Preposition Collocations: Master Verbs, Adjectives & Nouns with Prepositions

I used to show my ESL students a list of preposition collocations and assume they’d just absorb them. They didn’t. What changed my approach was realizing that learners need to see why these combinations stick together, and when native speakers use them. Suddenly, “afraid of”, “interested in”, and “responsible for” became less random and more logical.

You’ll covers three categories: verbs with prepositions, adjectives with prepositions, and nouns with prepositions. You’ll see real examples for each, grouped by preposition so the patterns become clear. By the end, you’ll understand which preposition pairs with which word — and more importantly, why that pairing makes sense.

What Are Preposition Collocations?

A collocation is a natural combination of words that appear together frequently in a language. When we talk about preposition collocations, we’re referring to words (verbs, adjectives, nouns) that are followed by a specific preposition. In English, these combinations often follow patterns, but they must be learned as fixed pairs — you can’t always guess them from logic alone.

For example, “agree with” is correct, but “agree to” has a different meaning. “Interested in” is standard, while “interested about” doesn’t exist. This is why natives speakers sound natural and learners sometimes don’t — it’s not grammar error, it’s a collocation gap.

Why Verb-Preposition Combos Matter

Prepositions after verbs and adjectives are among the most difficult aspects of English grammar for non-native speakers. This is because there’s no universal rule — English inherited these patterns from Old English, German, French, and other languages. So “depend on” makes sense, but “rely on” also makes sense, yet both take different paths in other contexts.

When you use the wrong preposition, native speakers understand you, but they notice immediately that something is off. Learning these combinations is the difference between sounding like a student and sounding natural.

Verbs with Prepositions

Verbs are where preposition collocations are most varied. Here are the most common verb-preposition combinations you’ll encounter in everyday and professional English.

Verb + Preposition Combinations (A–D)

Accompanied / Accused / Accustom / Account / Addicted

Accompanied by/with — having a companion or accessory.

Example 1: She was accompanied by her lawyer to the meeting.

Example 2: The meal was accompanied with a fine wine.

Accused of 🔊 🎤 — charged with wrongdoing.

Example 1: They stand accused of crimes against humanity.

Example 2: He was accused of stealing money from the register.

Accustom to 🔊 🎤 — adjust to something new.

Example 1: It took him a while to accustom himself to the idea.

Example 2: Children accustom to new routines quickly.

Account for 🔊 🎤 — explain or represent a portion.

Example 1: The poor weather may account for the small crowd.

Example 2: Labour costs account for 40% of the total.

Addicted to 🔊 🎤 — dependent on a substance or behaviour.

Example 1: She had become addicted to tranquilizers.

Example 2: Many teenagers are addicted to video games.

Adept / Adhere / Afraid / Agree / Angry

Adept in/at — skilled in a domain.

Example 1: He was adept at concealing the truth.

Adhere to 🔊 🎤 — stick to or follow strictly.

Example 1: For ten months he adhered to a strict diet.

Afraid of 🔊 🎤 — fearful of something.

Example 1: There’s nothing to be afraid of now.

Agree on/to/with — consent or be of the same opinion.

Example 1: He agreed with them about the need for change.

Example 2: We agreed on a meeting time.

Example 3: He agreed to the terms of the contract.

Angry at/with/about — furious about a situation or a person.

Example 1: He felt angry at the injustice of the situation.

Example 2: She was angry with him for being late.

Anxious / Apply / Argue / Arrive / Ashamed / Attached / Averse

Anxious about 🔊 🎤 — worried regarding something.

Example 1: He seemed anxious about the presentation.

Apply for/to — request or submit an application.

Example 1: He has applied to join the army.

Example 2: She applied for a scholarship.

Argue about/with — disagree verbally with a person about a topic.

Example 1: We’re always arguing with each other about money.

Arrive in 🔊 🎤 — reach a destination (usually cities/countries).

Example 1: She’ll arrive in New York at noon.

Ashamed of 🔊 🎤 — embarrassed by.

Example 1: She was deeply ashamed of her behaviour.

Attached to 🔊 🎤 — emotionally bonded to.

