Prepositions and Phrasal Verbs in English

Posted on Mar 5, 2025 in Other vocational courses

Prepositions in English

Understanding prepositions is crucial for mastering English. Here’s a breakdown of common prepositions and the words they often pair with:

Preposition Combinations

AT: amazed, surprised, good, bad
AGAINST: prejudiced
FOR: bad, famous, late, ready, sorry, suitable, useful, responsible
TO: accustomed, allergic, close, contrary, due, inferior, married, similar
ABOUT: angry, annoyed, anxious, certain, crazy, curious, excited, glad, happy, hesitant, honest, mad, puzzled, sincere, sorry, sure, worried
OF: afraid, ashamed, aware, envious, fond, full, guilty, independent, jealous, proud, sure, suspicious, tired
WITH: angry, annoyed, delighted, disappointed, patient, pleased, satisfied
FROM: absent, different, safe, separate
ON: keen
IN: interested

Verb and Preposition Combinations

OF: accuse, approve, consist, convince, die, dream, inform, rob, smell, suspect
AGAINST: be, play, protest
INTO: change, translate, disagree, argue, coincide, combine, compare, compromise, confront, contrast, cope, deal, infect, rhyme, share
IN: believe, consist, indulge, invest, succeed
FROM: borrow, derive, die, differ, escape, rescue, resign, retire, save, separate, steal, suffer
ON: comment, concentrate, congratulate, count, decide, depend, feed, insist, lean, rely, spend, work
TO: add, adapt, admit, attend, belong, commit, complain, confess, dedicate, introduce, lend, object, offer, point
AT: aim, laugh, point, shoot, smile, stare, wonder
FOR: apologize, apply, arrest, ask, beg, blame, care, charge, compensate, exchange, hope, long, pay, search, send, sigh, substitute, thank, vote, wait
ABOUT: agree, argue, ask, complain, dream, joke, laugh, speak, talk, think, worry
BETWEEN: choose

Common Expressions with Prepositions

These expressions use prepositions in idiomatic ways:

Out of breath
Out of danger
Out of date
Out of luck
Out of order
Out of sight
On board
On fire
On holiday
On purpose
On second thoughts
On time
On the way
On the whole
In fact
In a hurry
In love
In order
In trouble
In tears
In time
By accident
By all means
By chance
By heart
By no means
By mistake
By myself
By surprise
By the way
At ease
At first
At home
At last
At least
At once
At present
At school
At sea
At times
Off the record
Under protest
Under suspicion
Up to date / Up to now
Without doubt

Phrasal Verbs in English

Phrasal verbs combine a verb with a preposition or adverb, creating a new meaning.

Common Phrasal Verbs and Their Meanings

BRING OUT: To release or publish
BRING UP: To mention in a conversation
CATCH ON: To become popular
CATCH UP WITH: To get up to date
CLEAR UP: To clarify
COME ACROSS: To find by chance
COUNT ON: To rely on someone
CUT DOWN: To fell (a tree)
DIE OUT: To become extinct
DROP OUT: To quit, to abandon
FIGURE OUT: To find the answer
GET ALONG: To be on good terms with someone
GET AWAY WITH: To escape punishment
GIVE AWAY: To reveal a secret
GIVE OFF: To produce a gas or smell
GIVE UP: To quit, to abandon
GO OFF: To rot, to spoil (food)
HANG UP: To end a phone call
HOLD ON: To wait a moment
JOIN IN: To participate
KEEP OUT: To prevent entry
LET IN: To allow entry
LET OFF: To pardon, to excuse
LOOK DOWN ON: To despise
LOOK FORWARD TO: To anticipate with pleasure
MAKE UP: To invent
PASS AWAY: To die
PASS OUT: To faint
PAY BACK: To return money
PUT OFF: To postpone
PUT OUT: To extinguish a fire
PUT THROUGH TO: To connect by phone
READ OUT: To read aloud
RUN INTO: To meet by chance
RUN OUT OF: To exhaust the supply of something
RUN OVER: To hit with a vehicle
SAVE UP: To accumulate money
SET UP: To establish a business
STAY IN: To remain at home
TAKE DOWN: To write down
TAKE IN: To accept, to understand
TAKE ON: To accept a challenge
TAKE UP: To start a hobby or activity
THROW AWAY: To discard
THROW UP: To vomit
TURN OFF: To switch off
TURN ON: To switch on
TURN OVER: To change the channel (TV)
WALK AWAY: To leave uninjured
WORK OUT: To solve a problem