Prepositions are another very difficult area of English for a non-native speaker to learn. Most simply have to be rote-learnt for each context. Swan Practical English Usage pp. 444 - 457 offers a comprehensive guide to their usage. Grammar Smart also has a good list.
Below is a list of the more common prepositions: (From Swan)
Prepositions after words
accuse somebody of something
She accused me of poisoning her dog.
afraid of
Are you afraid of spiders?
agree with a person, opinon or policy
I entirely agree with you.
agree about a subject of discussion
We agree about most things.
agree on a matter for decision
Let’s try to agree on a date.
agree to a suggestion
I’ll agree to your suggestion if you lower the price.
angry with (sometimes at) a person for doing something.
I’m angry with him for lying to me.
angry about (sometimes at) something
What are you so angry about?
anxious about (= worried about)
I’m getting anxious about money.
anxious for (= eager to have)
We’re all anxious for an end to this misunderstanding.
anxious + infinitive (= eager, wanting)
She’s anxious to find a better job.
apologise to somebody for something
I think we should apologise to the Smiths.
I must apologise for disturbing you.
arrive at or in
What time do we arrive at Cardiff?
When did you arrive in England?
bad at
I’m not bad at tennis.
believe in God, Father Christmas etc (= believe that.. . exists; trust)
I half believe in life after death.
If you believe in me I can do anything.
belong in/on/etc (= go, fit, have its place in/on/etc)
Those glasses belong on the top shelf.
belong to (= be a member of)
I belong to a local athletics club.
blue with cold, red with anger etc
My hands were blue with cold when I got home.
clever at
I’m not very clever at cooking.
congratulate/congratulations on something
I must congratulate you on your exam results.
Congratulations on your new job!
crash into
I wasn’t concentrating, and I crashed into the car in front.
depend/dependent on
We may play football - it depends on the weather.
He doesn’t want to be dependent on his parents.
But: Independent of
details of
Write now for details of our special offer.
die of or from
More people died of flu in 1919 than were killed in the First World War.
A week after the accident he died from his injuries.
different from
The new school is different from the old one.
difficulty with something, (in) doing something
I’m having difficulty with my travel arrangements.
You won’t have much difficulty (in) getting to know people in Italy.
disappointed in somebody
My father never showed if he was disappointed in me.
disappointed with/at/about/ something
You must be pretty disappointed with/at/about your exam results.
discussion about something
We had a long discussion about politics.
divide into
The book is divided into three parts.
dream of (= think of, imagine)
I often dreamed of being famous when I was younger.
dream about/of (while asleep)
What does it mean if you dream about/of mountains?
dress(ed) in
Who’s the woman dressed in green?
drive into
Granny drove into a tree again yesterday.
enter into an agreement, a discussion etc
We’ve just entered into an agreement with Carsons Ltd.
example of
Sherry is an example of a fortified wine,
explain something to somebody
Could you explain this rule to me?
fight; struggle with
I’ve spent the last two weeks fighting with the tax office.
frightened of or by
He is frightened of rats.
She was frightened by a loud noise.
get in (to) and out of a car, taxi or small boat
When I got into my car, I found the radio had been stolen.
get on(to) and off a train, plane, bus, ship, (motor)bike or horse
We’ll be getting off the train in ten minutes.
good at
Are you any good at tennis?
(the) idea of...ing
I don’t like the idea of getting married yet.
ill with
The boss has been ill with flu this week.
impressed with/by
I’m very impressed with/by your work.
increase in activity, output etc
I’d like to see a big increase in productivity.
independent of or sometimes from; independence from
She got a job so that she could be independent of her parents.
When did India gain its independence from Britain?
insist on
George’s father insisted on paying.
interest/interested in
When did your interest in social work begin?
Not many people are interested in grammar.
kind to
People have always been very kind to me.
(a) lack of
Lack of time prevented me from writing.
(to) be lacking in
He is lacking in tact.
laugh at
I hate being laughed at.
laugh about
We’ll laugh about this one day.
listen to
If you don’t listen to people, they won’t listen to you.
look at (= ’point one’s eyes at’)
Stop looking at me like that.
look after (= take care of)
Thanks for looking after me when I was ill.
look for (= try to find)
Can you help me look for my keys?
marriage to; get/be married to
Her marriage to Philip didn’t last very long.
How long have you been married to Sheila?
near (to)
I came near to hitting him.
She lives near to me.
nice to
You weren’t very nice to me last night.
operate on
They operated on her yesterday evening.
pay for something that is bought
Excuse me, sir. You haven’t paid for your drink.
pleased with somebody
The boss is very pleased with you.
pleased with/about/at something
I wasn’t very pleased with/about/at my exam results.
polite to
Try to be polite to Uncle Richard for once.
prevent ... from ... ing
The noise from downstairs prevented me from sleeping.
proof of
I want proof of your identity.
reason for
Nobody knows the reason for the accident.
remind of
She reminds me of a girl I was at school with.
responsible/responsibility for
Who’s responsible for the shopping this week?
rude to
Peggy was pretty rude to them last weekend.
run into (= meet)
I ran into Philip at Victoria Station this morning.
search for (= look for)
The customs were searching for drugs at the airport.
shocked at/by
I was terribly shocked at/by the news of Peter’s accident.
shout at (aggressive)
Stop shouting at me.
shout to (= call to)
Mary shouted to us to come in and swim.
smile at
If you smile at me like that I’ll give you anything you want.
sorry about something that has happened
I’m sorry about your exam results.
sorry for/about something that one has done
I’m sorry for/about breaking your window.
sorry for a person
I feel really sorry for her children.
speak to; speak with (especially US)
Could I speak to/with your father for a moment?
suffer from
My wife is suffering from hepatitis.
surprised at/by
Everybody was surprised at/by the weather.
take part in
I don’t want to take part in any more conferences.
think of/about
I’m thinking of studying medicine.
I’ve also thought about studying dentistry.
the thought of
I hate the thought of going back to work.
throw . . . at (aggressive)
Stop throwing stones at the cars.
throw . . . to (in a game etc)
If you get the ball, throw it to me.
translate into
Could you translate this into Greek for me?
trip over
He tripped over the cat and fell downstairs.
typical of
The wine’s typical of the region.
write to
Please write to me.
wrong with
What’s wrong with Rachel today?
Prepositions before words
at the cinema; at the theatre; at a party; at university
What’s on at the cinema this week?
a book (written) by Joyce; a concerto (composed) by Mozart;
I’ve never read anything by Dickens.
by car/bike/bus/train/boat/plane/land/sea/air; on foot (but in the car, on a bus etc)
Let’s take our time and go by boat.
for... reason
My sister decided to go to America for several reasons.
from . . . point of view
Try to see it from my point of view.
In... opinion
In my opinion, she should have resigned earlier.
in the end (= finally), after a long time
In the end, I got a visa for Russia.
at the end = at the point where something stops
I think the film’s a bit weak at the end.
in pen, pencil, ink etc
Please fill in the form in ink.
in a picture, photo etc
She looks much younger in this photo.
in the rain, snow etc
in a suit, raincoat, shirt, skirt, hat etc
Who’s the man in the funny hat over there?
in a... voice
Stop talking to me in that stupid voice.
on page 120 etc
There’s a mistake on page 120.
on the radio; on TV; on the phone
Is there anything good on TV tonight?
It’s Mrs Ellis on the phone: she says it’s urgent.
on time = at the planned time; neither late nor early
Peter wants the meeting to start exactly on time.
in time = with enough time to spare; before the last moment
He would have died if they hadn’t got him to the hospital in time.
