Idiomatic use of Prepositions and Conjunctions

An Idiom is an expression in the usage of a language that is peculiar to itself either grammatically or in having a meaning that cannot be derived from the conjoined meanings of its elements. It is a style or form of artistic expression. In simple words an Idiom is an expression that means something more than its literal sense.

 A Preposition is a word that is used with a noun or a pronoun to show its relation to some other word in the sentence. There is no hard and fast rule to explain why a particular verb or adjective takes a particular preposition after it. In English the use of preposition is largely a matter of convention, a matter of idiom. A Conjunction is a word that joins words, phrase, clauses and sentences. Although prepositional usage and is extremely difficult to master, the subject of preposition is very important and can be learnt by careful reading and constant practice.

 Certain nouns, adjectives and verbs are idiomatically used with particular prepositions and conjunctions, and lend a new meaning to the sentence.

 

Idiomatic use of Prepositions and Conjunctions (Words Followed by Appropriate prepositions)

 

A

·       Abide by: a promise, a decision to stick to it: Once you have made a promise, you ought to abide by it.

·       Abound in: to be rich in: This tank abounds in fish.

·       Abound with: to be infested with: The forest abounds with elephants and lions.

·       Absolve from: to free from, to acquit of: nothing can absolve you from your responsibility.

·       Absorbed in: engrossed in: The singer was absorbed in singing.

·       Abstain from: to keep away from, to avoid, especially strong drinks: The doctor advised the patient to abstain from liquor.

·       Accede to a request to the terms and conditions of an agreement: to agree to: My friends will accede to my wishes in this matter.

·       Acceptable to: Your terms are not acceptable to me.

·       Access to: approach to: A financially sound person can manage an easy access to

the authorities.

·       Accompanied with something: Rain was accompanied with a hail storm.

·       Accompanied by a person: I went to the movies accompanied by my cousin.

·       Accord with: to agree: Your present statement does not accord with what you said last week.

·       Accord to: to extend, to grant: (a) We accorded a hearty welcome to Dr. Rao when he came to preside over our annual function. (b) The president accorded sanction to the new bill.

·       Accordance with: He acts strictly in accordance with the rules.

·       According to: He helped me according to his word.

·       Account for: to explain: His extravagance accounts for his poverty.

·       Accuse of: to charge with, to blame for: He was accused of theft.

·       Accustomed to: to be used to: Indians accustomed to playing only on slow courts, lost the match to the Australians.

·       Acquainted with: having knowledge of: I am not in a position to give any decision since I am not acquainted with all the facts of the case.

·       Acquiesce in: to agree silently, passively: Don’t just acquiesce in any proposal brought forward; accept it only if you find it reasonable.

·       Acquitte of: free from: For want of any definite evidence against him, he was

acquitted of the charge.

·       Acquit one self in: to behave have: He acquitted himself creditably in the discharge of his duties.

·       Act upon: an advice, order, etc: You must act upon this letter at once, or it will be too late.

·       Adapt to: adjust with: Try to adapt yourself to your circumstances if you want to be happy.

·       Add to: to increase: Do not add injury to insult.

·       Addicted to: given to something usually evil: Being addicted to drinking and gambling, he soon squandered away his property.

·       Adhere to: stick to: We must adhere to our principles at all costs.

·       Adjacent to: next to: His shop is adjacent to a departmental store.

·       Admit to: He was admitted to the college.

·       Admit of: to allow, leave room for: Your conduct does not admit of any excuse.

·       Afflicted at: pained at, distressed at: She felt afflicted at the death of her only son.

·       Afflicted with: The old man was afflicted with pain in the joints.

·       Afraid of: You are afraid of your father.

·       Agree to a thing, proposal: They unanimously agreed to my proposal.

·       Agree with a person: They agreed with me that corruption is at the root of the slow progress of our country.

·       Agree on a subject: We all agree on this point.

·       Aim at: He aimed his rifle at the leopard.

·       Akin to: related to: I experienced a feeling akin to remorse.

·       Alarmed at: We were alarmed at the news of a theft in our locality.

·       Alien to: foreign to: He is alien to any feeling of self respect.

·       Alight from: to get down from: The soldier alighted from the horse and saluted his commander.

·       Alive to: conscious of: He is not alive to the weakness of his son.

