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Thursday, January 13, 2011

PREPOSITIONS IN COMBINATIONS


1.    The following verb plus preposition combinations always appear as follows and must be learned together.


agree on (something)               We agree on that point.
agree with (a person)               I agree with you on that matter.
approve of                               Betty approves of exercising.  
arrive at OR in                         They arrived in Tokyo last night.
complain about                        Please do not complain about the prices.
consent to                                She consented to her daughter’s marriage.
comment on                            She commented on his new suit.
consist of                                 Water consists of hydrogen and oxygen.
            depend on                               I am depending on good weather for my party.
laugh at                                   We laughed at his silly behavior.
object to                                  Do you object to my smoking?
succeed in                               He succeed in making everyone angry.

NOTE:  The correct verb form to use after preposition is a gerund (V+ing).

2.    Some other verb plus preposition combinations take two objects.

compare…with OR to        Do not compare me with (OR to) my sister.
excuse…for                        I cannot excuse you for being late.
prefer…to                           She prefers coffee to tea.
remind…of                         She reminded me of my appointment.
thank…for                          I thanked him for letting me use his car.

3.    There are many adjectives plus preposition combinations that occur with the verb to be

be afraid of                         Hendry is afraid of dogs.
be accustomed to               I was accustomed to seeing him everyday.
be aware of                         Are you aware of his problem?
be bored with                     Jane is bored with school
be certain of                       you cannot be certain of the date
be disappointed with          Susan disappointed with that restaurant.
be familiar with                  Is doctor Jones familiar with that new technique?
be famous for                     Wisconsin is famous for its cheese
be frightened by                 Do not be frightened by the thunder and lighting.
be happy with                     John is happy with his new home.
be in favor of                      Are you in favor of  women’s liberation?
be interested in                   John is interested in attending the conference.
be opposed to                     He is really opposed to buying a new car.
be satisfied with                 He is not satisfied with his new radio.
be surprised at OR by        Do not be surprised at his behavior.
be tired of                           Maria is very tired of working six days a week.
be worried about                Mark is very worried about his sick child.


4.    Some Prepositions exist in fixed phrases.

according to                       According to the news, the government has fallen.
along with                          Can you take this package, along with these letters, to the post office?
as well as                            I enjoy art as well as history.
because of                          Because of the rain, there will be no picnic.
by means of                        the thief entered the house by means of an open window.
by way of                           John went to Paris by way of London
in addition to                      In addition to going to school full-time, Patricia works part-time.
in case of                            In case of fire, pull this alarm.
in consideration of             In consideration of all your help, I would like to take you to dinner.
in contrast to OR with       In contrast to last summer, this summer is cool.
in deference to                   In deference to his age, we did not argue with him
in hopes of                          We came here in hopes of meeting the president.
in lieu of                             He gave an oral report in lieu of a written report.
in pursuit of                        The police were in pursuit of the thief.
in search of                         They went into the mountains in search of gold.
in spite of                           In spite of his good intentions, he did not study very much.
in the face of                      In the face of a severe drought, the tribe moved to a new location.
in terms of                          He was a good husband in terms of earning a good living.
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ERROR EXAMPLES

  1. WRONG : Is John familiar enough for this part of town to find your house?
RIGHT    : Is John familiar enough with this part of town to find your house?

  1. WRONG : In spite the rain, the party has not been cancelled.
RIGHT    : In spite of the rain, the party has not been cancelled.

  1. WRONG : My son was surprised with his teacher’s decision.
RIGHT    : My son was surprised at (OR by ) his teacher’s decision.

  1. WRONG : He continued to work in the face to his doctor’s disapproval.
RIGHT    : He continued to work in the face of his doctor’s disapproval.

  1. WRONG : Clyde is bored for living in the country.
RIGHT    : Clyde is bored with living in the country.

  1. WRONG : Bob is always complaining for the heat in Arizona in the summertime.
RIGHT    : Bob is always complaining about the heat in Arizona in the summertime.

  1. WRONG : How do you think Rome compares by Paris?
RIGHT    : How do you think Rome compares to Paris?

  1. WRONG : Veronica is tired by waiting for me to get ready.
RIGHT    : Veronica is tired of waiting for me to get ready.

  1. WRONG : Do you object with my cutting some of your flowers?
RIGHT    : Do you object to my cutting some of your flowers?

  1. WRONG : Do you think it is fair to excuse him by being late?
RIGHT    : Do you think it is fair to excuse him for being late?

  1. WRONG : Betty reminds me to my sister.
RIGHT    : Betty reminds me of my sister.

  1. WRONG : Who is in favor for adjourning the meeting early?
RIGHT    : Who is in favor of adjourning the meeting early?

  1. WRONG : What time do you think you will arrive to London?
RIGHT    : What time do you think you will arrive in London?

  1. WRONG : He asked if he could paint the apartment in lieu for a month’s rent
RIGHT    : He asked if he could paint the apartment in lieu of a month’s rent

  1. WRONG : One cannot depend with luck to bring success.
RIGHT    : One cannot depend on luck to bring success.

  1. WRONG : He studied art in addition with his regular course of studies.
RIGHT    : He studied art in addition to his regular course of studies.

  1. WRONG : George is not accustomed at speaking in public.
RIGHT    : George is not accustomed to speaking in public.
  1. WRONG : Clyde is quite satisfied by his new apartment.
RIGHT    : Clyde is quite satisfied with his new apartment.

  1. WRONG : Can we agree with a date for our next meeting?
RIGHT    : Can we agree on a date for our next meeting?


EXERCISES: Put “C” if the sentence is correct. Put “X” if there is an error with the preposition.

____01. Did you agree to your father on which car you should buy?
____02. They arrived to Paris sometime early in the summer.
____03. Were the students accustomed to leaving early on Friday?
____04. Whether we leave early or late depends about your schedule.
____05. The doctor objected to the patient’s  leaving the hospital a day early.
____06. David was surprised at the amount of time necessary to fix the car.
____07. Henry was not very satisfied with the lab report that he wrote.
____08. Switzerland is famous of its beautiful mountains.
____09. The soldier showed great courage in the face of death.
____10. The home certainly does compare favorably at our old one.
____11. The committee was in favor of increasing his salary.
____12. Were you tired with waiting for her to call?
____13. He did not expect us to comment to his newly decorated office.
____14. Are you familiar to early American art?
____15. He spent his life in search for absolute truth.
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