English fixed expressions adjective preposition. Exercise What preposition is needed? Adjectives. Lesson assignments

In addition to the volumetric groups of certain phrasal verbs, our beloved English language has a wide range of other specific combinations of verbs with prepositions that have become firmly established in speech. As you probably already assumed, there are absolutely no rules for their construction, and, of course, you just have to learn them by heart. Bravo, you are absolutely right, it’s immediately clear that this is not the first day of English! So, for today our granite of science is verbs with prepositions in English language table of which ( and not alone!) will be given below. Well, let's gather our will and start studying?

Since this topic is very voluminous and difficult to understand, we tried to group such English words by common feature, which in in this case is a preposition. Agree, learning large volumes of new words in parts is much more convenient than trying to cover all the material at once. In addition, phrases with the construction to be are included in a separate list, requiring some kind of preposition after them. Let's take a closer look at how such combinations are used and what role prepositions play in the English construction of set expressions.

Preposition group for

The following verbs with prepositions for in English belong to this group.

Verb	Pretext	Meaning	Use
depart	+ for	depart, departsomewhere	The next train departs for Berlin at 3 o'clock.
care		To look after, take care of, look after someone.	I will care for your pets.
play		Play for smb.	He played for my brother in that match.
ask		Beg/ask for something.	The girl asked for a glass of orange juice.
charge		Charge for sth.	What do they charge for a call?
apply		Address; apply for smth.	Will she apply for the job?
thank you		Give thanks for something.	We thank you our guests for these presents.
blame		Blame smb. for bad actions.	I blamed my cat for crushing dishes.
reach		Reach for some object.	Jane reached for his coat.
look		Searchsmb.	Father is looking for his purse.
answer		Responsible for someone/sth.	He answers for my daughter.
excuse		To apologize for something.	Please, excuse my son for his actions.
search		Look for someone	Our neighbors search for their daughters
pay		Pay for sth.	Our friend will pay for lunch.
wait		Wait, wait.	My little sister is waiting for my birthday.
leave		Leave, leave, leave.	They left for Madrid 3 days ago.
go		To do, to offer to do something.	Let's go for a jog!
long		To really desire, to crave.	We long for peace, but they long for war.
run		run; Get involved in the election race.	Ray Jones will run for president
offer		Offer any amount for a product/service.	Jack offered me 100$ for my silence.
take		Confused, mistaken for someone else.	Sorry, we took you for our friend.
account		Explain the reason.	I can't account for the missing money.
stand		Mean sth.	What does IBM stand for ?
work		Work for smb.	Bill works for Apple.
vote		Vote for someone, support.	I voted for rock band AC/DC.

So, we have already studied one of the most numerous groups of stable combinations of prepositions and verbs in English. These are frequently used expressions, so knowing their meanings will help you not get confused when a similar compound combination appears in the text or in the speech of your interlocutor.

Preposition group on

This is a very small section containing only a dozen phrases. Despite their small number, designs with on are used quite active.

Verb	Pretext	Meaning	Use
concentrate	+ on	Concentrate, concentrate.	The students must concentrate on their studies.
live		Liveondef.facilities.	We lived on$100 a week when we worked in advertising.
spend		Spend money and time on smth.	The boy spends all of his money on comics.
congratulate		Congratulate on something.	We congratulated our sister on her wedding
rely		Rely on someone	I can always rely on my best friend.
depend		Depend on someone.	My English lessons depend on my mood.
insist		Insist on smth.	They insist on telling the truth to Michael.
comment		Comment.	I want to comment on the article.
get		Get into transport.	She got on a train to Prague.
count		Count on someone	He can always count on his parents for help.

Preposition group about

Let's continue to study set expressions with prepositions in English. Let's see how used in phrases the preposition about.

Verb	Pretext	Meaning	Use
think	+ about	Think about someone/sth.	I think about my future.
complain		Complain about someone/sth.	She complains to me about her boyfriend
ask		Ask about something.
care		To love someone; be interested in smth.	Ask me about my hobby.
feel		Have an opinion about smth.	How do you feel about t that object?
talk		Talk about something.	We are talking about our weekend.
forget		Forget.	Don't forget about your enemies.
dream		To dream about something.	She dreamed about her wedding
agree		Agree.	We don't always agree about how to proceed.
hear		Hear about something.	I heard about your accident.
warn		Warn.	They warned me about this situation in the office.
argue		Argue about smth.	We argue about the films.
say		Express an opinion, say something.	Do you want to say a few words about our magazine?
worry		To worry about someone, to worry about something.	Parents worry about their children all the time.