·       Alive with: Connaught Place is always alive with people.

·       Alliance with: union with: We desired a marriage alliance with a noble family living in our neighbourhood.

·       Allot to: Occupy only the seats alloted to you.

·       Allude to: foreign to refer: He alluded to the partition of India in his speech.

·       Amazed at: surprised at: I am amazed at your courage.

•        Angry at something: I got angry at his behaviour.

·       Angry with a person: The teacher got angry at the student.

•  Annoyed at something: I was annoyed at his pranks.

·       Annoyed with a person: The teacher was annoyed with the students.

·       Anxious for or about: The child is quite safe, you need not feel anxious for him.

·       Apologize to a person for something: He had to apologize to the principal for his misconduct in the class.

·       Appeal to a person for or against something: He appealed to the Principal for mercy.

·       Appetite for a thing: How can the appetite for worldly reaches be appeased?

·       Applied to a person for something: He applied to the manager for the post of clerk.

·       Appoint a person to a situation: He was appointed to the post of the general manager of a reputed industrial concern.

·       Apprise of: to inform: If you apprise me of the situation in time, I shall help you to face it.

·       Approve of: Everybody approved of his plan of joining IAS.

·       Aptitude for: talent for: Do not undertake any assignment unless you have an

aptitude for it.

·       Argue with a person on a subject, for or against something: Do not argue with

your elders.

·       Arrive at a place: He arrived at the station well in time.

·       Ashamed of: One should be ashamed of ones mistake.

·       Ask about: I asked my friend about the welfare of his family.

·       Asked for: Go to the top floor and ask for Mr. Chopra.

·       Aspire to: He aspired to become a doctor.

·       Assent to: A bill has to be passed by both the houses before the president gives his assent to it.

·       Assure of: I can assure of my innocence.

·       Astonished at: His father was astonished at his cleverness.

·       Authority on: Our principal is an authority on modern algebra.

·       Authority over: I have no authority over this gentleman, I can only request him to lend me his co-operation.

·       Atone for a fault: to make amends for it: He atoned for his earlier betrayal with a lie long devotion.

·       Attend to: Please attend to what I say.

·       Attend upon: to look after: He had no servant to attend upon him.

·       Attribute to: to assigned to, to ascribe to: His success may be attributed to his diligence.

·       Avail oneself of: to make use of: Unless you avail yourself of the opportunities

that fall your way, you can not be successful.

·       Award to: A prize was awarded to him for having won the rifle shooting championship.

·       Aware of: to have knowledge of: Are you aware of the latest changes in the syllabus.

B

·       Banish from: to expel: He was banished from the kingdom for having plotted against the crown prince.

·       Beg of or from a person: He begged of money from me.

·       Beg for: He begged for help, but got none.

·       Believe in: We believe in reasoning out things.

·       Belong to: He belongs to a respectable family.

·       Beware of: Beware of doing wrong to any man.

·       Blame for: Why do blame me for this?

·       Bless with: He has been blessed with a son.

·       Blind of: Maharaja Ranjeet Singh was blind of one eye.

·       Blind to: Most people are usually blind to their own shortcomings.

·       Boast of: I agree that he is talented but he boasts of his talent a bit too much.

·       Born of: Jawahar Lal Nehru was born of his rich parents at Allahabad

·       Bound for: The train is bound for Calcutta.

·       Brood over: to think constantly of: It is no use brooding over past failures.

 

 

C

·       Call on a person.

·       Call at one's house.

·       Capable of: If he is guided properly, he is capable of showing much better result.

·       Care of (care as a verb): You must care for what your parents say.

·       Care of (care as a noun): One should take care of one's health.

·       Celebrated for: famous for: Amritsar is celebrated for its Golden Temple.

·       Certain of: sure of: He is quite certain of getting a first class in the examination hall.

·       Charge with: to accuse of: The treasurer was charged with having instigated others against the manager.

·       Clamour for: To make a loud demand for: The workers are clamouring for

higher wages.

·       Close to: Close to the college building is the Principal’s residence.

·       Coincide with: to accord with: His view in this matter does not coincide with

me.

·       Collide with: The tonga collided with a car and the horse was killed.

·       Commence on: to begin on: Our examination commences on next Monday.

