Verb + Preposition

In English, many verbs are followed by a fixed preposition that you simply have to learn — there is no grammar rule that tells you whether to say listen to or listen at. These are called dependent prepositions, and mastering them is essential for natural, fluent English. These verb and preposition exercises with answers help you practise dependent prepositions online from A2 to B2 with multiple choice questions and printable PDF worksheets.

This lesson covers 3 levels of verb + preposition mastery:

Level	What You Learn	Example
1. Fixed combinations	One verb, one preposition — memorise it	listen to, wait for, depend on
2. Meaning shifts	Same verb + different prepositions = different meanings	look at (see) vs look for (search) vs look after (care for)
3. The -ing pattern	Verb + preposition + gerund	insist on doing, succeed in doing

The most important rule to remember: after a preposition, a verb must be in the -ing form — never the infinitive. This single rule prevents the most common mistake with verb + preposition patterns.

If you're looking specifically at to vs for differences, see the dedicated To vs For lesson. For phrasal verbs (verb + particle combinations that change the verb's meaning entirely), see Phrasal Verbs.

Common Verb + Preposition Combinations

These are the most frequently used verb + preposition collocations. They are fixed — you need to memorise which preposition goes with each verb.

Grouped by Preposition

Verb + to

Verb + to	Meaning	Example
listen to	hear attentively	Please listen to the teacher carefully.
belong to	be the property of	This book belongs to the library.
talk to	have a conversation with	I need to talk to the manager.
write to	send a letter/message to	She wrote to her grandmother every month.
reply to	respond to	He replied to my email immediately.

Verb + for

Verb + for	Meaning	Example
wait for	stay until something arrives	She's waiting for* the bus.*
look for	try to find / search	I'm looking for* my keys.*
ask for	request	He asked for* a glass of water.*
pay for	give money in exchange	I need to pay for* these groceries.*

Verb + about

Verb + about	Meaning	Example
worry about	feel anxious about	She always worries about* her exams.*
complain about	express dissatisfaction	He complained about* the noise.*
talk about	discuss a topic	She talked about* her plans.*

Verb + on

Verb + on	Meaning	Example
depend on	rely on	It depends on the weather.
rely on	trust and count on	You can always rely on your best friend.
spend (money/time) on	use money/time for	He spent all his money on video games.

Verb + with

Verb + with	Meaning	Example
agree with	share the same opinion	I agree with* you completely.*
deal with	handle / take action	We need to deal with* this problem.*

Verb + from

Verb + from	Meaning	Example
borrow from	take temporarily	Can I borrow some money from* you?*
suffer from	experience (illness/difficulty)	Many people suffer from* allergies in spring.*

Verb + at

Verb + at	Meaning	Example
look at	direct your eyes towards	The children are looking at the pictures.
laugh at	find someone/something funny (often unkind)	Don't laugh at him. That's not kind.
smile at	direct a smile towards	She smiled at the baby.
arrive at	reach a specific place	We arrived at the airport two hours early.

Verb + in

Verb + in	Meaning	Example
believe in	have faith in	I believe in hard work.
arrive in	reach a city/country	We arrived in London at noon.

👉 Practice Common Verb + Preposition Combinations →

Verbs with Different Prepositions

The same verb can take different prepositions to create completely different meanings. This is where context becomes critical — read the sentence carefully to decide which preposition fits.

Look: Four Different Meanings

Combination	Meaning	Example
look at	direct your eyes towards	Look at this beautiful painting!
look for	search for	I've been looking for* my glasses all morning.*
look after	take care of	Could you look after* the children while I go shopping?*
look forward to	feel excited about (future)	We're really looking forward to* the summer holiday.*

Shout / Throw: Aggressive vs Communicative

Some verbs use at for aggressive/hostile actions and to for neutral communication:

Verb	+ at (hostile)	+ to (communicative)
shout	The teacher shouted at the noisy students in anger.	He shouted to his friend across the street to warn him.
throw	The angry boy threw a stone at the window. (to hit)	She threw the ball to her teammate. (to catch)

Key signal: "at" targets something aggressively. "To" communicates or passes something.

