Acquaintance with : I have no acquaintance

with Maria.
Affection for : Raman has a strong affection for
that poor girl.
Apology for : She offered him an apology for
her conduct.
Aptitude for : The Marwaris have great aptitude
for business.
Assurance of : Mr.Desai gave us no assurance of
his support.
Blame for : Advani accepted blame for the
accident.
Candidate for : Raman is a candidate for
the post .
Capacity for : Aftab has no capacity for
mastering facts.
C a r e o f : Ta k e c a r e o f y o u r
health.
Cause for : There is no cause for
anxiety.
C a u s e o f : S h e i s th e c a u s e o f t h e w h o l e
t ro u b l e .
Charge of : A charge of murder was laid at
his door.
Claim on : I have every claim
on you.
Claim to : He set up a claim to the
throne.
Complaint against : Why don't you lodge a complaint against your
noisy neighbors?
Confidence in : I hope she will justify my
confidence in her.
Control over : Miss Helen has no control over
her class.
Disgrace to
: She is a disgrace to her
family.

Le i su re f or : I h ave n o l ei su re f or
amusement.
Limit to : There is no limit to his
ambition.
Longing for : Her longing for her son
is great .
M at ch f or : Pe te r i s n o ma tch f or
Abraham.
Need of : Ra man is always in need of
money.
Neglect of : He is blamed for neglect
of duty.
Obedience to : I praise her obedience to her
husband.
Objection to : I have no objection to your
going there.
Peace with : I am always at peace with my
neighbours.
Pity for : The king felt pity for the
poor.
Prejudice against : He has a prejudice
against Hakims.
Pri d e in : H e r g re at p ri d e in h e r we al th is
f ool i sh .
Progress in : Jack had made no progress in
her studies.
Quarrel with : I know nothing of his quarrel
with her.
Re g a rd f o r : I h a v e a g re a t r e g a r d
for him.
Re m e d y f o r : Q u i n i n e i s a r e m e d y f o r
malaria.
Reputation for : Ghafoor has a reputation for
honesty.
Respect for : The young have no respect
for old age.
Slave to : A drunked is a slave to
drink.
Slave of : You musn't make a slave of your
servant girl.
Subscription to : What is your subscription to the Famine
Relief Fund?
Sympathy for : All the people felt great sympathy for her
in her troubles.
Sympathy with : I have no sympathy with her
foolish views.
Ta s t e f o r : K a m a l a h a s n o t a s t e f o r
music.
Tr a i t o r t o : H e i s a t r a i t o r t o h i s
country.
(The) Victim of : She is the victim of her own
foolishness.
2. ADJECTIVES AND PARTICIPLES FOLLOWED BY
PREPOSITIONS

Accused of : Ghulam was accused of

theft.
Ac q u a i n t e d w i t h : A re y o u a c q u a i n t e d
with her?
Acquitted of : The thief was acquitted of
her charge.
A d d i c t e d o f : To m i s a d d i c t e d t o
gambling.
Adjacent to : The hotel is adjacent to the
Post Offi ce.
Affl i cted with : The old man is affl icted
with gout.
Af r a i d o f : D o n ' t b e a f r a i d o f t e l l i n g
the truth.
Amazed at : I was amazed at her
impudence.
An g r y wi th : Th e t e a c h e r wa s ve r y a n g ry
w i th u s .
Annoyed at : Raman was annoyed at her
behaviour.
Anxious for, about : He is anxious for(about)
her safety.
She is very anxious about
her son's health.
Appropriate to : The Prime Minister made a stirring speech appropriate
to the occasion.
Ashamed of : Mary is ashamed of her
conduct.
Astonished at : All were astonished at her
disobedience.
Av e r s e t o : P r a t a p i s a v e r s e t o
regular work .
Backward in : John is backward in his
studies.
Beneficial to : Fresh air and good food are beneficial
to the health.
Bent on : Joseph is bent on
mischief.
Blessed with : May you always be blessed with
good health.
Blind in : The carpenter is blind in the
r i g h t e ye .
Blind to : Rashida is blind to her own
faults.
Born of : Gandhiji was born of rich
parents.
Bound for : The ship is bound for
England.
Busy with : Jack is busy with his
lessons.
capable of : She is capable of
improvement.
Careful about : She is very careful about
her dress.
Charged with : The beggar was charged
with theft.
C o n fi d e n t o f : P e t e r i s c o n fi d e n t o f
success.

