APPROPRIATE PREPOSITIONS

According to English usage certain words are followed by particular

Prepositions. These are called Appropriate Prepositions. Students should study
the uses of Appropriate Prepositions carefully.

1. Abide by – You should abide by the rules

2. Abound in - Fish abounds in this pond.
3. Abound with – the river abounds with fish
4. Absent from - He was absent from school
5. Absorbed in – He is absorbed in studies
6. Access to - Public has no access to this garden
7. According to – according to your order I went there
8. Accompanied by - He was accompanied by his father
9. Acquainted with – I am acquainted with him.
10. Accused of - He is accused of theft.
11. Accustomed to – I am accustomed to such a life
12. Acquit (one) of – I acquit you of the charge.
13. Add to – Add this to that
14. Addicted to – He is addicted to wine
15. Adjacent to – His school is adjacent to his house
16. Admit of – Your conduct/ It admits of no excuse
17. Admit to – He was admitted to Class VI.
18. Admit into – He was admitted into the room.
19. Affection for – The teacher feels affection for every pupil
20. Affectionate to – He is affectionate to me
21. Afraid of – I am not afraid of ghosts
22. Agree with )a person), on (a point), to (a proposal)
23. I agree with you on this point, but I cannot agree to all the proposals.
24. Aim at – He aimed his gun at the bird
25. Alarmed at – We were alarmed at the news
26. Allot to – One room has been allotted to him
27. Alternative to - This question is alternative to that
28. Aloof from – Keep yourself aloof from bad company
29. Ambition for – He has no ambition for fame in life
30. Angry with (a person), for (something) , at (one’s conduct) –
31. Apart from – apart from the prize, he got a certificate.