Preposition group of

The last numerous representative of phrasal constructions of the form “ verb+preposition ».

Verb	Pretext	Meaning	Use
hear	+ of	Hear/know smth. about smb.	I've never heard of you.
remind		Remind me of something.	Remind him of our meeting.
think		Think.	What does he think of fashion?
accuse		Blame someone for something.	John was accused of the road accident.
take care		To look after someone/sth., to take care.	I took care of my grandmother.
inform		Report something.	The lawyer informed us of his decision.
approve		Approve.	Father approves of my choice.
consists		To consist, to contain smth. in itself.	Apples consists of water.
boast		Boast.	These sportsmen are always boasting of their achievements.
deprive		To deprive someone of something.	She was deprived of her property.
die		Die from something.	The boy died of an unknown disease.

United Group

Some prepositions combine with only a few verbs, so we combined them into one general group. So, verbs with prepositions in English - summary table.

Verb	Pretext	Meaning	Use
believe	+in	Believe.	I believe in Christmas miracles.
check		Check.	Check the word in the dictionary.
succeed		To succeed in smth.	My husband will succeed in life.
look	+ at	Look at someone or something; consider.	Look at me!
hint		Hint at something.	I don't understand what you're hinting at .
point		Point, direct at someone.	Don't point the gun at me.
shout		Yell at smb.	Why do you shout at children?
laugh		Laugh, make fun of.	They often laugh at my little dog.
agree	+ with	Agree with someone or something.	I agree with my trainer.
argue		Argue, quarrel.	My sister often argues with our parents.
begin		Start with something.	I began my way with a first step.
happen	+ to	Happen to someone, something.	We don't know what's happened to our car.
listen		Listen, obey someone.	I like listen to his stories.
belong		Belong.	All buildings in this street belong to me.
complain		Complain to someone.	I can't complain to my father.
add		Add to smth.	Could you add some milk to my tea?
move		Move.	We moved to Moscow yesterday.

Use without pretext

There are also several opposite cases. The following verbs will almost always be used without prepositions.

1. to enter - to enter, cross the threshold, penetrate. I entered her room.
2. tofollow – Follow, accompany, monitor. Don't follow me.
3. tojoin – To join, join, enter service. Join our club!
4. to discuss ( something) – Discuss something. We discuss the article.

Such non-prepositional constructions are often found in English speech.

Verbs with prepositions in English table with to be

We have already learned how the British like to use in stable expressions English verbs with and without different prepositions. But don't forget about the design. tobe, phrases from which occupy a huge layer of the English language. Of course, it is almost impossible to learn all verbs with such a combination, so we will limit ourselves to only the most commonly used phrases.

Design	Meaning	Use
be sure of	To have confidence in something, to be confident.	I am sure of my skills.
be afraid of	To have fear, to be afraid of something.	Many people are afraid of losing their jobs.
be married to	To be married to someone, to be married.	Alice was married to a policeman.
be tired of	Get tired of smth.	I am tired of the lesson
be satisfied with	To be pleased, satisfied with smth.	My mother was never satisfied with the results of her work.
be proud of	Be proud of smth., someone.	My friend Roman was really proud of his pictures.
be surprised at	Be surprisedsomethingl.	I was surprised at your actions.
be ashamed of	Feel ashamed about smth.	I am not ashamed of Roman's pictures too.
be good at	To have the ability to be good at something.	They say I am very good at foreign languages.
be careful of	Be careful, beware.	Be careful of the angry dog.
be dressed in	To be dressed in smth.	All my relatives were dressed in various red suits at my birthday party.
be jealous of	Feelings of envy, jealousy.	He is just jealous of his wife.

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General information about prepositions. Russian and English preposition systems

The Preposition is function word, which usually precedes a noun or its syntactic substitute and associates it with a verb, noun, adjective or adverb (or their substitutes). An English preposition often has more than one meaning. Prepositions are important for constructing and understanding sentences, since they are one of the means that indicate the connection of words in a sentence and the relationship of a noun (or pronoun) to other words in a sentence.
English used to have cases that were lost over time. In modern English, case endings are almost completely absent. Now prepositions bear the main burden of expressing grammatical relations; they are a means of expressing the relationship of a noun (or pronoun) to other words in a sentence.

