India fought against Pakistan in two wars.

Guard against:    The teacher advised the students to guard against bad habits.

Heard of:    Have you heard of the arrest of deposed prime minister?

Hide from:    You should not try to hide anything from me.

Hope for:    I hope for better days to come.

Impress on:    The teacher impressed on us that we should work hard.

Improve on:    The third edition of the book greatly improves on the second edition.

Inform of:    I have already informed them of my proposed visit.

Inquire of:    The teacher inquired of the boy why he was late.

Inquired at:    He inquired at the station if the Shalimar Express was late.

Inquire into:    A committee of 10 members will inquire into the accident.

Inquire about:    Have you inquired about the tickets to the theatre?

Inquire after:    In his letter to me, he has inquired after your health.

Insist on:    (i) He insisted on it that you were present.
(ii) He insisted on going home at once.

Instruct in:    Mr. Jamil instructs us in cricket.

Interfere with:    His ill health interfered with his work.

Interfere in:    Don’t interfere in my work.

Introduce to:    My friend introduced me to his father.

Invite to:    I invited him to dinner.

Laugh at:    He laughed at my poor performance.

Lament for:  I lament for you over the loss of your mother’s death.

Lead to:    (i) This road leads to the village.
(ii) Poverty lead him to thieve.

Listen to:    He is listening attentively to the lecture.

Live by:    Man does not live by bread alone.

Live on:    We live on what we eat and drink.

Long for:    The children are longing for holidays.

Look after:    The mother looks after her child very carefully.

Look at:    Look at the picture.

Look through:    I looked through the newspaper, but there was mentioned in it of the death of the Director of Education.

Knock at:  (i) Who is knocking at the door?
(ii) He starts his work at 10 in the morning and knocks at five in the evening.
Mix with:  Oil does not mix with water.

Quarrel with:    Don’t ever quarrel with anybody over anything.

Object to:    (i) They objected to my proposal.
(ii) I object to being treated like this.

Occur to:    This idea never occurred to me.

Part with:    He does not want to part with any of his books even for a moment.

Part from:    I parted from my friend with a heavy heart.

Plot against:    He was hanged for plotting against the government.

Prefer to:    He prefers coffee to tea.

Prevent from:    The rain prevented me from coming to you yesterday in the evening.

Recover from:    He has not completely recovered from his illness.

Refer to:    Refer to the context and explain the passage.

Relieve of:    He is relieved of his burden.

Rely on:    He is a good man; you can very well rely on him.

Remind of:    I reminded him of his promise.

Repent of:    He now repents of what he has done.

Rob of:    India can never rob Kashmir of its freedom.

Save from:    He was saved from drowning in the river.

Search for:    I have sent for the doctor, who will soon arrive.

Shiver with:    He is shivering with cold.

Stick to:    Stick to your principles under all circumstances.

Struggle against:    He has to struggle hard against poverty.

Succeed to:    He will succeed to his father’s estate.

Supply with:    The milkman supplies us with milk.

Talk to:    I will talk to the man about this matter.

Tremble with:    He trembled with fear.

Turn to:    Turn to the left, and you will find his house.

Wait for:    I shall wait for you at the bus stop.

Warn of:    I warned him of the danger.