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32. Appeal to (a person), for (something) against (a wrong) – He appealed to the
Headmaster for pardon. They appealed against the verdict of the lower court.
33. Appetite for – The patient has no appetite for food
34. Apply to (a person), for (a thing) – He applied to the Secretary for the post
35. Aptitude for – I have no aptitude for Mathematics
36. Arrive at – we arrived at the station in time
37. Argue with (a person), for or against ( a thing) – I argued with him for (or against)
the point
38. Assign to - He assigned the task to me
39. Ashamed of – He is not ashamed of his conduct
40. Ashamed for – I feel ashamed for you (A.L.D. – Hornby)
41. Attend to – attend to your lesson
42. Attach to – attach this slip to the letter
43. Attend on (upon) – She attends on (upon) her mother
44. Avail (oneself) of – You must avail yourself of the opportunity
45. Aware of – He is aware of the fact
46. Based on – Your remarks are not based on facts.
47. Beg ( a person) for ( a thing) – He begged me for the favor
48. Beg ( a thing ) of (a person) – He begged the favour of me
49. Believe in – I do not believe in his honesty
50. Belong to – This book belongs to me
51. Bent on – He is bent on doing this
52. Beware of – Beware of pick pockets
53. Blessed with – He is blessed with (=possesses) good health
54. Blessed in – He is blessed (= happy) in his children.
55. Blind of – He is blind of one eye
56. Blind to – He is blind to his own faults
57. Blush with, for – She blushed with shame
58. Boast of – Do not boast of your wealth
59. Born of, in – He was born of poor parents. He was born in poverty
60. Bound for – The ship is bound for England
61. Brood on, over – Do not brood over your misfortune
62. Burst out – He burst out laughing at my joke
63. Busy with – He is busy with his studies
64. Callous to – He is callous to my suffering
65. Capable of – He is capable of doing this alone
66. Capacity for – He has capacity for hard work
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67. Care for – I do not care for you
68. Care of – He is certain of his ground
69. Charge (a person) with (a fault), on or against (a person) – He was charged with
theft. Theft was charged on (against) him
70. Close to – The school is very close to our house
71. Clothed in, with – He is clothed in wool. He was clothed with shame. [ A.L.D]
72. Clue to – Find out the clue to the mystery
73. Come of – He comes of a noble family.
74. Commence on – Our examination commences on the 3rd July
75. Comment on – He commented favorably on the point
76. Comment on – He commented favorably on the point
77. Compare with (similar things), to (dissimilar things) – Rabindranath may be
compared with Shakespeare. Anger is compared to fire.
78. Compete with (someone), for (something) – I competed with him for the first
prize.
79. Complain to ( a person), against (another), about ( a thing) – They complained
(made a complaint) to the Director against the Manager about his behavior
80. Comply with – I shall comply with your request
81. Composed if – Water is composed of Hydrogen and Oxygen
82. Confident of – I am confident of success
83. Confined in (a room), to (bed) – He is confined in a room for five days. He is
confined to bed.
84. Congratulate on – I congratulate you on your success.
85. Conscious of – He is conscious of his weakness
86. Consist of – This class consists of fifty boys./ The committee consists of five
members
87. Consist in – Happiness consists in contentment.
88. Consist with – His statement does not consist with reason
89. Consistent with – Your action is not consistent with the rules
90. Consult with (a person), on or about (a thing) – I consulted with him on/about the
matter.
91. Contrary to – His action is contrary to his words
92. Contribute to – He contributed one thousand rupees to the Flood Relief Fund
93. Control over – He has no control over his brother
94. Count for – His advice counts for nothing (i.e. of no effect)
95. Count upon – I cannot cope with the situation
96. Crave for – He craves for wealth (COD)
97. Deaf of – He is deaf of one ear. (COD)
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98. Deaf to – He is deaf to my requests
99. Deal in – He deals in rice/ clothes etc.
100. Deal with – He deals well with the customers
101. Dedicate to – This book is dedicated to his father
102. Delight in – He takes delight in music
103. Depend on – Success depends on hard work
104. Deprived of – He was deprived of his property
105. Desire for – He has no desire for fame
106. Desirous of – He is desirous of building a new house
107. Despair of – Do not despair of success.
108. Destined to – He was destined to death
109. Devoid of – He is devoid of common sense
110. Devote to – he devotes much time to study
111. Die of (a disease), from (an effect), for (a cause), by (poison), in (peace) – He
died of cholera. He died from over-eating. He died for his country. He died by
poison. Let me die in peace.
112. Differ with (a person), on (a Point), in (opinion) – I differ with you on this
point. They differ in their opinions.
113. Differ from – This thing differs from that
114. Difference between – There is no difference between the two brothers
115. Different from – This book is different from that.
116. Diffident of – I am diffident of success.
117. Disgrace to – He is a disgrace to his family. / Slums are a disgrace to any city.
118. Disgusted with (a person), at (a thing) – I am disgusted with him at his conduct
119. Dislike for – He has dislike for dogs.
120. Displeased with (a person) at (a thing) – I am displeased with him at his conduct.
121. Dispose of – He disposed of his books
122. Dispose of – The old books were disposed off
123. Distinguish one thing from (another) – A child cannot distinguish good from evil
124. Distinguish between – Distinguish between a phrase and a clause
125. Divert from – The loud music diverted my attention from study
126. Divide into (parts) – It was divided into several parts
127. Divide between (two), among (more than two) – Divide the mangoes between
Ram and Shyam. Divide the mangoes among the boys
128. Due to – His absence is due to illness. / He is absent due to his illness.
129. Dull at – He is dull at Physics/ Mathematics etc.