In Russian, spatial, temporal, causal relations are expressed not by prepositions alone, but by prepositions and case endings; in English, these relations are expressed only by prepositions, since the nouns with which they are combined do not have special endings (the endings do not change by case). For example, in the Russian phrase “I go V school" accusative and spatial relations are also conveyed by preposition V and noun ending - y. In English, these relationships can only be expressed by the preposition to:"I go to school". Compare:

In this regard, it is very important to know the meanings of basic prepositions and use them correctly. Otherwise, the meaning of the sentence will be lost or distorted.
Some English prepositions ( of to, by, with) perform a purely grammatical function, conveying in combination with nouns (or pronouns) the same relations that are conveyed in Russian indirect cases without pretext. In this case, these prepositions are not translated into Russian as separate words.
Pretext of in combination with nouns (or pronouns) corresponds to Russian genitive case:

to corresponds to Russian dative case and denotes the person to whom the action is addressed. For example: I gave the book to my brother. - I gave the book to my brother.
Combined with a noun (or pronoun) preposition by corresponds to Russian creative case and after verbs in passive voice denotes an actor or force: The breakfast was made by my sister. - Breakfast was made by my sister.
Combined with a noun (or pronoun) preposition with corresponds to Russian creative case and denotes the object with which the action is performed: She cut the paper with scissors. - She cut the paper with scissors.
Every preposition (including prepositions of to by, with, when they are not used in a purely grammatical form) is used with an independent lexical meaning. Most prepositions have more than one meaning. So, for example, the preposition in used:
1. To indicate places with meaning V(to the question Where?): He lives in a big city. - He lives in a big city.

2. To indicate time:
a) with meaning V(before the month or year):
Olga was born in July. - Olga was born V July.
b) with meaning in, for, during:
The building was built in four months. - The building was built behind four months.
c) with meaning through:
The dinner will be ready in 10 minutes. - Dinner will be ready through 10 minutes.

In many cases, the use of a particular preposition depends on what word precedes it (verb, adjective or noun).
For example, verb to laughlaugh requires a preposition after itself at:
She laughed at me. - She laughed above me.
Verb to objectmind requires a preposition after itself to:
He objected to me. - He objected to me.
With an adjective sureconfident preposition is used of:
I am not sure of it. - I don't confident in this.
Noun objectionobjection(like verb to object) requires a preposition after itself to:
I have no objections to that. - I have no objections(I do not mind) against this.
Many verbs change their meaning depending on the preposition:
I am looking for my glasses - I looking for your glasses.
He is looking at me. - He look at me.
She is looking after his mother. - She take care of his mother.
Such stable expressions with prepositions only need to be memorized.

There is no constant correspondence between English and Russian prepositions. Therefore, the same English preposition can be translated by different Russian prepositions:
I will be back at 7 p.m. - I'll come back V 7 p.m.
He is looking at me. - He looks on me.
I am standing at the window. - I am standing at window.
He laughed at her. - He laughed above her.
The same Russian preposition can correspond to different English prepositions. For example, the Russian preposition o (about) corresponds to a number of English prepositions:
I heard about this. - I heard about it.
He asked O help. - He asked for help.
He cared O to my mom. -He took care of my mother
She said O mathematics. - She spoke on mathematics.


Some English verbs require a preposition after themselves, while after their corresponding Russian verbs a preposition is not used:

On the other hand, in English there are a number of verbs that do not require a preposition after themselves, while their corresponding Russian verbs require a preposition. These verbs include: to addressspeak to,to affectinfluence on,to answerAnswer to,to approachget closer toto attendattend,to enjoyenjoy theto enterenter,to followfollow up,to hitget into,to joinjoin,to learnfind out aboutto marryto marry,to meetgo out with,to mentionmention aboutto needneed,to passpass by,to treathandle,to watchwatch for.

The different meanings in which English prepositions are used and the many differences in their use in English and Russian make mastering them difficult for language learners. It is necessary not only to remember the meanings of individual prepositions, but also to memorize verbs, adjectives and nouns in combination with the prepositions they require, as well as combinations and expressions with prepositions.