Example 1: I’ve never seen two people so attached to each other.

Averse to 🔊 🎤 — opposed to or unwilling.

Example 1: I mentioned it to Kate and she wasn’t averse to the idea.

Verb + Preposition Combinations (B–D)

Beneficial to 🔊 🎤 — helpful for. A good diet is beneficial to health.

Blamed for 🔊 🎤 — held responsible for. A dropped cigarette is being blamed for the fire.

Based on 🔊 🎤 — founded or constructed using. What are you basing this theory on?

Belong to 🔊 🎤 — be owned by or be a member of. The islands belong to Spain.

Capable of 🔊 🎤 — able to do. You are capable of better work than this.

Care for 🔊 🎤 — look after or like. Who’s taking care of the children?

Compare to/with — examine similarities and differences. This school compares with the best in the country.

Concerned about/for/with/in — worried or involved. Everyone concerned in the incident has resigned.

Concentrate on 🔊 🎤 — focus on. We were told to concentrate on a black dot.

Congratulate on 🔊 🎤 — praise for an achievement. I congratulated them on their results.

Consist in/of — be made up of or lie in. The beauty consists in its magnificent buildings.

Count on 🔊 🎤 — rely on or depend on. I’m counting on you to help me.

Deal in/with — engage in commerce or handle a problem. The company deals in computer software.

Depend on 🔊 🎤 — rely on. He was the sort of person you could depend on.

Devoted to 🔊 🎤 — committed to. He devoted a lifetime to working with disabled children.

Differ about/from/with — be different or disagree. French differs from English in this respect.

Disagree with 🔊 🎤 — have a different opinion from. I disagree strongly with this idea.

Verb + Preposition Combinations (E–L)

Eligible for/to — qualified for. Only those over 70 are eligible for the special payment.

Envious of 🔊 🎤 — jealous of. They were envious of his success.

Expose to 🔊 🎤 — subject to or reveal. He did not want to expose his fears to anyone.

Expert in/at — skilled in. He’s an expert at getting his own way.

Experienced in 🔊 🎤 — having knowledge in. He’s very experienced in looking after animals.

Famous for 🔊 🎤 — well-known for. He became internationally famous for his novels.

Fed up with 🔊 🎤 — tired of or frustrated with. People are fed up with these traffic jams.

Fond of 🔊 🎤 — liking or loving. I have grown quite fond of her.

Good/Bad at — skilled or unskilled in. Nick has always been good at finding cheap flights.

Grateful to 🔊 🎤 — thankful to. I am extremely grateful to all the teachers for their help.

Guilty of 🔊 🎤 — responsible for a wrongdoing. The defendant is guilty of fraud.

Hear about/of — learn of or be aware of. I was sorry to hear about your accident. I’ve never heard of that place.

Ignore/Overlook — deliberately disregard. She ignored his rude comment.

Infer from 🔊 🎤 — deduce or conclude from. Much of the meaning must be inferred from the context.

Insist on 🔊 🎤 — demand or require. She insisted on his wearing a suit.

Interested in 🔊 🎤 — wanting to learn or know about. I’m very interested in history.

Involved in 🔊 🎤 — taking part in or implicated in. How many vehicles were involved in the crash?

Jealous of 🔊 🎤 — envious of. They are jealous of their good reputation.

Keen on 🔊 🎤 — enthusiastic about. I wasn’t too keen on going to the party.

Laugh at 🔊 🎤 — find funny or ridicule. You never laugh at my jokes!

Look at 🔊 🎤 — examine or direct gaze toward. I haven’t had time to look at the papers yet.

Look for 🔊 🎤 — search for. I’m looking for my keys.

Verb + Preposition Combinations (M–Z)

Married to 🔊 🎤 — in a marital bond with. She’s married to John.

Oblivious of/to — unaware of or not noticing. He drove off, oblivious of the damage he had caused.

Pleased with 🔊 🎤 — satisfied with. She was very pleased with her exam results.

Popular among/with — liked by. I’m not very popular with my parents at the moment.

Prevent from 🔊 🎤 — stop or block. He is prevented by law from holding a licence.