·       Commit to: to imprison: The suspect was committed to the court.

·       Common to: Human weaknesses like greed, pride, jealousy are common to all.

·       Compare with (used with things belonging to the same class): Compare this pen

with that.

·       Compare to (used for dissimilar things): Life may be compared to a dream.

·       Compatible with: consistent with, in agreement with: His actions are hardly

compatible with the tall moral claims he makes.

·       Compete with a person for something: Twenty candidates competed with each other for the first prize.

·       Complain to a person, of something, against another person: The patient

complained of giddiness.

·       Comply with: to agree to: My friend willingly complied with my request for some financial assistance.

·       Composed of: made up of: Water is composed of hydrogen and oxygen.

·       Conceal from: to hide from: Certain facts have to be concealed even from one's dearest friend.

·       Condemn to: imprisonment, death, etc. for a crime: He was condemned to death for having a committed a murder.

·       Condole with: to express sympathy with: His friends condoled with him in his bereavement.

·       Confer a favour on someone: to grant someone a favour: An honorary degree was

conferred on him.

·       Confide a secret to someone: I confined my plans to him in the hope of getting some help and guidance.

·       Confident of success: He was confident of his success in the examinations.

·       Confidence in a person: I have confidence in my assistants.

·       Confined to: laid up with: He is still confined to bed with fever.

·       Conform to: to abide by: while making this furniture, you must conform to the specifications given by me.

·       Congenial to: suitable to one's disposition: The atmosphere in this office is not congenial to me.

·       Congratulate on: He congratulated me on my success in the election.

·       Connive at: to ignore: Never connive at the shortcomings of your children.

·       Conscious of: aware of: I am fully conscious of my limitations.

·       Consent to: agree to: I can not consent to the proposal you have made.

·       Consist of: to be made up of: Our family consists of six members.

·       Consist in: to lie in: Happiness consists in contentment.

·       Conspire against: to plot against: The rebels conspired against the government.

·       Contrast one object with another.

·       Control over: I have no control over what he does.

·       Convenient to: You may come to see me at any time convenient to you.

·       Convenient for: It is quite convenient for me to come to your place this Sunday.

·       Conversant with: well acquainted: I am quite conversant with the local politics.

·       Convey to: It has been conveyed to all the delegates that they are required to produce identification cards.

·       Convince of: I do not fight for a cause unless I am fully convinced of its justness.

·       Cope with: to contend with, to be equal to: We need three more hands to cope with the heavy rush of work.

·       Count on: to depend on: Don't count on others help, try to be self supported.

·       Crowned with: rewarded with: His efforts were crowned with success.

 

D

·       Deal with a person: to treat him: I had to be very patient while dealing with the naughty child.

·       Deal in: to trade in something: We deal in stainless steel goods.

·       Deal out: to distribute: Deal out these cards thirteen each to the four players.

·       Delight with a person; delight at something; to delight in something.

·       Demand for: There is a great demand for Indian handicrafts in some of the western countries.

·       Depend on: I can depend on the sincerity of my servant.

·       Desire for: A saint has no desire for worldly pleasure.

·       Desirous of: She is desirous of getting married to a rich man.

·       Desist from: To give up the idea of doing something: I desisted from helping him with money when I came to know that he was a spendthrift.

·       Despair of: To give up hope: He did not despair of success despite his repeated failures.

·       Desperate of: Growing desperate of recovery, she committed suicide.

·       Destined to: preordained for, marked beforehand for: She was destined to be a queen.

·       Destitute of: in want of: He was destitute of friends as well as money.

·       Detrimental to: harmful to: Drinking is detrimental to health.

·       Deviate from: to digress from: No progress is possible unless one deviates from

the beaten track and explores new regions.

·       Devoid of: lacking common sense, good humour, manners, etc.: It is an amusing irony that those who preach good manners are usually devoid of even ordinary courtesy.

·       Devoted to: given to: He is devoted to his duty.

·       Differ with: Persons differ with each other: I differ with you on this subject.

·       Differ from: Birds differ from beasts.

·       Diligent in one's work: hard working: She is very diligent in her work.

·       Disgrace to: A morally depraved officer is a disgrace to his country.

·       Disgusted with a person: feeling sick of: I am thoroughly disgusted with my servants.