Prepositions that have the same form as adverbs. The use of certain prepositions and adverbs coinciding with them in form

Some prepositions have same shape with adverbs. Such prepositions can be distinguished from adverbs only by the role they play in the sentence. The main thing to understand is that prepositions express relationships between nouns (or pronouns) and other words in a sentence. These are service words, not independent words, so they do not carry any emphasis. Adverbs define the verb. They are independent words and bear the emphasis.

A number of adverbs, identical in form to prepositions (in, on, up, down, by, etc.), are used in combination with some verbs, forming one concept with them. Such combinations of verbs with adverbs form compound verbs. Although the adverb in this case is not an independent word, the emphasis falls on it:
I get up at 6 a.m. - I get up at 6 a.m.
Go on studying. - Keep studying.
Put on your hat. - Put on your hat.
Come in, make yourself home. - Come in, make yourself at home.
Turn off the music. - Turn off the music.

Place of a preposition in a sentence. Prepositions at the end of a sentence or phrase

Most often in English (as in Russian), a preposition is placed before a noun or pronoun (if they have definitions): John studies at the university. - John studies at the university.
John studies at famous university. - John studies at a famous university.

But unlike the Russian language, in English a preposition can be placed not before the word to which it refers, but at the end of the sentence (after the verb or after the object). This happens in the following cases:

• 1. In subordinate clauses definitional sentences(answer to question what, what, what?), when the preposition refers to a relative pronoun (who, whom, whose, what, which). However, a preposition is sometimes placed before a relative pronoun:
  The company which he works for is very small. (= The company for which he works is very small.) - The company for which he works is very small.

  If relative pronoun is omitted, the preposition is always placed after the verb: The company he works for is very small.

• 2. In direct and indirect questions, if the preposition refers to pronouns what, who(m), which or adverb where. However, it occasionally happens that a preposition is sometimes placed before a question word:
  What are you waiting for? (= For what are you waiting?) - What are you waiting for?
  Who(m) are you calling to? (=To whom are you calling?) - Who are you calling?
  I don't know where she got this idea from. (=I do not know from where she got this idea.) - I don’t know where she got this idea from.
• 3. In passive phrases, the subject of which serves as an indirect prepositional complement of the active phrase:
  She was laughing at. (Compare: They laughed at her.) - They laughed at her.
  The policeman was sent for. (Compare: They sent for the policeman.) - They sent for the policeman.
• 4. In infinitive phrases that act as a definition:
  She had no friend to talk with. - She didn't have a friend she could talk to.

Some English adjectives can supplement their meaning with a preposition and a dependent word, and this relationship often differs from the similar Russian form in terms of syntax.

Adjective	Pretext	Description
afraid/scared	OF	to be afraid of something
angry/furious	WITH	angry/furious with someone.
	ABOUT	angry/furious about something.
capable/incapable	OF	capable/unable to do something.
delighted/pleased/satisfied/happy	WITH	happy with something
dependent	ON	dependent on something
different	FROM	different from smth.
disappointed	WITH	disappointed with something
excited/happy	ABOUT	happy about something
famous	FOR	famous for something
fed up	WITH	fed up with something.
full	OF	full of something
good/bad	AT	good/bad in some way. in fact
ill	WITH	sick with something
impressed	BY/WITH	impressed with something
independent	FROM/OF	independent of smb.
interested	IN	be interested in something
married	TO	married to someone/married to someone.
nice/kind/good	OF	good with smb. sides
	TO	be kind to someone
polite/rude	OF	polite/impolite to smb. sides
	TO	polite/impolite to someone.
proud	OF	be proud of something
answered	FOR	responsible for smth.
similar	TO	looks like something/someone
stupid/silly	OF	stupid with smb. sides
surprised/shocked/amazed	AT/BY	surprised/shocked by something.
sorry	ABOUT	to regret something
	ABOUT/FOR	apologize for something
tired/sick	OF	get tired of something
typical	OF	typical for someone.
worried/nervous	ABOUT	worry/worry about someone/something.

