14 2 Verb or adjective + preposition Verb (+ preposition) Here are some common examples of verbs which are usually followed by a particular preposition. You will probably know most of these verbs, but do you always get the preposition right? Pay special attention to any that are diferent in your language. 1 often listen to the radio. ‘My brother never agrees with me. (= he never has the same viewsopinion as me) may go to the match; it really depends on the weather. (= the weather will decide for me} He suffers from (= has the unpleasant/bad experience of} a type of diabetes. He got married to a gir] he met in France Tm going to apologise (= say sorry) for the mistakes we made. She has applied (= made a written request) for a new job. ‘They were waiting for me when I arrived. Don't worry (= be nervous) about your exam it'll be OK. She complained (= said she was not satisfied) to the waiter abou the food, (You complain to someone about something.) He spends a lot of money on clothes and discos. Thar dictionary belongs to Rolf. (= it is Rol!’ dictionary) Changes of meaning Sometimes a verb may be followed by different prepositions, and the ‘meaning changes He threw the ball at me. (= in order to hit me; pethaps he was angry) He threw the ball to me. (= for me to catch it) He shouted to me. He shouted at me, in order to communicate with me) hhe was angry with me} Adjective (+ preposition) was never very good at mathematics. She is afraid of (= frightened of) flying, {Pm very keen om Italian food. (= I like Italian food very much) She is similar to (= almost the same as) her older sister, but very different from her brother, He's very interested in antique furniture | was surprised at (or by) the weather; it rained nearly every day. I think she is aware of (= knows about) the problems in her class. [Pm tired of studying forcign languages. (= I've had enough and I want to stop) The streets are full of rubbish. (= there is rubbish everywhere in the streets) There is something wrong with this TV. (= the TV is not working/functioning correctly) English Vocabulary in Use (preintermeclate & intermedite)14.1 14.2 14.3 144 Exercises Finish these questions with the correct preposition, then write a short answer for each one. 1 a: Whar exactly is she worried .....? ‘a: What subjects is she good ......? ‘az Who is she waiting... ‘A: What job is she applying .....? ‘A: What programme is she listening. ‘a: What did she complain ....? ‘a: What did she apologise ...? ‘a: Who does this car belong .....? a a 10 a: What kind of films is she interested 11a: What will he decision depend 12a: What is she afraid ....2 know she was angry ut who was she shouting... ? Match the sentence beginnings on the left with the endings on the right. 1 He suffers 2 She wasn’t aware 3 He threw the book 4 She complained 5 She said it was similar 6 She applied 7 She shouted 8 He said ir depends 9 The suitcase was full 10 She's tired 1. She apologised 12 was very surprised at me, but it missed for a job in Australia from a rare illness. to the man across the lake. for the mistake, at his choice. of clothes. to the one she has. of working at weekends. of her mistakes. about the bad service. Complete these sentences in a way that is logical and grammatically correct. If possible, ‘compare your answers with someone who has also done this exe My steak was overcooked, so I complained When I was a child I sometimes wore clothes that belonged I want to help poor people, so I have decided to apply Twork quite hard but I'm not very good In the summer a lot of people suffer T've always been interested. Tm very keen A lot of people are afraid People in my country are very different When T went to + Iwas very surprised A good dictionary will ell you if a verb or adjective is usually followed by a special preposition. Sometimes the preposition is shown after the verb or adjective; sometimes itis illustrated in the example sentences. Use a dictionary to find the preposition that often follows these words. fond (ad}) concentrate (v) EnglshVocabuery in Use (preintermedite & intermedi) responsible (adi) rely (v) 315 Preposition + noun 34 A ‘Common patterns ‘There are many expressions formed by a preposition + noun, and sometimes a preposition js used with a particular meaning in a number of expressions, so they ate very common. ‘A book by Stephen King, a film by Steven Spielberg, a song by Elton John, You can go for 2 walk, for a drive, for a run, fora swim. ‘You can go in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening (buat SE ‘You can travel by car, by plane, by bus, by coach, by train, by taxi (buon foo 1 heard it on the radio; I avr it on TV; I spoke to her on the phone (but Tread fin the newspaper, in a magazine) ‘The man in the dark suit (= wearing the dark suit); the woman in the red dress. ixed expressions Sometimes i s difficult ro know why a particular preposition is used, and you must learn these as fixed expressions. 1 took his pen by mistake. (= I thought it was my pen) I did all the work by myself. (= on my own; without help from others) ‘The shoes are made by hand. ( = not by machine) ‘The workers are on strike. (= they refuse to work because of a problem over pay, hours, etc.) | met them by chance. (= it wasn’t planned ~ it was luck) The childsen are on holiday. (= they ace having a holiday) He broke the plate by accident. {= he did not want to do it — it was an error/mistake) He broke the plate on purpose. = he wanted to do it and intended to do it) ‘There are two million out of work. (= without a job) ‘There were at least fifty people at the party. (= a minimum of SO) In time or on time? Sometimes two prepositions can be used with the same noun, but the meaning is different. Lessons begin at 8.30 and I always arrive on time. (= at 8.30) Lessons begin at 8.30 and I always get there in time. (= before 8.30; I'm not late) In the end we went home. (= finally, after a long period) At the end of the book they get married, The two men are in business. (= they are businessmen) The two men are in Germany on business, (= they are there for work and not for a holiday) (= very soon} Lean't speak to you at the moment. (= right now) Englth Vocabulary in Use (presntermediate & intermedi)