Undergraduate Writing Center, The University of Texas at Austin
UWC website: uwc.fac.utexas.edu
Last revised by Sedef Akkor, August 2006
Phrasal verbs, also known as two-word verbs, are verbs that require specific prepositions. Because
preposition following the verb affects the verb’s meaning, writers must use the proper verb-preposition
combination in order to communicate clearly. Saying “Jane believed John” means something entirely
different than saying “Jane believed in John.” Using the wrong preposition leads to confusing or
awkward prose. Saying “Jane believed to John,” for example, does not make sense. Below are only some
of the most common verbs that take prepositions. The UWC has excellent resources for a more
comprehensive list of verbs that take prepositions. Here are a few of our favorites: A Dictionary of
Modern Usage (Bryan A. Garner), The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms (Christine Ammer), and
NTC’s Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs and Other Idiomatic Verbal Phrases (Richard A. Spears).
account for
Nothing could account for his depression.
accuse. . . of
They accused him of robbing a bank.
agree on
No one could agree on anything.
agree with
I agree with the man who is speaking.
allude to
It is not polite to allude to someone’s
disability.
apologize for
He did apologize for running away.
apologize to
The leader did not want to apologize to the
people.
apply for
Every June college graduates apply for jobs.
approve of
We do not approve of his behavior.
argue with
It does little good to argue with a judge.
argue about
A judge does not want you to argue about
anything unless you have a good case.
arrive at
He arrived at a conclusion quickly.
ask for
Children like to ask their parents for gifts, but
they especially like to ask for special toys.
become of
John has disappeared; I do not know what has
become of him.
believe in
Do you believe in magic?
belong to
Whom does this pet belong to? It belongs to her.
blame . . . for
Don’t blame me for your problems!
blame . . . on
Don’t blame your problems on me!
borrow from
He has borrowed enough money from the bank.
care for
She enjoys the time she can care for her nieces
and nephews.
come from
She came from Honduras with her family.
compare with
How does a small car compare with a large
car?
complain about
He is always complaining about something.
compliment on
Compliment them on their performance.
congratulate on
They deserve to be congratulated on (or for)
their good work.
consent to
The parents refused to consent to their son’s
marriage.
consist of
The solution consists of some strange
chemicals.
convince of
I am convinced of his good intentions.
Verbs That Take
Prepositions
Undergraduate Writing Center, The University of Texas at Austin
UWC website: uwc.fac.utexas.edu
Last revised by Sedef Akkor, August 2006
decide between
I cannot decide between the two.
delight in
My child delights in watching the ducks.
depend on/upon
Do not depend upon other people.
detract from
Such behavior detracts from your beauty.
dream about/of
We are dreaming about going to Paris.
excuse. . . for
The teacher excused the child for his behavior.
explain... to
It is difficult to explain a problem to people
who don’t care.
happen to
Oh, I just happened to be in the neighborhood.
hear of
Have you ever heard of something like that?
hear about
Did you hear about Mary? She’s got a new
job.
hear from
Did you get a letter from him? I never hear
from him.
insist on
The decorator insists on blue drapes.
invite . . . to
It would be a good idea to invite him to the
party.
laugh about
We laugh about the crazy things we used to
do.
laugh at
It’s not nice to laugh at someone.
laugh with
When a person laughs, it’s good to laugh with
him.
listen for
I’m listening for the mail carrier; she should
be here by now.
listen to
Listen to me when I’m speaking to you.
look at
It is not polite to look at someone for a long
time.
look for
My child is lost! We must look for him.
object to
Most people do not object to helping someone
in need.
prefer . . . to
I prefer red cars to blue cars
plan on
Why don’t you plan on staying at our place?
provide . . . with
My parents have provided me with enough
money to last for one month.
recover from
It often takes a long time to recover from a
serious illness.
refer to
If you are referring to me, you should say so.
rely on
I can always rely on my strength.
remind . . . of
you remind me of a bear.
search for
We searched for the lost child for three hours,
but we couldn’t find her.
spend . . . on
Anna spent all of her money on a new car.
substitute for
When I was absent, William substituted for
me.
talk to
When I am talking to you, I expect you to
listen to me.
talk about
It is not nice to talk about people when they
are not present.
thank . . . for
Thank you for the nice gift.
vote for
You should vote for my candidate.
wait for
Please wait for me! I’ll be ready in a moment.
wait on
No, I will not bring you breakfast in bed. I
won’t wait on you like that.
work for
We should all work for the good of mankind.
Mukesh works for that big company.
worry about
Mothers always worry about their children,
and so do fathers.
wrestle with
We spent three hours wrestling with that
problem, but we could not solve it.
