100 Preposition Collocations You Should Know
Chances are you struggle with prepositions. Most English learners do.
There are so many collocations to learn, and oftentimes these word combinations don’t seem to make sense.
To help you learn these collocations, here are 100 preposition collocations that you should know.
Look at the list and then try the practice exercises below. (By itself, this list won’t do you much good. To actually learn the collocations, you’ll have to practice them.)
Preposition Collocations 1
Preposition Collocations 2
Preposition Collocations 3
Preposition Collocations 4
absent from
“I’m going to be absent from class next Friday. I have a doctor’s appointment.”
abstain from
“Did your doctor tell you to abstain from eating before your surgery?”
accompanied by
“Promotions should be accompanied by raises.”
account for
“Defense spending accounts for a large portion of the budget.”
accuse of
“Has anyone ever accused you of stealing something?”
addicted to
“Sadly, a growing number of Americans are becoming addicted to heroin and other opioids.”
admire someone for
“We admire Bill and Melinda Gates for their philanthropy.”
advantage over
“What advantages do we have over the competition?”
advertisement for
“Yesterday I saw an advertisement for a ridiculous product.”
agree to/on something
“Did you and your wife agree on/to a color scheme for the living room?”
agree with someone
“It seems we’ll never agree with each other on this, so let’s talk about something else.”
allergic to
“Are you allergic to shellfish?”
anxious about
“Many people get anxious about flying.”
appeal to
“Long road trips just don’t appeal to me anymore.”
approve of
“I don’t think management is going to approve of your new haircut.”
ashamed of
“Many people from that country are ashamed of their government.”
aware of
“Since moving to the city, I’m much more aware of fashion trends.”
benefit from
“Will the middle class really benefit from this new law?”
bet on
“Millions of people bet on the Super Bowl.”
blame someone for
“Let’s find a solution instead of just blaming people for what happened.”
capable of
“This plane is capable of speeds of over 500 miles per hour.”
certain of
“These psychics seem to be 100% certain of their abilities.”
charge for
“I can’t believe they charge for refills at this restaurant.”
a class on
“You can take classes on a variety of topics at your local community college.”
collaborate with
“Who did Kanye West collaborate with on his latest album?”
comment on
“The judge ordered the jury not to comment on the case.”
commit to
“If you can’t commit to taking care of a pet, then you shouldn’t have one.”
composed of
“Hair is mostly composed of keratin.”
congratulations on
“Congratulations on your promotion!”
consist of
“My diet consists of fast food and cereal.”
content with
“Are you content with your current cell phone provider?”
contribute to
“I didn’t have much to contribute to the discussion.”
convert to
“What famous people have converted to Judaism?”
cope with
“Psychologists can help their patients cope with the loss of a loved one.”
crash into
“The car spun out of control and crashed into a wall.”
credit for
“I can’t take all the credit for this—everyone contributed.”
cruel to
“People who are cruel to animals don’t have my respect.”
damage to
“There was damage to the car, but the driver and passengers were okay.”
dedicated to
“This book is dedicated to my mother.”
definition of
“What’s the definition of unscrupulous?”
delay in
“Out-of-stock products result in delays in shipment.”
delighted with
“The coach was delighted with her team’s effort.”
dependent on
“Some people think we should be less dependent on foreign oil.”
deprive someone of
“What happens when the brain is deprived of oxygen?”
description of
“Were the witnesses able to provide an accurate description of the thief?”
discouraged by
“Investors are discouraged by the news.”
discuss something with someone
“We should discuss the proposal with John.”
dismiss from
“Do you think we’ll get dismissed from class early this Friday?”
dispose of
“Hazardous materials must be safely disposed of.”
emphasis on
“My English course places an emphasis on conversation.”
engaged to
“Mike is engaged to a woman from Georgia.”
excuse for
“There is simply no excuse for being late.”
exempt from
“Are low-income earners exempt from paying taxes?”
expert on
“My friend is an expert on parenting.”
famous for
“France is famous for its food and culture.”
fed up with
“Citizens are fed up with government corruption.”
focus on
“It can be hard to focus on your work when people are talking loudly.”
heir to
“It must be nice to be the heir to a large company.”
hope of
“Experts fear we have no hope of reversing the effects of global warming.”
idea of
“Do you object to the idea of government-run healthcare?”
identical to
“You look identical to your mother.”
impact on
“Good books have an impact on you long after you finish reading them.”
indifferent to
“Congress was criticized for being indifferent to the problem.”
infer from
“What can we infer from the speaker’s comments?”
inferior to
“All other brands of ketchup are inferior to Heinz.”
insist on
“Thankfully, my friend insisted on paying for dinner.”
intent on
“Some actors are intent on doing their own stunts.”
interest in
“Has he always expressed an interest in trains?”
invest in
“I should have invested in Bitcoin when it was first introduced.”
joke about
“Please don’t joke about my weight.”
key to
“Patience is the key to success.”
make an impression on
“A good suit will help you make a good impression on your interviewers.”
member of
“Are you a member of any community organizations?”
memory of
“Many people don’t have any memory of being three years old.”
name someone after someone else
“Was Grover named after Grover Cleveland?”
notorious for
“Los Angeles is notorious for smog.”
object to
“Some of our employees objected to the new dress code.”
occur to
“It occurred to me that I hadn’t eaten all day.”
praise someone for
“Teachers should praise their students for their efforts.”
prefer something to something else
“I think most people prefer Coke to Pepsi.”
preference for
“We both have a strong preference for being outdoors.”
prevent something from + gerund
“If you want to prevent your son from lying, encourage him to be honest with you.”
prohibit someone from + gerund
“All students are prohibited from smoking on campus.”
prone to
“Some breeds of dogs are prone to arthritis.”
protection from
“Which sunscreen will give me the best protection from the sun?”
reaction to
“What was the internet’s reaction to the news?”
recover from
“An unhealthy lifestyle makes it more difficult to recover from an illness.”
refrain from
“Please refrain from talking during the test.”
reputation for
“Some artists have a reputation for extravagance.”
respond to
“All our staff are trained to respond to emergency situations.”
responsible for
“What do you think is responsible for this trend?”
sensitive to
“My eyes are very sensitive to light.”
separate something/someone from
“The prison has a glass wall to separate inmates from their visitors.”
subscribe to
“Please subscribe to my newsletter.”
succeed in/at
“It takes an incredible amount of skill to succeed at this level.”
suffer from
“Millions of people suffer from diabetes.”
superior to
“In general, I think name-brand products are superior to generic brands.”
Reminder: Staring at a list of preposition collocations won’t help you learn them. You have to practice.
To practice, try these exercises:
Preposition Collocations 1
Preposition Collocations 2
Preposition Collocations 3
Preposition Collocations 4
