English Mastery
Module 5 · Articles & Prepositions

Verb + Preposition Combinations

Intermediate–Advanced50 min25 questions8 sections
Step 1

Quick Look

Some verbs are married to their prepositions — depend ON, listen TO, wait FOR — and the marriages are fixed by convention, not logic. Hindi interferes constantly here: ‘usse shaadi ki’ pushes ‘married WITH her’, ‘mujh par bharosa’ pushes ‘trust ON me’. This chapter gives you the 40 fixed pairs that cover 95% of real usage, plus the pairs where changing the preposition changes the meaning.
Sentence TypeStructure + Example
Fixed marriages
depend ON, listen TO, wait FOR, believe IN, belong TO, suffer FROM — memorise as single words
Meaning-switch pairs
agree WITH a person / agree TO a proposal • look AT (see) / look FOR (search) / look AFTER (care)
The direct club (recap)
discuss, enter, reach, marry, resemble, attend, answer
NO preposition at all

The golden rule: learn each pair as ONE word — ‘dependon’, ‘listento’, ‘waitfor’. Hindi’s case- endings (से, पर, का) are false friends here: शादी WITH नहीं — married TO; भरोसा ON नहीं — rely ON is right but trust takes nothing (‘trust me’); डरना FROM नहीं — afraid OF. When Hindi whispers a preposition, verify against the table before writing.

Verb + preposition at a glance
FIXED MARRIAGESlearn each pair as ONE worddependONlistenTOwaitFORbelieveINbelongTOsufferFROMconsistOFdealWITH FALSE FRIENDSसे · पर · काdoctor से शादी married withmarriedTOअँधेरे से डर afraid fromafraidOFमुझसे नाराज़ angry onangryWITH THE DIRECT CLUBno partner at alldiscussenterreachmarryresembleattendanswer
Hindi’s little case-endings are false friends here — check every pair against the table before you write it.
Step 2

When to Use It

dependONlistenTOwaitFORbelongTObelieveINsufferFROM
Use 1

The everyday ten

The pairs you’ll use daily — non-negotiable.
  • Everything depends on the bank’s valuation.
  • Listen to the recording before replying.
  • We’re waiting for the NOC — third week now.
  • This shop belongs to my father-in-law.
  • I don’t believe in shortcuts with documentation.
  • She’s suffering from viral fever since Monday... rather, she has been suffering from it since Monday.
agreeWITH a personagree with youTO a proposalagree to these terms
Use 2

People vs. things — the switch pairs

Same verb, different preposition, different target.
  • I agree with you, but I can’t agree to these terms. (person with; proposal to)
  • He apologised to the client for the delay. (person to; fault for)
  • She complained to the RWA about the seepage. (person to; problem about)
  • We borrowed from the NBFC and lent to the contractor. (source from; receiver to)
lookatseeforsearchaftertake careintoinvestigateforward toanticipate
Use 3

The LOOK family

One verb, five directions.
  • Look at this crack in the beam. (direct your eyes)
  • I’m looking for a 2BHK under 60. (searching)
  • Who looks after the property when you’re abroad? (takes care)
  • The auditor is looking into the cash entries. (investigating)
  • We look forward to closing this quickly. (anticipate — the Module 4 TO-trap!)
blamesomeoneFORsomethingaccusesomeoneOFsomethingcongratulatesomeoneONsomethingpreventsomeoneFROM-ingspendONpayFOR
Use 4

Blame, praise, and consequences

The accountability set.
  • They blamed the contractor for the delay.
  • He was accused of forging the signature.
  • The RWA congratulated him on his election.
  • Nothing prevents you from selling your share.
  • He spends too much on interiors and never pays for parking on time.
afraidOFproudOFfamousFORresponsibleFORangryWITH a personthe peonAT a thingthe system
Use 5

The feelings set — adjective + preposition (quick recap + additions)

Afraid OF, angry WITH (person) / angry AT (thing), proud OF, jealous OF, famous FOR, responsible FOR.
  • He’s afraid of heights but proud of his tower project.
  • Don’t be angry with the peon; be angry at the system.
  • Khurja is famous for its pottery.
  • You are responsible for the keys till possession.
Same verb, different preposition, different target
agreeWITH a personI agree with you.TO a proposalI can’t agree to these terms.apologiseTO a personapologised to the clientFOR a faultapologised for the delaycomplainTO a personcomplained to the RWAABOUT a problemcomplained about the seepageborrowFROM a sourceborrowed from the NBFClendTO a receiverlent to the contractor
The verb stays the same; the preposition follows what comes next — a person, a proposal, a fault or a problem.
Extra

The Fixed-Pair Dictionary (40 combinations)

Verb + prepositionVerb + prepositionVerb + prepositionVerb + preposition
depend onlisten towait forbelieve in
belong tosuffer fromconsist ofdeal with
agree with (person)agree to (proposal)apologise to (person)apologise for (fault)
complain to (person)complain about (thing)borrow fromlend to
search forlaugh atworry aboutcare about
congratulate onblame foraccuse ofprevent from
differ frominvest inspend onpay for
look atlook forlook afterlook into
rely oninsist onsucceed inobject to
afraid ofangry with (person)proud ofresponsible for
The direct club takes NOTHING: discuss, enter, reach, marry, resemble, attend, answer, request, contact. And two states with fixed partners: married TO (not with), die OF a disease.
Step 4