UWC website: uwc.fac.utexas.edu
Last revised by Sedef Akkor, August 2006
Phrasal verbs, also known as two-word verbs, are verbs that require specific prepositions. Because
preposition following the verb affects the verb’s meaning, writers must use the proper verb-preposition
combination in order to communicate clearly. Saying “Jane believed John” means something entirely
different than saying “Jane believed in John.” Using the wrong preposition leads to confusing or
awkward prose. Saying “Jane believed to John,” for example, does not make sense. Below are only some
of the most common verbs that take prepositions. The UWC has excellent resources for a more
comprehensive list of verbs that take prepositions. Here are a few of our favorites: A Dictionary of
Modern Usage (Bryan A. Garner), The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms (Christine Ammer), and
NTC’s Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs and Other Idiomatic Verbal Phrases (Richard A. Spears).
account for
Nothing could account for his depression.
accuse. . . of
They accused him of robbing a bank.
agree on
No one could agree on anything.
agree with
I agree with the man who is speaking.
allude to
It is not polite to allude to someone’s
disability.
apologize for
He did apologize for running away.
apologize to
The leader did not want to apologize to the
people.
apply for
Every June college graduates apply for jobs.
approve of
We do not approve of his behavior.
argue with
It does little good to argue with a judge.
argue about
A judge does not want you to argue about
anything unless you have a good case.
arrive at
He arrived at a conclusion quickly.
ask for
Children like to ask their parents for gifts, but
they especially like to ask for special toys.
become of
John has disappeared; I do not know what has
become of him.
believe in
Do you believe in magic?
belong to
Whom does this pet belong to? It belongs to her.
blame . . . for
Don’t blame me for your problems!
blame . . . on
Don’t blame your problems on me!
borrow from
He has borrowed enough money from the bank.
care for
She enjoys the time she can care for her nieces
and nephews.
come from
She came from Honduras with her family.
compare with
How does a small car compare with a large
car?
complain about
He is always complaining about something.
compliment on
Compliment them on their performance.
congratulate on
They deserve to be congratulated on (or for)
their good work.
consent to
The parents refused to consent to their son’s
marriage.
consist of
The solution consists of some strange
chemicals.
convince of
I am convinced of his good intentions.
Verbs That Take
Prepositions
Undergraduate Writing Center, The University of Texas at Austin
UWC website: uwc.fac.utexas.edu
Last revised by Sedef Akkor, August 2006
decide between
I cannot decide between the two.
delight in
My child delights in watching the ducks.
depend on/upon
Do not depend upon other people.
detract from
Such behavior detracts from your beauty.
dream about/of
We are dreaming about going to Paris.
excuse. . . for
The teacher excused the child for his behavior.
explain... to
It is difficult to explain a problem to people
who don’t care.
happen to
Oh, I just happened to be in the neighborhood.
hear of
Have you ever heard of something like that?
hear about
Did you hear about Mary? She’s got a new
job.
hear from
Did you get a letter from him? I never hear
from him.
insist on
The decorator insists on blue drapes.
invite . . . to
It would be a good idea to invite him to the
party.
laugh about
We laugh about the crazy things we used to
do.
laugh at
It’s not nice to laugh at someone.
laugh with
When a person laughs, it’s good to laugh with
him.
listen for
I’m listening for the mail carrier; she should
be here by now.
listen to
Listen to me when I’m speaking to you.
look at
It is not polite to look at someone for a long
time.
look for
My child is lost! We must look for him.
object to
Most people do not object to helping someone
in need.
prefer . . . to
I prefer red cars to blue cars
plan on
Why don’t you plan on staying at our place?
provide . . . with
My parents have provided me with enough
money to last for one month.
recover from
It often takes a long time to recover from a
serious illness.
refer to
If you are referring to me, you should say so.
rely on
I can always rely on my strength.
remind . . . of
you remind me of a bear.
search for
We searched for the lost child for three hours,
but we couldn’t find her.
spend . . . on
Anna spent all of her money on a new car.
substitute for
When I was absent, William substituted for
me.
talk to
When I am talking to you, I expect you to
listen to me.
talk about
It is not nice to talk about people when they
are not present.
thank . . . for
Thank you for the nice gift.
vote for
You should vote for my candidate.
wait for
Please wait for me! I’ll be ready in a moment.
wait on
No, I will not bring you breakfast in bed. I
won’t wait on you like that.
work for
We should all work for the good of mankind.
Mukesh works for that big company.
worry about
Mothers always worry about their children,
and so do fathers.
wrestle with
We spent three hours wrestling with that
problem, but we could not solve it.
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