Conscious of : Shakuntala is conscious of

her faults.
Contented with : She is contented with
her lot.
Contrary to : The boys acted contrary to my
instructions.
Convenient for : Will the 4.50 train be
convenient for you?
Courteous to : She is courteous
to all.
Deaf to : He was deaf to all her
entreaties .
D e fi c i e n t i n : S h e i s d e fi c i e n t i n
common sense.
D e p e n d e n t on : S h e i s d e p e n d e n t o n h e r
p a re n t s .
D e s i ro u s o f : Ra m a n i s d e s i r o u s o f g o i n g
a b ro a d .
Different from : His religious views are
different from hers.
Disguste d wi th : I am di sg uste d with her
condu ct .
Due to : The accide nt was due to
carele ss d rivi ng .
Eligible for : He is not eligible for
promotion .
Engaged to : Shiela is engaged to
Harry.
Equal to : Sikander was equal to the
occasion.
Essential to : Health is essential to
happiness.
Faithful to : The dog is very faithful to his
master.
Fa l s e t o : A b r a h a m p ro v e d f a l s e t o h i s
friends.
Familiar to : Her name seems quite
familiar to me.
Fa m i l i a r w i t h : I a m n o t f a m i l i a r w i t h
her tricks.
Fa m o u s f o r : H e i s f a m o u s f o r h i s
learning.
F i t f o r : S a q l a n i s fi t f o r t h e
job.
Fond of : Girls are fond of
dolls.
Fre e f ro m : N o o n e i s f r e e f r o m
faults.
Fu ll of : Th i s book i s ful l of
mistakes.
Glad of : I am glad of your
success.
Good at : She is good at
Mathematics.
Good for : This medicine is good for
headache.
G re e d y f o r : A r s a l a n i s g r e e d y o f
gain/honours.

Guilty of : The beggar was found guilty

o f t h e ft .
Honest in : Sami is not honest in his
dealings.
Hopeful of : Is she hopeful of
success?
Ig noran t of : The He ad master is ign orant
of facts .
Ill with : Manorama is ill with
fever.
Indifferent to : They are indifferent to their
own business.
Infested with : This house is infested
with rats.
Injurious to : Alcohol is injurious to
health.
Intent to : He was intent on winning a
scholarship.
I n t e re s t e d i n : W h y a re y o u i n te r e s t e d
in Maria?
In t rod u ce d to : I wa s i n trod u ce d to th e
C ol le ct or .
Jealous of : He is jealous of his friend's
success.
Lame in : The beggar was lame in the
left leg.
L o s t t o : To m i s l o s t t o a l l s e n s e o f
shame.
Loyal to : The princes were loyal to the
Government.
Married to : Sheila was married to
Raman.
Negligent in : He was negligent in
his work.
Negligent of : He was negligent of his
duties.
O b e d i e n t t o : Af t a b i s o b e d i e n t t o h i s
p a re n t s .
Obliged to : I am obliged to her for
kindness.
Occupied by : This house is occupied by
his fi ance .
Occupied with : He is just now occupied with the translation of
a French novel.
Occupied in : He is occupied in translating a
French novel.
Offended with,at : She was offended with her husband
at his remarks.
Open to : She is not open to
conviction.
Overwhelmed with : She was overwhelmed
with grief.
Owing to : Owing to his careless driving,we had a
bad accident.
P a r t i a l t o : We a r e a l l p a r t i a l t o o u r
friends.
Peculiar to : This is a custom peculiar to the
Japanese.

