Some verbs, adjectives, and nouns are always followed by a specific preposition, and these words keep their normal meaning. These are called dependent prepositions. For example, we say “afraid of spiders”, “interested in music”, or “good at languages”. The same happens with some verbs: “wait for the bus”, “depend on the weather”, or “belong to me”.
Verbs followed by prepositions
It’s important to understand the difference between those verbs and Phrasal Verbs, (look for, look after…) in these you’ll see verbs with prepositions in which the meaning is not evident. Check the Phrasal Verbs page here.
We use dependent prepositions when the verb is followed by an object or more information. Example:
- She is waiting.
- She is waiting for the bus.
The preposition for is needed because we add more information.
| Verb | Preposition(s) | Example |
|---|---|---|
| listen | to | She listens to music every day. |
| depend | on | It depends on the weather. |
| belong | to | This book belongs to me. |
| think | of / about | I’m thinking of/about my holiday. |
| talk | to / about | He talked to me about his job. |
| wait | for | We are waiting for the bus. |
| agree | with / on | I agree with you on that idea. |
| apologize | for / to | He apologized for the mistake to his teacher. |
| apply | for | She applied for a new job. |
| ask | for / about | He asked for help. / She asked about the meeting. |
| believe | in | Do you believe in ghosts? |
| care | about / for | She doesn’t care about money. / He cares for his grandmother. |
| concentrate | on | Please concentrate on your homework. |
| deal | with | How do you deal with stress? |
| dream | about / of | I dream about traveling. / She dreams of being famous. |
| laugh | at | They laughed at his joke. |
| look | at | Look at the board. |
| rely | on | You can rely on me. |
| succeed | in | He succeeded in passing the exam. |
| suffer | from | She suffers from headaches. |
| worry | about | Don’t worry about it. |
Adjectives followed by prepositions
Some adjectives must be followed by a specific preposition when we add more information. The dependent prepositions connect the adjective to the thing we are describing. Examples:
- She is afraid of spiders.
- He is good at math.
- They are interested in science.
| Adjective | Preposition(s) | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| good / bad | at | She is good at math. |
| afraid | of | I’m afraid of spiders. |
| interested | in | He’s interested in history. |
| angry | at / with / about | She was angry at me about the mess. |
| proud | of | They are proud of their son. |
| famous | for | Paris is famous for its food. |
| different | from | This shirt is different from mine. |
| similar | to | Your bag is similar to mine. |
| worried | about | I’m worried about my exam. |
| jealous | of | He’s jealous of his brother. |
| responsible | for | She’s responsible for the project. |
| married | to | He is married to my cousin. |
| excited | about | The kids are excited about the trip. |
| tired | of | I’m tired of waiting. |
| pleased | with | She’s pleased with her new job. |
| famous | for | The city is famous for its beaches. |
| dependent | on | The team is dependent on one player. |
| capable | of | She’s capable of solving this problem. |
| keen | on | He’s very keen on football. |
| satisfied | with | I’m satisfied with the results. |
| disappointed | with / in / about | He was disappointed with the score. |
Nouns followed by prepositions
Some nouns are also followed by specific prepositions when we add more information. The dependent prepositions connect the noun to the extra information. Examples:
- The demand for engineers is increasing.
- She has a strong interest in music.
- They had a long discussion about the problem.
| Noun | Preposition(s) | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| reason | for | The reason for his absence is unclear. |
| interest | in | She has an interest in music. |
| solution | to | They found a solution to the problem. |
| love | for | His love for animals is obvious. |
| answer | to | She gave the answer to the question. |
| attitude | to / towards | His attitude towards work is very positive. |
| connection | with / between | The police are looking for a connection between the two crimes. |
| relationship | with / between | She has a good relationship with her parents. |
| effect | on | Stress can have a bad effect on your health. |
| damage | to | The storm caused damage to the house. |
| demand | for | There is high demand for electric cars. |
| difficulty | in | He has difficulty in speaking English. |
| increase / decrease | in | There was an increase in prices last year. |
| advantage / disadvantage | of | The advantage of this plan is its simplicity. |
| cause | of | Smoking is a major cause of cancer. |
| example | of | That is a good example of teamwork. |
| need | for | There is a need for better communication. |
| influence | on | His teacher had a big influence on him. |
| respect | for | I have a lot of respect for my parents. |
| rise / fall | in | There has been a rise in unemployment. |
Dependent Prepositions Exercises
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