Hindi Concept Note

अHindi Concept Noteहिंदी में समझिए
यहाँ हिंदी के ‘से/पर/का’ सबसे बड़े दुश्मन हैं — English के जोड़े रटने ही पड़ते हैं:
उसकी शादी एक doctor से हुई है She is married TO a doctor (‘married with’ नहीं!)।
मुझे अँधेरे से डर लगता है I am afraid OF the dark (‘afraid from’ नहीं!)।
वह मुझसे नाराज़ है He is angry WITH me (‘angry on me’ — India की सबसे आम ग़लती!)।
मैं तुम पर निर्भर हूँ I depend ON you। गाना सुनो Listen TO the song (‘listen music’ अधूरा है)।
और switch-pairs का खेल: आदमी से सहमत agree WITH him; शर्तों पर राज़ी agree TO the terms। शिकायत RWA से (आदमी) complain TO the RWA; शिकायत seepage की (चीज़) complain ABOUT the seepage।
Step 5

Common Mistakes Hindi Speakers Make

Wrong
Right
Why
She is married with a bank manager.
She is married to a bank manager.
Married TO — Hindi’s ‘se’ is the false friend here.
Why are you angry on me?
Why are you angry with me?
Angry WITH a person. (Angry AT a thing/situation.)
I am afraid from street dogs.
I am afraid of street dogs.
Afraid OF — always.
He is listening music in his cabin.
He is listening to music in his cabin.
Listen never travels alone — listen TO.
We are waiting the electrician since noon.
We have been waiting for the electrician since noon.
Wait FOR — and ‘since’ pulls the Perfect Continuous (Module 1).
The old man died from cancer.
The old man died of cancer.
Die OF a disease. (Die FROM survives only for external causes — injuries, overwork.)
Step 6

Signal Words

Working method:
Learn pairs as single words: dependon, listento, waitfor, belongto
Person vs. thing switches: agree with/to, apologise to/for, complain to/about
The LOOK family: at (see), for (search), after (care), into (investigate), forward to (anticipate)
When Hindi suggests a preposition — verify. ‘Se/par/ka’ mislead more than they help
Direct club (no preposition): discuss, enter, reach, marry, resemble, attend, answer
Step 7

Practice

Set A

Fill in the blanks

0 / 10
  1. 1
    The final decision depends the co-owners’ consent.
  2. 2
    We’ve been waiting the completion certificate August. (two blanks)
  3. 3
    He apologised the tenant the water problem. (two blanks)
  4. 4
    I agree your lawyer, but I can’t agree this penalty clause. (two blanks)
  5. 5
    She complained the builder the lift breakdowns. (two blanks)
  6. 6
    The society blamed the guard the theft, but he was accused nothing formally. (two blanks)
  7. 7
    Congratulations your new showroom!
  8. 8
    Who will look the farmhouse while you’re in Dubai? (care)
  9. 9
    The auditor is looking last quarter’s cash entries. (investigate)
  10. 10
    He borrowed his brother and invested everything the Khurja land. (two blanks)
Set B

Correct the mistake

0 / 8
  1. 11
    She got married with her college classmate.
  2. 12
    The boss is angry on the whole team today.
  3. 13
    I’m afraid from lizards, honestly.
  4. 14
    Please listen the client’s full requirement first.
  5. 15
    We waited the surveyor for two hours.
  6. 16
    He died from dengue last monsoon.
  7. 17
    The child resembles to his grandfather.
  8. 18
    They discussed about the landing price for an hour.
Set C

Translate into English

0 / 7
  1. 19
    सब कुछ बारिश पर निर्भर करता है।
  2. 20
    मैं तुम्हारा इंतज़ार कर रहा हूँ।
  3. 21
    वह मुझसे नाराज़ है।
  4. 22
    उसकी शादी एक teacher से हुई है।
  5. 23
    मुझे ऊँचाई से डर लगता है।
  6. 24
    उसने देरी के लिए client से माफ़ी माँगी।
  7. 25
    बीमार माँ की देखभाल कौन करता है? (look का परिवार)
Step 8

Answer Key

Show answersHide answers
Answers · Set A
1
on
2
for ... since
3
to ... for
4
with ... to
5
to ... about
6
for ... of
7
on
8
after
9
into
10
from ... in
Answers · Set B
11
She got married to her college classmate. (Married TO.)
12
The boss is angry with the whole team today. (Angry WITH people.)
13
I’m afraid of lizards, honestly. (Afraid OF.)
14
Please listen to the client’s full requirement first. (Listen TO.)
15
We waited for the surveyor for two hours. (Wait FOR.)
16
He died of dengue last monsoon. (Die OF a disease.)
17
The child resembles his grandfather. (Resemble — direct club, no preposition.)
18
They discussed the landing price for an hour. (Discuss — direct club.)
Answers · Set C
19
Everything depends on the rain.
20
I am waiting for you.
21
He is angry with me. / She is upset with me.
22
She is married to a teacher.
23
I am afraid of heights.
24
He apologised to the client for the delay.
25
Who looks after the sick mother? / Who takes care of her ailing mother?

Finished this chapter?

Mark it complete to light it up on your progress map. You can always come back to the practice.

Next up · Chapter 9Phrasal Verbs — Introduction & Top 100

Verb + particle = brand-new meaning. The Top 100 that native speakers actually use, organised so you can learn them.