Popular with : Mr George is popular with his

neighbours.
Pre f e rab le to : He al th i s p re fe r ab le to
wealth.
Pro fi c i e n t i n : J o h n i s p r o fi c i e n t i n
Mathematics.
Proud of : He is proud of his
wealth.
Q u i c k a t : T h i s b o y i s q u i c k a t i n v e n ti n g
exc u s e s .
Reconciled with : Ultimately she became reconciled with
her husband.
Reduced to : The prince was reduced to
poverty.
Related to : Is she related to
you?
Re p e n t a n t o f : M a r y i s r e p e n t a n t o f
her folly.
Re s p e c t f u l t o : G o o d b o y s a re
respectful to all.
S a t i s fi e d w i t h : I a m s a t i s fi e d w i t h h e r
conduct.
Sensitive to : She is sensitive to praise
and blame .
Serviceable to : This umbrella will be serviceable to you in
the rainy season.
Shocked at : All of us were shocked at the news
of his death.
Short of : Jack is always short of
money.
Sick of : I am sick of being blamed for everything
that goes wrong.
Similar to : Their customs are similar
to ours.
Slow of : Slow of hearing ,slow to make up one's
mind,slow at accounts,
S l ow to
a n g e r .
Sorry for : The Headmaster was sorry for
his mistake.
Steeped in : Mahmud is steeped in vice
and poverty.
Suited to : Hi s spee ch was suited to the
occasi on .
Sure of : Are you sure of your
facts?
Can we be sure of his
honesty?
Suspicious of : The policeman became increasingly
suspicious of his
movements.
Sympathetic to : She is sympathetic
to(towards) suffers.
Thankful for : We ought to be thankful to God for His
small mercies.
Ti re d o f : E v e r y o n e i s t i r e d o f d o i n g
nothing.

Tr u e t o : A b r a h a m i s t r u e t o h i s
friends.
Useful for : Salt is useful for many
purposes.
Va i n o f : S h e i s v a i n o f h e r
beauty.
Ve r s e d i n : H e i s w e l l v e r s e d i n
Mathematics.
Ve x e d a t : H e w a s v e x e d a t h i s
failure.
We a k i n : M y d a u g h t e r i s w e a k i n
Mathematics.
Worthy of : He is worthy of our reverence
and esteem.
3 . V E R B S F O L LO W E D BY
PREPOSITION
A b i d e b y : Yo u m u s t a b i d e b y y o u r
promise.
Abound with :The hut abounded with
vermin.
A b o u n d i n : Ve r m i n a b o u n d e d i n
the hut.
Abstain from : Abstain from evil and
do good.
Ac ce d e to : Th e Pr i n c i p al a c c e d e d to my
re q u e st .
Acquit of : The judge acquitted him
of theft.
Act from : Sh e acted f rom
fe ar .
A d m i t o f : Yo u c o n d u c t a d m i t s o f n o
excuse.
Agree with (a persom) : Sami does not
agree with me.
I did not agree with
her on this point.
Agree to ( a proposal) : I agree to your offer of
marriage.
Aim at : All of us aim at
excellence.
Apologize to (a person) : I apologize to her for
my mistake.
Appeal to(a person): We appealed to her
for help .
Appoint to(a person) : Jack was appointed to the
vacant post.
Arrive at(a place) : We arrived at the
station at ten.
Attend to : Attend to your
lessons,please.
Attend upon : Sheila has many servants
attending upon her.
Avail of : You should avail yourself of every opportunity to
practise speaking

e n g l i s h .
Av e n g e o n : H e a v e n g e d h i m s e l f o n h i s
enemies.
Av e r s e t o , f ro m : H e i s a v e r s e t o
hard work.
We are averse from
takiing action.
B e a r w i t h : Yo u m u s t b e a r w i t h m y
weakness.
Beat against : The waves beat against
t h e ro c k s .
Be g of : We all be gged p ardon
of her.
Believe in : I do not believe in her
honesty.
Bestow on : The Queen bestowed high
honour on her.
Beware of : Beware of false
friends.
Bl ame f or : He b l ame d hi s te a ch e r f or h i s
f ai lu re .
Boast of : She boasts of being the best actress
in the town.
Borrow from : Rah man b orrowed Rs.500
f rom me.
Break into : The thieves broke into his
house at night.
B ro o d o v e r : D o n o t b r o o d o v e r p a s t
grievances.
Buy for,at : He bought them for/at
Rs.10 each.
Bu y f rom : H e b o u g h t th i s w at c h f r om
G r an d l e ys .
C a l l o n : We c a l l e d o n M i s s H i l l
yesterday.
Call to : Jill called to her father for
help.
C a l l f o r : Yo u r c o n d u c t c a l l s f o r
punishment.
Care for : I do not care for her
opinion.
C h a rg e w i t h : We c h a r g e d h e r w i t h
theft.
C o m e a c ro s s : I c a m e a c r o s s t h i s i n a
curio shop.
Compare with : (to show difference) .Compare the character
of Mohan with
that of Ali.
Compare to: (to show resemblance).Anger may be
compared to fire.
Compete with : I compete with Harry for the
first prize.
Complain of : She complained to me of his
rudeness.
We have nothing to
complain of (about).