·       Disgusted at: I felt disgusted at his rude behaviour.

·       Dispense with: to dismiss, to do without: The principal dispensed with the services of his poem.

·       Dispose of: to get rid of, to sell: I can not buy a new house unless I dispose of the one I am now living in.

·       Dissent from: disagreement from: I express my dissent from the decisions taken at this meeting and resign from the membership of the club.

·       Dissuade from: to advise to refrain from: I dissuaded him from taking up the job of a clerk in a government office.

·       Distinguish between two things; to distinguish one thing from other.

·       Distrust of: suspicion of: I have a distrust of him who does not express his opinions frankly.

·       Divert from: to turn aside: He diverted my attention from the main point under discussion.

·       Divide between two persons; divide among more than two; divide into two parts.

·       Dream of: Ram dreams of becoming of a doctor.

·       Due to: His failure was due to his carelessness.

·       Dull of: This child is dull of understanding.

·       Dwell on: to emphasis: The speaker dwelt on the subject of economic planning at length.

E

·       Eager for: to have keen desire for: The boys are eager for success in the examination.

·       Eligible for: fit to be selected for: Only graduates are eligible for this post.

·       Embark on: to begin an enterprise: Before you decide to embark on a new venture, carefully weigh its pros and cons.

·       Enamoured of: attracted with: The youngman was enamoured of her beauty at the very first sight.

·       Encroach on: to intrude on: I am sorry to encroach on your time.

·       Endow with: to grant: Milton believed he had been endowed with a talent for writing poetry.

·       Engaged to: betrothed: She is engaged to a doctor.

·       Engaged in some work: busy in: He is engaged in preparing his project.

·       Enquire of a person about something: enquire after one's health: I enquired of

him about the theft.

·       Enquire into some matter: He enquired into the matter of murder.

·       Enter into an agreement: The two teams entered into a secret agreement.

·       Entitled to: to have a claim to: You are not entitled to damages unless you possess a comprehensive insurance policy.

·       Entrust to: The job of making purchases from the market was entrusted to him.

·       Entrust with: He was entrusted with the job of making purchases from the market.

·       Envious of: Feeling envious of the brilliant result of his cousin, he also started working hard.

·       Equal to: He proved equal to the situation.

·       Escape from: He wanted escape from the miseries of life.

·       Esteem for: respect for: All my friends have a great esteem for my parents.

·       Excel in: to be very good at: She excels in singing classical songs.

·       Exchange with: I can exchange my watch with yours.

·       Exchange for: I am prepared to exchange this watch for a transistor.

·       Exempt from: free from: He was exempted from the payment of the college dues.

·       Expose to: to lay open to: He was exposed to extreme cold because of which he caught pneumonia.

·       Exult at success: to rejoice at: It is quite natural to exult at one's success.

·       Exult over a fallen enemy: A true sportsman will never exult over the defeat of his rivals.

F

·       Faith in: One can work wonders in life if one has faith in oneself.

·       Faithful to: We should be faithful to our friends if we want them to be faithful to

us.

·       False to: You will be false to none if you are not false to yourself.

·       Familiar with: I am not familiar with this locality.

·       Familiar to: His face is not familiar to me.

·       Famous for: Sanchi is famous for its Budha Stupas.

·       Fatal to: deadly to: Laziness is fatal to success in life.

·       Favourable to: The magistrate's decision was favourable to me.

·       Favour with: Can you favour me with a little help?

·       Fawn on: to flatter: It is meanness to seek promotion through fawning on one's superiors.

·       Feed on: Cows feed on grass. He feeds on flattery.

·       Fight with, for: I can fight with anyone for my friend.

·       Fight against: We should not fight against our kith and kin.

·       Fit for a job: He is fit for the job of a peon.

·       Fond of: Children are fond of sweets.

·       Fondness for: He has a fondness for reading novels.

·       Foreign to: He is foreign to all sense of shame.

·       Fly at: to attack: A ferocious dog flew at me as I entered the bungalow.

·       Free from blame, worry, etc.

·       Full of: Your article is full of grammatical mistakes.

·       Furnish with: to supply with: Kindly furnish me with a specimen copy of this book.

 

G

·       Get over: to overcome: His perseverance helped him in getting over his weakness.