Hear: Three Distinctions

Combination	Meaning	Example
hear from	receive communication from	I haven't heard from* my cousin since Christmas.*
hear of	know that something exists	I've never heard of that restaurant.
hear about	learn the details/news of	Have you heard about* what happened at the office?*

Care: Importance vs Looking After

Combination	Meaning	Example
care about	think something is important	He doesn't care about* money.*
care for	look after / provide attention	Nurses care for* patients in hospitals.*

Apply: Position vs Institution

Combination	Meaning	Example
apply for	request a specific role/position	He applied for* a teaching position.*
apply to	target an organisation	She applied to three different universities.

Remind: Memory vs Notification

Combination	Meaning	Example
remind someone of	trigger a memory (involuntary)	This song reminds me of my childhood.
remind someone about	tell not to forget (intentional)	Please remind me about* the meeting tomorrow.*

Other Important Pairs

Verb	Pair	Example
talk	talk to someone / talk about something	I talked to my boss about* the project.*
agree	agree with someone / agree on a topic	We agree with* each other. We agree on the plan.*
think	think of (opinion) / think about (contemplate)	What do you think of it? I'm thinking about* moving.*

👉 Practice Verbs with Different Prepositions →

Verb + Preposition + -ing Patterns

When a verb follows a preposition, it must be in the -ing form (gerund). This is a universal rule in English — never use an infinitive after a preposition.

⚠️ The Preposition + -ing Rule

✅ Correct	❌ Wrong
She insisted on paying.	~~She insisted on to pay.~~
I look forward to hearing from you.	~~I look forward to hear from you.~~
He succeeded in passing the test.	~~He succeeded in to pass the test.~~

The "Look Forward To" Trap

In look forward to, the word to is a preposition (not part of an infinitive). This means it must be followed by -ing:

We look forward to seeing you soon. ✅
~~We look forward to see you soon.~~ ❌

The same trap applies to object to: She objects to working overtime. (not ~~to work~~)

Common Verb + Preposition + -ing Combinations

+ on + -ing

Verb	Example
insist on	She insisted on paying for the meal.
concentrate on	She concentrated on finishing her homework.
congratulate someone on	They congratulated him on winning the award.

+ in + -ing

Verb	Example
succeed in	He succeeded in passing his driving test.
believe in	I don't believe in giving up easily.
result in	The heavy rain resulted in flooding.

+ for + -ing

Verb	Example
apologise for	I apologise for* being late.*
blame someone for	He blamed her for* breaking the vase.*
thank someone for	I thanked her for* helping me.*
forgive someone for	She forgave him for* forgetting their anniversary.*

+ of + -ing

Verb	Example
accuse someone of	She accused him of stealing her idea.
suspect someone of	They suspected him of leaking information.
approve of	His parents don't approve of him staying out late.
dream of	She dreamed of becoming a famous singer.

+ from + -ing

Verb	Example
prevent someone from	Nothing can prevent us from* achieving our goals.*

+ about + -ing

Verb	Example
warn someone about	He warned us about* walking alone at night.*
complain about	He complained about* having too much homework.*
think about	I'm thinking about* moving to a different city.*

+ to + -ing (preposition, not infinitive!)

Verb	Example
look forward to	We look forward to hearing from you.
object to	She objects to working overtime without extra pay.

👉 Practice Verb + Preposition + -ing Patterns →

Advanced Verb + Preposition Collocations

These B2-level collocations appear frequently in academic, professional and formal English.

Academic and Professional Collocations

Verb + Preposition	Meaning	Example
devote (something) to	give time/effort to a cause	She devoted her career to improving education.
attribute (something) to	say something is caused by	The report attributed success to strong leadership.
conform to	follow rules/standards	The policy must conform to international standards.
comply with	obey rules/regulations	All employees must comply with* safety regulations.*
cope with	deal with difficulty	We need to cope with* stress in healthy ways.*
interfere with	prevent proper functioning	The noise interfered with* my concentration.*
associate (something) with	connect in your mind	This painting is associated with* the Impressionist movement.*
refrain from	deliberately stop yourself	He refrained from* making comments until the investigation was complete.*
benefit from	gain advantage from	She has benefited greatly from* the mentoring programme.*
differ from	be unlike	His approach differs significantly from* the traditional method.*
specialize in	focus on a particular area	The company specializes in developing AI software.
confide in	tell private things to	She confided in her closest friend.
persist in	continue determinedly	He persisted in asking questions despite being told to wait.
compensate for	make up for	She compensated for* the delay by working extra hours.*
account for	explain / make up a proportion	I cannot account for* the discrepancy in the figures.*
dispose of	get rid of	She disposed of all the old files.
hinge on	depend entirely on	The success of the project hinges on securing funding.