Table: Adjective + preposition

Danny was afraid of dogs when he was a child. Danny was afraid of dogs when he was a child.
Why are you so angry with me? Why are you so angry with me?
He is very different from his brother. He is very different from his brother.
I'm fed up with my job. I'm sick of my job.
The mall was full of people. Shopping mall was full of people.
Mark is very good at computers. Mark is very computer savvy.
I'm not interested in politics. I am not interested in politics.
Kenneth was married to Susan but he’s divorced from her now. Kenneth was married to Susan, but he is now divorced.
Thanks. It was so nice of you to help me. Thank you. It was so nice of you to help me.
I know that woman. She's rude to everyone. I know this woman. She is rude to everyone.
Sorry about the mess. Sorry for the confusion.
It’s typical of him to stay at home and drink. It is typical for him to sit at home and drink.

2

In cases where the preposition is associated with an action, and not any object, we use a gerund.

I'm not good at cooking. I'm not an expert at cooking.
Sorry for breaking your vase. Sorry for breaking your vase.
We were fed up with waiting, so we went home. We got tired of waiting, so we went home.
Tom wasn’t interested in coming with us. Tom was not interested in coming with us.
You’re capable of passing the exam (= You can pass the exam). You can pass the exam.
I'm tired of staying here. Let's go for a walk. I'm tired of sitting here. Let's go for a walk.

Adjectives with fixed prepositions are included in the predicate, which is called compound nominal predicate. A compound nominal predicate consists of a link-verb and a nominal part of predicate or predicative. The linking verb performs service functions; it connects the subject with the nominal part of the predicate and serves as an indicator of tense, voice, mood, and in some cases person and number. The most common connective is the verb “to be”. In addition to the verb to be, the function of a connective can be performed by other verbs, such as: to get, to become, to grow, to turn, to come, to go, to look, to run, to wear, to seem, to appear, to feel, to fall. Don't confuse linking verbs with meaningful verbs. The same verb can “work” as both a linking verb and a verb with a basic meaning.

For example:

The leaves on the trees turned yellow.= The leaves on the trees have turned yellow. (to turn – linking verb)

He turned the key in the lock. = He turned the key in the lock. (to turn = “turn, rotate”, that is, in the basic meaning)

She trembled and grew faint= She trembled and lost consciousness. (to grow – linking verb)

My brother is a farmer. He grows vegetables.(to grow – “grow, grow”, that is, in the basic meaning)

The nominal part of the predicate can be expressed by a noun, adjective, numeral, adverb, impersonal forms of verbs, prepositional phrases and phrases.

If the nominal part of a compound nominal predicate is expressed by an adjective, then it can be followed by a preposition - and this preposition is fixed, as if glued to a specific adjective. The list of adjectives with fixed prepositions is very long, and some adjectives have double control, that is, they can have two prepositions behind them.

How to learn and remember all adjectives with fixed prepositions? You can teach mechanically, but it is unlikely to give good result. It's best to go the logical route.

So, if you take a closer look at the long list of adjectives with fixed prepositions, you will notice that those adjectives that are followed by a specific preposition are united by one common idea, a common meaning. Let's look at the most common adjectives with the preposition AT.

First, let's take the preposition AT and find out its meaning, namely the meaning, not the meaning. The preposition AT, if we consider it as a preposition of place and position, has two main meanings: The first meaning is being near, near, near a certain place and the second meaning is activity, action in a certain place. Space and time are interconnected and the preposition AT also indicates proximity to a certain point in time.

Now look at the adjectives with the fixed preposition AT. Conventionally, they can be divided into two groups.

There are several adjectives in each group, as you can increase or decrease the degree of saturation.

First group united by one idea that has a modal connotation - ABILITY, SKILL to do something, and, conversely, INABILITY, MEDIOCILITY and INABILITY.

to be good AT(doing something) = to be capable of something. This could be the study of subjects, that is, we are talking about mental abilities, for example, “to be capable of mathematics” or “to study foreign languages.” You can talk about the ability to draw, sew, sing, but you can’t list everything. The translation of such constructions can be quite free.

For example:

He is good at mathematics. = Mathematics is easy for him. He has a talent for mathematics.

My son is not very good at repairing things. = My son is unable to fix anything.

to be quick AT(doing something) = to be smart, to do something quickly. We are talking about intelligence, that is, you can think quickly or think slowly. Something can reach a person slowly or quickly. The same can be said about action. Some people have everything in their hands, and some people have everything falling out of their hands.