·       Get at: to reach at: I could not get at the book you suggested.

·       Gifted with: My younger sister is gifted with a very good memory.

·       Glad at a result: I am glad at my success.

·       Glance at: to cast a look at: He glanced at the messenger and dismissed him.

·       Glance over: look at something: He glanced at the letter hurriedly.

·       Glory in: to take pride in: We glory in the victory of our country.

·       Good at: Australians are very good at cricket and tennis.

·       Good to: He is good to others though he is very strict.

·       Grapple with: to contend with; fight with: We should courageously grapple with

the difficulties of life.

·       Grasp at: to catch at: The child eagerly grasped at the butterfly.

·       Grumble at: He grumbled at the meagre allowance his father gave him every month.

·       Grieve for a person.

·       Grieve at something.

·       Guard against a mistake, an injury.

·       Guilty of: You have been guilty of giving false evidence.

 

H

·       Hanker after money, fame, power etc.: Hankering after riches is not an idle pursuit at least in the modern materialistic world.

·       Hard of hearing: Having low hearing power: My friend is hard of hearing.

·       Heedless of: without caring for: He persisted in his struggle heedless of the consequences.

·       Heir to: The crown prince, heir to the throne, found his life in grave danger.

·       Hide something from a person.

·       Hinge on: to depend on: My whole future hinges on my result in the degree examination.

·       Hint at something.

·       Hope for something.

·       Hopeful of: The doctor is quite hopeful of the patient's recovery.

·       Hostile to: opposed to: When he found even his friends hostile to his proposal, he withdrew it.

I

·       Identified with: to associate oneself completely with: He is so devoted to his job that he has almost identified himself with it.

·       Ignorant of: uninformed about, having no knowledge of: You can not be absolved from a crime because you are the ignorant of the law.

·       Imbued with: inspired with: We need youngmen imbued with the spirit of self- sacrifice.

·       Immaterial to: unimportant: It is immaterial to me whether my work earns praise or is badly condemned.

·       Impose on, upon: A heavy responsibility was imposed on him at a very early age.

·       Impress an idea on a person: The speaker impressed on his audience the importance of political awareness among the masses.

·       Impute to: to ascribe to, to attribute to: The loss of some confidential files from the chief secretary table is being imputed to his peon.

·       Incentive to: an inspiration to: Poverty often acts as an incentive to hard work.

·       Indifferent to: unconcerned with, heedless of: He is indifferent to flattery and censure.

·       Indispensable to: necessary for: You might be a very suitable candidate for the job, but do not think that you are indispensable to me.

·       Indulge in: to gratify, to give a free court to: One must not indulge in luxuries until one can afford them.

·       Infer from: to deduce from: Nothing definite can be inferred from the statements made by these culprits.

·       Inferior to: Goods made in India are no longer inferior to the imported ones.

·       Infested with: haunted by: This city is infested with rogues and rascals.

·       Influence over: The Chief Minister has no influence over his cabinet.

·       Inherent in: abiding in: Selfishness is inherent in man.

·       Injurious to: harmful to: Indulgence in anything may prove injurious to health.

·       Insight into: penetration into: A writer must have a deep insight into human character.

·       Insist on, upon: She insisted on joining a hostel as, she said, she felt disturbed at home.

·       Inspired with: Inspired with his initial success, he went ahead with the project.

·       Intent on, upon: bent upon: He seemed intent upon breaking their friendship extended over a number of years.

·       Interested in: I am interested not in screen but in stage.

·       Interfere in some matter: Do not interfere in his life .

·       Intimate with: close to: One should be intimate with a few well-tried friends only.

·       Introduce into: I was introduced into a dark room.

·       Intrude on one's time: Do not intrude on my time after the office hours.

·       Introduce into a matter: It would be imprudent to intrude into the affairs that do not concern one.

·       Invest money in some project: It isn't safe to invest one's entire savings in stocks and shares.

·       Invite to: I could not attend his marriage though I had been invited to it.

·       Irrelevant to: having no concern with: His observations were mostly irrelevant to the topic of the evening.

·       Irrespective of: without reference to: This post is open to all irrespective of

caste.

J

·       Jealous of: Don’t feel jealous of others’ success.

·       Jeer at: to laugh at: It is undesirable to jeer at others for what they can not help.