He never complains of not having

enough money.
Comply with : We always complied with his
request.
Confer on : She conferred a favour
on us.
C o n fi d e i n : T h e k i n g c o n fi d e d i n h i s
ministers.
C o n fi d e t o : C o n fi d e y o u r s e c r e t s t o
none.
Congratulate on : I congratulated her on
her success.
Consist of,in : The committee consists of ten
members.
The happiness of a country consists in the
freedom of its citizens.
Convict of : The judge convicted him
of theft.
C u re o f : T h e m e d i c i n e c u r e d h i m o f h i s
disease.
Deal in : He deals in Japanese
goods.
Deal with : Deal fairly with
everyone.
Defend from,against : I defended her from
all blame.
They bravely defended their
country against enemies.
Deposit in,with : He deposited all his money in State
bank of India.
He deposited all the documents
with his lawyer.
Deprive of : Sl aves are dep rived of thei r
f re ed om .
Derive from : Can pleasure be derived from
bad actions?
D e s p a i r o f : Ta q i n e v e r d e s p a i r e d o f
success.
Die of : Se ema die d of
typ hoid.
Die by : He died by his own
hand.
D i ff e r w i t h : I d i ff e r w i t h y o u o n t h i s
subject.
D i ff e r f r o m : T h i s c l o t h d i ff e r f r o m
that.
D i s ag re e wi th : I d i s ag r e e wi t h yo u on
t h i s p oi n t .
Dispose of : She h as disposed of all he r
p rop erty .
Dissuade from : Afzal dissuade her from
going there.
Distinguish from : Distinguish truth from
falsehood.
Dream of : She dreamt of becoming a
queen one day.
End in : The scheme ended in
failure.

Enter into,upon : He entered into

negotiations with a
b u s i n e s s fi r m .
*) Sami has entered upon
a new acreer
Exchange for : He exchanged the cow for
the horse.
Explain to : Explain this question
to me.
Export from : Cotton goods are exported
from India .
Fall under : He fell under the displeasure of
the king.
Fa l l u p o n : T h e ro b b e r s f e l l u p o n t h e
m e rc h a n t .
Feed on : The cow feeds on
grass.
Fe e l f o r : We a l l f e l t f o r h e r i n h e r
t roubles .
Fight with or against : Great Britian fought
against(or with)
Germany
in two wars.
Fight for : They were fi ghting for their
independence.
F l y a t : T h e d o g fl e w a t t h e
beggar.
F l y i n t o : S e e i n g m e , s h e fl e w i n t o
a rage.
Furnish with : They furnished the library with
books [or]
They furnished
b o o k s t o h e r.
G e t a t : g e t a t ( fi n d o u t ) t h e
facts.
Get on : He is sure to get on (make
a progress) in life.
Ge t over : He got ove r(recove red f romhi s
illne ss .
Get out of : I have not yet been able to get
out of debt.
Get to : In the evening they got to their
journey's end.
Grieve at : They grieved at the news of
my failure .
Grieve about : Don't grieve much about your
misfortunes
Gri e ve f or,ove r : D on 't g ri e v e mu ch f or
th e de ad .
She grieved over her
husband's death.
Grumble at : He is always grumbling at his
low pay.
G u a r d a g a i n s t : We m u s t g u a r d
against vices.
Hear about,of,from : Have you heard about his
dismissal?