For example:

He was quick at answering the question. = He was not at a loss and answered the question. He immediately answered the question.

to be prompt AT(doing something) = to be agile, fast, efficient.

to be clever AT(doing something) = to be capable, to have a gift and talent for something.

For example:

He is clever at playing chess. = He plays chess well.

to be brilliant AT(doing something) = do brilliantly in some subjects or do some work brilliantly.

For example:

She is brilliant at literature. = She does brilliantly in literature.

to be excellent AT(doing something) = to do excellently, excellently in some subjects or to do excellent and excellent work.

For example:

He is excellent at repairing cars. = He is excellent at fixing cars.

to be skilful AT(doing something) = to be skillful in performing some action. The point is that abilities alone are not enough; you also need to learn and train to do something.

For example:

My mother was very skillful at cooking. = My mother was a great cook. My mother was a skilled cook.

to be bad AT(doing something) = to be incapable of something, to do poorly in some subjects.

He is bad at skiing. = He is bad at skiing.

to be slow AT(doing something) = to think poorly and slowly, to be slow-witted, to be slow at work.

He is slow at his work. = He is very slow at work.

to be hopeless AT(doing something) = to be mediocre, hopeless for anything, for mastering any subjects or for performing some actions.

She is hopeless at singing. = She has no talent for singing.

Second group adjectives are united by such a meaning as - SURPRISE.

to be surprised AT(something) = to be surprised by something.

For example:

I was surprised at his coming here. = I was surprised that he came here. I was surprised by his coming here.

to be astonished AT(something) = to be surprised, amazed at something.

He was astonished at seeing his friend at the party. = He was very surprised when he saw his friend at the party.

For example:

to be amazed AT(something) = to be very surprised at something, to be amazed;

For example:

He was amazed at her behavior. = He was amazed by her behavior.

to be shocked AT(something) = to be shocked, to be very surprised.

For example:

Everybody was shocked at the news. = Everyone was shocked by the news.

Prepositions after adjectives:
afraid of / for
answerable + for/to
anxious + about/for
bad or good + at/for
good + about/to/with
concerned + about/with
glad + for/of and others

Some adjectives are usually used with specific prepositions. Information about them can be found in good dictionary. Here we will look at some adjectives, which can then have different meanings depending on the preposition. Study these examples.

Afraid + for / of
Jane used always to be afraid of swimming. Jane used to always be afraid of swimming.
My son has tried to prepare for examination, afraid for his examination. My son tried to prepare for the exam, fearing for his exam.

Angry or annoyed + about/with
My wife felt a great deal announced about being late. (about something). My wife was feeling a little annoyed about being late.
My cousin is not angry with your sister, Vault.
(with somebody) (on someone) Mine cousin Don't be mad at your sister, Walt.

answerable + for/to- responsible + for / before
Ted was answerable for (=responsible for) the project that had not been approved. Ted was in charge of a project that was not approved.
Last two committees were answerable only to (=
explained their actions to the President. The last two Committees were accountable only to the President.

anxious + about/for
My friend Todd is increasingly worried about
(= Worried about) his son’s health. My friend Todd was worried about his son's health.
My sister has been anxious for (=wanted very much) the potatoes to be planted as soon as possible.
My sister was concerned about planting potatoes in the shortest possible time.
bad or good + at/for
They were very bad / good at driving. (=successful) - They have no ability/ability to drive.
You should drink this.
It "s bad / good for you. (= health)
You must drink this. Is this good/bad for
your health. (=healthy)

good + about/to/with
Victoria felt bad about losing the prize.
(=Satisfied with herself) Victoria felt and was dissatisfied with herself after the loss.

concerned + about/with
We are much concerned about your exam results.
(= Disturbing)
This man at the window is concerned with (=about) his.

glad + for/of
He is very glad for us. He's very happy for us.
My mom would be glad of some help.

pleased + about/at/with
Were they pleased about/at this information?
They are really pleased with their new helicopter.

right + about/for
Timothy was right about Tony. He has moved to
Italy.
I think this house is right for you.

sorry + about/for
sorry about smth/for doing smth
to be/ feel sorry for somebody
We are sorry about telling you the wrong information.
We were really sorry for Victor.

The verb is followed by an adjective + preposition + verb with –ing form:
We didn't agree with smacking a child if he did the bad thing.