·       Jest at: to laugh at: Do no jest at your elders.

·       Join in: The foreign visitors joined us in the festivities.

·       Join to: The doctor joined the broken bone to the limb.

·       Judge of: Do not judge of others adversely.

·       Jump at: The offer appeared to be so attractive that he immediately jumped at it.

·       Jump to the conclusion: He hastily jumped to the conclusion that I was to blame for all his losses.

·       Junior to: Being juniors to others in service does not necessarily mean being inferior to them in the quality of work.

 

K

·       Keen on: He is keen on sending his son abroad for higher studies.

·       Keep from: to abstain from: Keep from excessive indulgence of any kind.

·       Keep to: If you always keep to the left, it will avert many accidents.

·       Key to: Sincerity of heart is the key to lasting friendship.

·       Kind to: Be kind to the bird and free it from the cage.

·       Knock against: In the dark, he knocked against the wall.

·       Knock at: I knocked at the door but got no response.

 

L

 

·       Lame of a leg.

·       Lament for: to grieve for: It is futile to lament for the dead.

·       Land in: His extravagances landed him in poverty.

·       Laugh at: It is bad manners to laugh at the actions of others.

·       Lead to: directs to: Where does this road lead to?

·       Lean against: rest against something: The tired traveller leaned against the tree.

·       Lean over: bend over: He leaned over the table.

·       Liable for: answerable for: The sun is liable for the debts of his father.

·       Liable to: Exposed to: We all are liable to error.

·       Liking for: I have a great liking for detective fiction.

·       Limit to: There is a limit to everyone's patience.

·       Listen to: If you listen to the singing you will appreciate her voice.

·       Long for: to be desirous of: I longed for the company of some friend.

·       Loyal to: faithful to: It is our duty to be loyal to our country.

 

M

·       Mad with: angry at: I was mad with rag at the disobedience of the students.

·       Married to: She was married to a banker's son.

·       Match for: You are no match for him so far as physical strength is concerned.

·       Meddle with: to interfere in: I do not like anyone to meddle with my affairs.

·       Mourn for: to grieve at: The whole nation mourns for the national hero.

·       Moved at: I was moved to tears at the sad plight of the refugees.

·       Moved with pity: become sad: The old lady was moved with pity to see the child crying with pain.

·       Muse on: to reflect on: He mused on the beauty of nature.

 

N

·       Necessary for: Hard work is necessary for success.

·       Neglect of: Neglect of duty will not be tolerated.

·       Negligence in: Negligence in the bringing up of children lead to sad consequences.

·       Negligent in: The servant is very negligent in his work.

·       Notorious for: He is notorious for back biting.

 

O

 

·       Obedient to: We ought to be obedient to our elders.

·       Object to: I am determined to adopt this course even if you object to it.

·       Obliged to a person for some favour.

·       Occupied with: I do not like to be disturbed when I am occupied with my clients.

·       Occupied in: At the moment he is occupied in the work of putting his things in order.

·       Occur to: to come into one's mind: It never occurred to him that the fault could be his too.

·       Officiate for: In the absence of the principal, the vice-principal officiates for

him.

·       Open to: Your conduct is open to questions.

·       Operate on: His fractured leg had to be operated on.

·       Opposite to: There is a library opposite to our house.

·       Overcome with: I was overcome with grief at the news of his sad, untimely demise.

·       Overwhelmed with: overpowered with: He was overwhelmed with sorrow at his failure.

P

·       Painful to: It was painful to see her gradually straying into the path of evil.

·       Part from a person: The dying mother found it heart rending to part from her children.

·       Partake of: to share: Kindly parttake of the humble meal we can offer.

·       Partial to: It pained us to see the umpire being partial to our rival team.

·       Pass for: He tried to pass for a millionaire.

·       Passion for: He has passion for outdoor games.

·       Pay for: to suffer: You will have to pay for your follies.

·       Peculiar to: This style of writing is peculiar to him.

·       Persist in: When he persisted in behaving rudely, I lost temper.

·       Pertinent to: to have a relation to: We found his comments very pertinent to the point under discussion.

·       Pine for: to long for: The parents pined for the lost child.

·       Plead with a person for something: The lawyer pleaded with the judge.