I've never
heard of her.
How often do you hear
from your sister?
Hide from : I will not hide the truth from my
parents.
Hinder from : What hindered you from
coming here?
H o p e f o r : We a l w a y s h o p e f o r b e t t e r
times.
Import from,into : Wool is imported from Australia
into India.
Impress on : I impressed on her the value of
cleanliness.
Im p u te t o : D o n o t i mp u te mo ti ve s t o
h e r a c ti on .
Infer from : Am I to infer from your remarks that
you think I am
a
l i a r ?
In fest wi th : Wareh ouses we re inf este d
wi th rats .
Inform of,against : Have you informed her of
your intended
departure?
*) She has informed the police against the
neighbour who is a
s m u g g l e r
.
Inquire into : The police are inquiring into
the matter.
Inquire of : I inquired of her why she had insulted
her hsuband.
Insist on : He insisted on my leaving the
place at once.
Interfere in,with : Please don't interfere in
my business.
He interfered with her in her
private affairs.
Int roduce to : Mary introduced me to
Sheila.
In vi te to : I h ave in vi ted Rash i d a al so to
d in n e r.
Jeer at : Never jeer at a deafeated
enemy.
Jest about : Don't jest about serious
things.
Join in,to : Join the point C to the
point D.
Why doesn't he join in the
conversation?
May I join in the
game?
J u m p a t : Pa r v e e n j u m p e d a t t h e o ffi c e
at once.
Jump to : The Superintendent jumped to the
conclusion that the

p ri son e r h ad e sc ap e d
f rom th e j ail .
Keep from : Keep away from
wine.
Keep to : Keep to the
point,please.
Kick against : Do not kick against
authority.
Kick at : Atif kicked at my
o ff e r .
Knock at : He knocked at every door for
money.
Somebody is knocking at the door
(on the window).
Labour for : All his life he laboured for the
public good.
Lack in : He is lacking in
experience.
Lament for : Do not lament for the
dead.
Land at : We landed at
Bombay .
L a u g h a t : We a l l l a u g h e d a t h e r b a d
manners.
L a y b e f o re : Pe t e r l a i d a l l t h e f a c t s
before her.
L a y t o : We l ai d t h i s s i n t o h e r
charge.
Lay under : I have laid her under deep obligation by
helping her in
d i s t r e s s .
Lead to : This road leads to
Poona.
Lean to : This judge seems to lean to
his side.
Leap at : He leapt at the
opportunity.
Learn of : I am sorry to learn of her
illness.
Level with : The enemy levelled the city with
the ground.
Listen to : Don't listen to that foolish
fellow.
Live within ; Live within your
means.
Live by : Live by honest
labour.
Look at : A cat may look at a
king.
Lo ok afte r : Th e sh e ph e rd l ook e d af te r
h i s sh ee p .
Meddle in,with : Don't meddle in my
a ff a i r s .
Don't meddle in
politics.
Who has been meddling
with my papers?

Meet with : I met with many obstacles ,but

pressed on.
Mix with : Oil will not mix with
water.
Mix up the salt with the
pepper.
Mourn for,over : Do not mourn for the
dead.
They mourned over the
child's death.
Murmur against : We must not murmur against
new taxes.
M u rm u r a t : We a l l m u r m u r a t
injustice.
Object to : She objects to my going
there.
Occur to : It did not occur to me to search
his pockets.
Originate in : The fight originated in a
foolish quarrel.
Part with : He parted with all his
wealth.
He parted with(or from) his old
parents with tears.
Partake of : We partook of the feast spread
before us.
Pa s s f o r : Ro b e r t p a s s e d f o r a
learned man.
Pe ri sh wi th : They perished wi th cold and
hu nge r.
Pe r s e v e r e i n : M a r y p e r s e v e r e d i n h e r
studies.
Pe rsi st in : Ram an p e rsi sts in an n oyi n g
h i s si ste r .
Pine for : She pined for the lost
child.
Play at : The children were playing at
keeping shop.
Play with : Don't play with
fi r e w o r k s .
Play on : Smile played on her
lips.
Prefer to : I prefer milk to
tea.
Present at : We presented the cheque at
the bank .
P re s e n t t o : We p r e s e n t e d a w a t c h
to her.
P re s e n t w i t h : We p r e s e n t e d h e r w i t h a
watch.
Preserve from : May God preserve you from
all harm.
Preside at,over : The prime Minister presides at meetings
of the Cabinet.
The Mayor presides over
the City Council.
Pre s s u p on : D on 't p r e s s y ou r o p i n i on s
u p on h e r .