Tricky Pair: Result In vs Result From

These two have opposite directions of causation:

Expression	Direction	Example
result in	cause → effect	The heavy rain resulted in* flooding.* (rain caused flooding)
result from	effect ← cause	The accident resulted from* a safety failure.* (failure caused the accident)

Tricky Pair: Comply With vs Conform To

Both mean "follow rules," but take different prepositions:

Expression	Example
comply with	You must comply with* the regulations.*
conform to	The product must conform to safety standards.

👉 Practice Advanced Verb + Preposition Collocations →

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Incorrect	Correct	Why Learners Make This Mistake
❌ I look forward to see you.	✅ I look forward to seeing you.	Assuming "to" is part of an infinitive — but here "to" is a preposition, so -ing must follow
❌ Can you explain me the rules?	✅ Can you explain the rules to me?	Treating "explain" like "tell" — but "explain" always needs "to" before the person
❌ She insisted on to pay.	✅ She insisted on paying.	Forgetting that a verb after a preposition must be -ing, never infinitive
❌ I depend for my parents.	✅ I depend on my parents.	Guessing the preposition — "depend on" is a fixed combination
❌ He shouted to the students angrily.	✅ He shouted at the students angrily.	Confusing "shout at" (angry) with "shout to" (communicate) — anger requires "at"
❌ The failure resulted in poor planning.	✅ The failure resulted from poor planning.	Mixing up "result in" (cause → effect) and "result from" (effect ← cause)

Quick Summary

The 3 Levels

Level	Focus	Key Skill
1. Fixed combinations	One verb = one preposition	Memorise the collocation
2. Meaning shifts	Same verb, different prepositions	Read context to choose meaning
3. -ing patterns	Verb + preposition + gerund	Never use infinitive after a preposition

3-Step Decision Process

Is it a fixed combination? → Check the reference tables above (listen to, wait for, depend on…)
Same verb, different prepositions? → Read the context for meaning (look at = see, look for = search, look after = care for)
Verb after the preposition? → Must be -ing form, never infinitive (insist on doing, not ~~to do~~)

Quick Reference by Preposition

Preposition	Common Verbs
to	listen, belong, talk, write, reply, explain, devote, conform
for	wait, look (search), ask, pay, apply (position), apologise, blame, compensate
about	worry, complain, talk, think (contemplate), hear (details), remind (notify)
on	depend, rely, spend, insist, concentrate, congratulate, hinge
with	agree, deal, cope, comply, associate, interfere
from	borrow, suffer, prevent, hear (contact), differ, benefit, refrain, result (caused by)
of	hear (know exists), remind (memory), accuse, approve, suspect, dream, dispose
at	look (see), laugh, smile, arrive (place), shout (angry), throw (hit)
in	believe, arrive (city), succeed, specialise, confide, persist, result (cause)

Practice Tips

Learn prepositions with the verb, not separately: Don't learn "depend" and then try to guess the preposition. Learn "depend on" as one unit, just like you learn vocabulary.
Group by preposition: Notice that verbs expressing search/request often take "for" (look for, wait for, ask for), while verbs of direction take "to" (listen to, write to, talk to).
Remember the -ing rule: After ANY preposition, a verb must be -ing. No exceptions. If you see "to" and wonder whether it's a preposition or part of an infinitive, try replacing the verb with a noun — if it works, "to" is a preposition: I look forward to the holiday / the meeting → "to" is a preposition → look forward to seeing you.
Use the "at = aggressive" rule: For "shout at/to" and "throw at/to," remember that "at" carries aggressive intent (aiming to hit or scold), while "to" is neutral communication (passing or calling).
Watch "result in" vs "result from": Think of the arrow of causation. "Result in" points forward (cause → effect). "Result from" points backward (effect ← cause).

Practice All Exercises

Ready to practise verbs with prepositions? These verb + preposition exercises are available as online multiple choice questions with answers and printable PDF worksheets from A2 to B2:

Set	Topic	Level
Set 1	Common Verb + Preposition Combinations	A2
Set 2	Verbs with Different Prepositions	B1
Set 3	Verb + Preposition + -ing Patterns	B1
Set 4	Advanced Verb + Preposition Collocations	B2

👉 Start with Set 2: Verbs with Different Prepositions to test your ability to choose the right meaning!

Learn Verb + Preposition