·       Plunge into: to throw oneself into: He took to heart his losses in business and

plunged into grief.

·       Point at a person.

·       Point to something.

·       Ponder on or over a subject: to think on: We should carefully ponder over this point before taking any action.

·       Popular with or among: He is very popular with the subordinates on account of his sympathetic nature.

·       Possess of: He is possessed of great wealth.

·       Pounce on: to jump at: The hawk pounced on the bird.

·       Pray to: We pray to God for mercy.

·       Prefer to: He preferred death to disgrace.

·       Prepared for: We should be prepared for the worst though the worst may not happen.

·       Preside over or at a meeting.

·       Prevail on a person: to persuade him: I failed to prevail on my friend to join me in a business venture.

·       Prevail over: to overpower: His enemies prevailed over him in his fight..

·       Prevent from: His parents prevented him from joining the army.

·       Prey upon: Fear preyed upon my heart.

·       Prior to: before: prior to joining this newspaper as its editor, I was working in a college.

·       Proficient in: at home in: He is proficient in Mathematics.

·       Prohibit from: His sister prohibited him from going to the movies.

·       Protect from: Wear some woolens to protect yourself from cold.

·       Pride in: She takes pride in her beautiful figure.

·       Proud of: One should not feel proud of one's achievements.

·       Provide with: He provided his son with money for the journey.

·       Provide against: We should be provided against a rainy day.

·       Provoke to anger: to rouse anger: His scurrilous remarks provoked me to anger.

·       Pry into: to make enquiries into: I tried to pry into the secret but in vain.

 

Q

 

·       Quarrel with, over: He quarreled with his friend over a trifle.

·       Qualified for: He is well qualified for the post of the manager of a restaurant.

·       Quick at: My younger brother is very quick at figures.

·       Quick of: She is quick of understanding.

 

R

 

·       Rail at someone: to use abusive language: It is in bad taste to rail at others.

·       Rebel against: to revolt against: The angry tribals rebelled against their leader.

·       Reckon on: to depend on with confidence: I have always reckoned on your support.

·       Reconcile to: to adapt oneself to: I cannot reconcile myself to my circumstances easily.

·       Recover from: He hasn't yet completely recovered from his illness.

·       Reduce to: A long illness reduced him to a mere skeleton.

·       Refer to: All important cases have to be referred to the section Officer.

·       Reflect on: to meditate on: If you reflect on this subject with a cool mind, you will realize your mistake.

·       Regard for: I have high regard for the nameless patriots who laid down their everything at the altar of their country.

·       Regardless of: without paying any heed to: He undertook the new venture

regardless of the difficulties involved in it.

·       Related to: I would like to be provided with all statistics related to this case.

·       Relieve of pain: relieve from pain.

·       Rely on: to depend on: If you want to rely on others, you should first be reliable to yourself.

·       Remedy against: Quinine should be used as a remedy against malaria.

·       Renowned for: famous for: He is renowned for the impartiality of his behaviour.

·       Remonstrate with: to make protest with: I remonstrated with him on treating me unfairly.

·       Repent of: If you want to repent of a sin, promise never to repeat it.

·       Rescue from danger: to save: A passer-by jumped into the well and rescued the child from drowning.

·       Resolve on: to decide: I have resolved on setting up an export business.

·       Respectful to: Be respectful to others if you want to be respected.

·       Responsible to: to a person for something: I am responsible to God for my actions.

·       Revel in: to take keen delight in: He has been revelling in drinking and gambling.

·       Revolt against: They decided to revolt against the arbitrary decisions of the Governor.

·       Reward a person with something for some work done by him.

·       Rich in: India is rich in mineral wealth.

·       Rid of: I can be rid of my worries only if you promise to support me.

·       Rob of: The thieves robbed him of all the valuables lying in the house.

·       Rule over: Ashoka ruled over his people with love and kindness.

 

 

 

 

S

·       Sacred to: These articles are sacred to the memory of my father.

·       Sail for: The ship sailed for Australia last week.

·       Save from: Save me from those who pretend to be my friends.

·       Satisfied with: I am satisfied with the work done by our new manager.

·       Scoff at: to make fun of: It is understandable to scoff at other religions.

·       Seek after: We all seek after happiness in life.