Prevail upon : We prevailed upon her to come to

the meeting.
Prevail over : We pervailed over(=gained victory over)
our enemies.
Prevent from : She prevented me from
coming here.
Profit by : A wise man profits by the mistakes
of others.
Prohibit from : You are prohibited from
entering the class.
Prote ct from : God will protect you from
all harm.
Protect against : Protect these tender plants against
the weather.
Protest against : You must protest against
injustice.
Provide for : He died without providing for
his widow.
Provide with : You must provide your children with food
and clothes.
Provide against : A wise man provides against
a rainy day.
Quarrel with : Do not quarrel with your friends
over a trifle.
Reconcile to : You must reconcile yourself to a life of
hardship and poverty.
Recover from : He has just recovered
from illness .
Re f rai n f rom : S h e ref r ain e d f rom
sh e d di n g te ars .
Re j o i c e a t , o v e r : We a l l r e j o i c e d a t h e r
success.
We all rejoiced over
the victory.
Re l ie ve of : Th e me di ci n e rel i e ve d me of
my p ai n .
He was relieved of
his post.
Rely on : Do not rely on her
support.
Re m i n d o f : H e r e m i n d e d m e o f m y
promise.
Repent of : He repents of the mistake he
has made.
Have you nothing to
repent of?
Re s o l ve o n : S h e r e s o l v e s o n g o i n g
there.
Rest with : It rests with her to take action
against him.
Revenge on : He revenged himself on his enemy for the
murder of his brother.
Reward with : I rewarded her with a watch for saving my child
from drowning.
Ru l e o v e r : T h e k i n g r u l e d o v e r a v a s t
e mp i re .
Save from : He saved her from
drowning.

Search for : We searched for the lost watch

everywhere.
Seek for : All of us seek for
happiness.
Send for : They sent for the
doctor.
Show over : MOhan showed her over his
new house.
Shudder at : I shudder at her act of
cruelty.
S i d e w i t h : Af t a b s i d e d w i t h u s i n t h e
dispute.
Smile at : I smiled at her foolish
threat.
S m i l e u p o n : Fo r t u n e s e e m e d t o s m i l e
upon him.
S t i c k t o : S t i c k t o y o u r
p o i n t .
Struggle against : She struggled against many
difficulties.
S u b m i t t o : We m u s t a l l s u b m i t t o
God's will.
Subscribe to : He subscribed Rs.1000 to the Flood
Relief Fund.
Succeed to : He succeeded to the throne at
the age of ten.
Supply to : He supplied food to the
poor.
Supply with : He supplied the poor
with food.
Sympathize with : we sympathize with her in
her troubles.
Talk of or about : All are talking about the
strange event.
What are they
talking about?
Talking of travel,have you
been to Goa yet?
Ta l k t o : H e w a s t a l k i n g t o h i s
friend.
Throw at : don't throw stones at
birds.
Treat of : This book treats of every
important subject.
Treat with : If we are to treat with you,it must be on
equal terms.
Tri u m p h o ve r : Vi r tu e al wa ys tr i u mp h s
o ve r vi ce .
Tr u s t i n : T r u s t i n G o d a n d d o t h e
right.
Wa i t o n : A l l he r m a i d s w a i t ed o n
her.
Wa i t f o r : We w a i t e d i m p a t i e n t l y f o r
the train.
Warn against,of : We warned her of the danger,against
pickpockets.
Wo n d e r a t , a b o u t : I w o n d e r a t y o u r
stupidity.

I was wondering
about that.
Wre s t l e w i t h : W r e s t l e b r a v e l y w i t h
d i ffi c u l t i e s .
Yield to : Never yield to
temptation.
339. Certain words require a Preposition followed by a Gerund or
a Verbal Noun.
In such cases,do not use the
I n fi n i t i v e .
1. Sami persisted in going the re.
[Not:to go]
2. I insisted on her leaving this place
at once.
3. We sh oul d ref rain f rom d oin g
well.
4. The prince aims at helping
poor.
5. The poor beggar is addicted to
smoking.
6. I prohibited her from smoking in the
kitchen.
7. We p r e ve n te d h e r f ro m s e l l i n g h e r
o rn a me n t s .
8. Abstain from speaking ill of
others.
9 . D r. K a t j u e x c e l s i n w r i t i n g g o o d
English.
1 0 . H e i s i n t e n t o n
w i n n i n g .
1 1 . H e i s c o n fi d e n t o f
w i n n i n g .
12. Bimala had no excuse for remaining
absent.
13. Young boys and girls are fond of
reading novels.
14. The prince was desirous of
visiting India.
15. He is disqualified from holding any
responsible post.
1 6. We hinde re d her f rom g oin g
there.
17. He succeeded in achieving
his aim.