Proficient in 🔊 🎤 — skilled in. She’s proficient in several languages.

Prohibit from 🔊 🎤 — forbid. Soviet citizens were prohibited from travelling abroad.

Prone to 🔊 🎤 — having a tendency toward. Working without a break makes you more prone to error.

Protest against 🔊 🎤 — object to or demonstrate against. The workers staged a protest against proposed changes.

Proud of 🔊 🎤 — feeling honour or satisfaction about. He was proud of himself for not giving up.

Recover from 🔊 🎤 — get better after. He’s still recovering from his operation.

Sensitive to 🔊 🎤 — responsive to or easily affected by. She is very sensitive to other people’s feelings.

Similar to 🔊 🎤 — resembling or alike. My teaching style is similar to that of most teachers.

Speak to/with — talk with a person. This is the third time I’ve had to speak to him about being late.

Succeed in 🔊 🎤 — achieve or accomplish. He succeeded in getting a place at art school.

Superior to 🔊 🎤 — better than. This model is technically superior to its competitors.

Sympathize with 🔊 🎤 — understand the feelings of. I find it very hard to sympathize with him.

Think about 🔊 🎤 — consider or have thoughts about. Don’t you ever think about other people?

Used to 🔊 🎤 — accustomed to; formerly did. I used to live in London.

Worry about 🔊 🎤 — feel anxious about. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be all right.

Adjectives with Prepositions

Adjectives often pair with prepositions to describe feelings, qualities, and relationships. These combinations are crucial for expressing yourself accurately in English.

Nouns with Prepositions

Nouns also collocate with prepositions, often expressing relationships, feelings, or concepts. These are especially important in formal writing and academic English.

Common Mistakes with Preposition Collocations

✗ Incorrect: I’m interested about learning English.

✓ Correct: I’m interested in learning English.

Why: “Interested” always pairs with “in”, not “about”. The “in” shows what you’re focused on.

✗ Incorrect: She disagreed to my idea.

✓ Correct: She disagreed with my idea.

Why: “Disagree” takes “with” (with a person or idea they hold), not “to”.

✗ Incorrect: He succeeded to pass the test.

✓ Correct: He succeeded in passing the test.

Why: “Succeed” pairs with “in” for an activity or achievement, not “to”.

✗ Incorrect: I’m afraid from heights.

✓ Correct: I’m afraid of heights.

Why: “Afraid” pairs with “of”, not “from”. Other emotions (scared, terrified) also use “of”.

Sample Dialogue

Preposition Collocations List: Organized by Preposition

Sometimes it helps to see collocations grouped by the preposition itself. This helps you notice patterns:

Common Collocations with AT

• Good at (skill)
• Smile at (direction of action)
• Stare at (direction of action)
• Look at (direction of action)
• Arrive at (small destination)
• Laugh at (find funny)

Common Collocations with ON

• Depend on (rely on)
• Rely on (trust in)
• Focus on (concentrate on)
• Insist on (demand)
• Effect on (influence)
• Congratulate on (praise for)

Common Collocations with IN

• Believe in (have faith in)
• Interested in (curious about)
• Succeed in (accomplish)
• Participate in (take part in)
• Increase in (rise or growth)
• Arrive in (city or country)

Common Collocations with OF

• Afraid of (frightened by)
• Proud of (satisfied about)
• Jealous of (envious of)
• Tired of (fed up with)
• Fear of (fright about)
• Love for (affection toward)
• Cause of (reason for)
• Advantage of (benefit from)

Common Collocations with WITH

• Agree with (have same opinion)
• Deal with (handle)
• Disagree with (have different opinion)
• Angry with (upset at a person)
• Familiar with (know from before)

Common Collocations with FOR

• Responsible for (accountable for)
• Worried about (anxious about)
• Apologize for (say sorry for)
• Love for (affection toward)
• Reason for (explanation)
• Knowledge of (understanding)

Practice Quiz

Related Articles

• ↑ Master Pillar: English Grammar
• 50+ Verb and Preposition Combinations in English
• In, On, At — Prepositions of Place
• ↑ Back to pillar: English Prepositions

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