·       Send for: The patient is serious; the doctor should be immediately sent for.

·       Sentence to: The murderer was sentenced to life imprisonment.

·       Shocked at: We were shocked at the widespread political corruption in the country.

·       Short of: We ran short of funds, so we had to suspend the work.

·       Show off: to pretend: I have a dislike for people who are in the habit of showing off in public.

·       Sick at: I am feeling sick at heart.

·       Sick of: I am sick of waiting or the bus for hours together yesterday.

·       Similar to: These two triangles are similar to each other.

·       Slave to: Those who are slaves to their own habits are victims of the worst kind of slavery.

·       Slow at: He is rather slow at accounts; give him some other job.

·       Slow in: Don’t be slow in making up your mind.

·       Slow of: This child is slow of understanding.

·       Smack of: to show a taste of: Her behaviour smacks of pride.

·       Smile at: We could not help smiling at the innocent prattle of the child.

·       Smile on: At last fortune smiled on him.

·       Sneer at: to make fun of: Only a cynic can sneer at virtue.

·       Speak on a subject, speak of something.

·       Speak for or against a person.

·       Stand by: to support: I promise to stand by you in your difficulty.

·       Stick to: to be steadfast at: Unless you stick to your decision, you cannot progress in life.

·       Stoop to: to bend to: I never thought he would stoop to such meanness.

·       Strike at: He struck at the snake with the stick.

·       Struggle against difficulties.

·       Subject to: The plan you have suggested is subject to approval by the government.

·       Submit to: to yield to: If people do not submit to authority, there will be chaos in the country.

·       Subscribe to: to contribute to: How much money did you subscribe to the flood relief fund?

·       Succeed in: He succeeded in stealing a march on the other athletes.

·       Succeed to: Akbar succeeded to the throne at a very young age.

·       Successful in: I am sure you will be successful in your aims.

·       Suitable to: He got a prize suitable to his age.

·       Supply to: Wrong information was supplied to us.

·       Supply with: The poor beggars were supplied with blankets.

·       Sure of: He was sure of being nominated to the council.

·       Surprised at: We were all surprised at the strict measures adopted by the Government.

·       Suspicious of: distrustful of: I am suspicious of his intentions.

 

T

·       Taste for: liking for: He who has no taste for music should be kept at arm's length.

·       Teem with: to abound in: This part of the sea teems with sharks.

·       Tend to: Simple living and high thinking tend to a happy life.

·       Thankful to a person, for a favour.

·       Tired of: I am tired of leading such an idle life.

·       Tired with: She is tired with walking.

·       Treat of: This book treats of the laws of health.

·       Triumph over: to win a victory over: He truimphed over his enemies with great tact.

·       Tremble at: The child trembled at such a ghastly sight.

·       True to: Either do not make a promise or be true to it.

·       Trust in: Don't put your trust in all and sundry.

·       Trust with: He trusted his servant with money.

 

V

·       Vain of: proud of: He who is vain of being virtuous does not know what virtue is.

·       Vexed at: distributed at; distressed at: I was vexed at his opposition, for I had expected quite acquiescence.

·       Victim of: He was a victim of religious bigotry.

·       Victim to: A weak person falls a victim to many diseases.

·       Victory over: He won a convincing victory over his rivals.

·       Vie with: to compete with: The hawkers vied with one another in making such a loud noise.

·       Void of: deficient in: His remarks are void of sense.

·       Vote for or against someone.

 

 

W

·       Wait for a person.

·       Wait on: to attend: The servant waited on his master.

·       Warn a person of danger; warn a person against someone.

·       Weary of: tried of: I am weary of waiting for him so long.

·       Welcome to: You are welcome to our celebrations.

·       Wish for: I desperately wish for a change.

·       Worthy of: His conduct is worthy of the highest praise.

·       Wonder at: I often wonder at the spiritual stamina of Gandhi ji.

 

Y

·       Yearn for: to long for: Man has always yearned for eternal happiness.

·       Yield to: to surrender to: A man of spiritual strength will never yield to

hardships.

 

It is seen that certain nouns, adjectives and verbs are idiomatically used with particular prepositions and conjunctions, and lend a new meaning to the sentence. This lesson will help the students to use prepositions and conjunctions idiomatically in their sentences making their speech or writing effective