Prepositions! Your favourite topic right? English is a bit tricky for these... on this page we're going to dive into dependant prepositions, the level of this will be mostly B2. At the end of the page I've listed a few quizzes for you to try, if you complete everything on this page you should have a better understanding (or feeling) of how prepositions work and you should have picked up a new word or two.
If you're looking for a more complete tutorial of Prepositions, click the link below. It will take you through the basics to advanced.
Some verbs and adjectives naturally attract a particular preposition. You depend on someone, you are interested in something. There is often no clear rule behind it, which is what makes these pairings tricky. Your first language leans on its own prepositions, and those habits can quietly follow you into English. The way through is not memorising a long list, but getting a feel for what each preposition really means, so the pairings begin to make sense on their own.
onContact · Connection · Resting
Think of something resting on a surface, held up by whatever is beneath it. That same idea sits under the other uses: one thing can lean on another, connect to it, or point towards it. So when you depend on someone, in a sense you are putting your weight on them.
depend onThe whole timeline depends on their approval.
rely onI rely on my team to catch these things.
focus onLet us focus on the two urgent items.
insist onShe insisted on reviewing it herself.
work onI have been working on the proposal all week.
based onThe decision was based on last year's data.
decide onWe finally decided on a supplier.
comment onCould you comment on the first draft?
concentrate onI cannot concentrate on this with the noise.
agree onWe agreed on a date for the launch.
Watch this one. Many languages use the equivalent of of here. In English it is always depends of → depends on.
inInside · Enclosed · Immersed
At its heart, in is about being inside something: inside a space first of all, and from there, inside an activity, a field, or a feeling. So when you are interested in a subject, it is as though your mind is caught up inside it.
interested inShe is interested in moving into product.
involved inI was heavily involved in the rebrand.
believe inI believe in giving direct feedback.
succeed inThey succeeded in cutting costs.
result inThe delay resulted in a missed deadline.
specialise inOur team specialises in onboarding.
participate inEveryone participated in the workshop.
confide inHe confided in a close colleague.
Note the pair.interfere takes both: interfere in a matter (get involved) but interfere with a process (disrupt it).
forPurpose · Exchange · On behalf of
Underneath for is usually a purpose or a reason. You do something for a goal, you trade one thing for another, you answer for a result. So when you are responsible for a project, that project becomes the thing you answer for.
responsible forI am responsible for the client accounts.
apply forShe applied for the senior role.
wait forWe are still waiting for sign-off.
known forHe is known for his attention to detail.
famous forThe firm is famous for its culture.
aim forLet us aim for Friday.
pay forThe company pays for the training.
blame forNo one blamed her for the delay.
apologise forI apologised for the confusion.
search forWe are searching for a replacement.
toDirection · Target · Connection toward
Think of movement towards something, like an arrow finding its target. You respond to a message by aiming your reply at it, and you belong to a group by being tied to it.
belong toThat account belongs to another team.
refer toShe referred to the earlier report.
respond toPlease respond to the email today.
contribute toEveryone contributed to the plan.
object toHe objected to the new policy.
look forward toI look forward to hearing from you.
similar toThis role is similar to my last one.
invite toThey invited me to the review.
used toI am used to tight deadlines.
reply toI will reply to her this afternoon.
Careful with look forward to. The to here is a preposition, so a verb after it takes -ing: look forward to meet → look forward to meeting you.
ofBelonging · Cause · Source
Often of links a thing to where it comes from, and it can point to whatever lies behind a feeling. So when you are afraid of something, that something is usually the cause of the fear.
afraid ofI am not afraid of hard conversations.
proud ofShe is proud of what the team built.
fond ofHe is fond of a long meeting.
get rid ofWe got rid of the old process.
capable ofShe is capable of leading this alone.
aware ofI was not aware of the change.
accuse ofNo one accused him of anything.
approve ofMy manager approved of the approach.
Two homes. Several words allow both, with a shade of difference: dream of (aspire) vs dream about (while sleeping); complain of (a symptom) vs complain about (a grievance).
withAccompaniment · Association
The idea behind with is togetherness: two things side by side, either matching or clashing. So when something is compatible with another, the two can sit together comfortably.
compatible withThe tool is compatible with our system.
satisfied withThe client was satisfied with the result.
deal withI will deal with the complaint myself.
cope withShe copes with pressure well.
familiar withAre you familiar with the brief?
agree withI agree with your assessment.
Two homes again.bored with and bored of are both accepted now; agree with a person, but agree on a plan.
atA point · A target · A skill
Think of at as one precise point: the eye or the effort landing on a single spot. So when you are good at something, it is as if your skill is aimed squarely at that one task.
good atShe is good at handling clients.
bad atI am bad at saying no.
laugh atNo one laughed at the idea.
stare atShe stared at the screen for a while.
surprised atI was surprised at the response.
shocked atWe were shocked at the figures.
fromOrigin · Separation · Distance
With from, picture a starting point you move away from: a source, or the distance between two things. So when you protect someone from harm, you are holding that harm away from them.
suffer fromHe suffers from chronic overwork.
protect fromGood process protects you from mistakes.
escape fromShe escaped from a toxic role.
recover fromThe team recovered from a rough quarter.
different fromThis job is different from the last.
benefit fromYou would benefit from a mentor.
aboutConcerning · Around a topic
Think of about as the subject your thoughts or feelings circle around. So when you are excited about a plan, that plan is what your excitement keeps returning to.
excited aboutI am excited about the new direction.
worried aboutShe is worried about the timeline.
optimistic aboutWe are optimistic about next quarter.
think aboutLet me think about it overnight.
care aboutHe genuinely cares about the work.
complain aboutThey complained about the new hours.
Before you try the exercise!
Challenge yourself by not looking at the options below, it gets a bit too easy that way.