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130. Eager for, about – He is eager for promotion in service. He is eager about the
result. (COD)
131. Eligible for – He is eligible for the post
132. Encroach on – Do not encroach on my land
133. End in – All his plans ended in smoke
134. Endowed with – He is endowed with talents
135. Engaged with (a person) in (a work) – I was engaged with him in talk
136. Engaged to – Lila was engaged to him.
137. Enquire of (a person), into (a matter) – He enquired of me into the matter
138. Enter into – He entered into details. [But] he entered the room.
139. Envy of - I have no envy of home(p.o.d)
140. Envious of- I am not envious of his riches.
141. Entitled to – he is entitled to a reward for his honesty.
142. Equal in ( rank) , with ( a person) , to (a task) –
143. Escape by- he escaped by a hair –breadth.
144. Esteem for- he has esteem for the superiors.
145. Essential to – food is essential to health.
146. Excel in- he excels in painting)cod)
147. Excuse for- he will not be excused for coming late.
148. Excuse from- they may be excused from complying with this regulation.
149. Exempt from- he has exempted from the fine.
150. Faith in - I have no faith in him/ he has no faith in religion Faith with (breakfast) -
he broke faith with me.
151. Faithful to – the dog is faithful to his master.
152. False to - I cannot be false (unfaithful) to my friend.
153. Famous for- radhanagar is famous for the birth place of raja rammohun.
154. Familiar with – he is familiar with my brother.
155. Fatal to- the doctor’s mistake proved fatal to the patient’s life.
156. Favour with- would you favour me with an early reply?
157. (In) favour of – he spoke in favour of his friend.
158. Favorable to (a person) for (something) - this situation is favorable to me
for doing this.
159. Feel for, in –I feel for you in your trouble.
160. Fit for – he is not fit for the job.
161. Fond of- she is fond of sweets.
162. Free from - he is now free from danger.
163. Fill with – this tank is filled with water

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164. Full of- this tank is full of water.
165. Glance at- he glanced at me casually. / have a glance at the book.
166. Good at - he is good at tennis.[ but, he is good for nothing]
167. Grateful to (a person) for (something) - I am grateful to you for your help.
168. Greed for- he has no greed for wealth.
169. Guess at - can you guess at her age?
170. Guilty of- he is guilty of murder.
171. Hanker after- do not hanker after wealth.
172. Hard at- he is hard at work before examination.
173. Hard of- he is hard of hearing.
174. Heir of ( a person), to (a property)- he is the heir of his uncle(to the
uncle’s property
175. Hope for- let us hope for the best.
176. Hunger for- his hunger for knowledge surprised us
177. Ignorant of- he is ignorant of this rule.
178. Ill with- he is ill with fever.
179. Impose on- the task was imposed on me.
180. Indebted to- I am indebted to him for this help.
181. Indifferent to- he is indifferent to our problem.
182. Indulge in – do not indulge in wine.
183. But, do not indulge him with your support.]
184. Inform (a person) , of (something) – he informed the police of the murder
185. Inferior to- -this orange is inferior to that.
186. Inquire of (a person), about, into (a matter) - I inquired of him about (into) the
matter.
187. Insist on- he insisted on my going home.
188. Interest in- he has special interest in history.
189. Interfere with (a person), in (a matter) do not interfere with me in my business.
190. Invite to – I invited him to dinner.
191. Involved in – he involved in the plot.
192. Jealous of- l am not at all jealous of his fortune.
193. Jump at- do not jump at the offer.
194. Jump to- do not hastily jump to a conclusion.
195. Jump on- the cat jumped on the table
196. Jump over – he jumped over the fence.
197. Junior to - he is junior to me in service.
198. Junior by - he is junior to me by five years.
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199. Justification of/ for- there is no justification of (for) his conduct.
200. Key to- he has found out the key to his problem.
201. Kind (noun) of- what kind of paper is it?
202. Kind (adj) to- she is very kind to the children.
203. Lack of- I have no lack of friends.
204. Lacking in – he is lacking in courage.
205. Lame of - he is lame of one leg.
206. Lament for- she lamented for her child.
207. Late in - why are you late so coming.
208. Laugh at- do not laugh at the poor.
209. Lay by- lay by something for the old age.
210. Liable to- he is liable to fine for his misconduct.
211. Linking for- she has a liking for music.
212. Limit to- you should have a limit to your demands.
213. Limited to- invitation was limited to members only.
214. Listen to- listen to me. Listen to the news on the radio.
215. Live on (food)- the cow lives on grass.
216. Live by- he lives by honest means.
217. Live beyond, within – he lives beyond his means. He lives within his means.
218. Live for( an ideal)- he lives for frame.
219. Look at – look at the moon.
220. Look after – there is none to look after her.
221. Look for- l am looking for a good job.
222. Look into- l am looking into the matter.
223. Look over- he is looking over the answer-papers.
224. Look up- look up the word in the dictionary.
225. Long for - he longed for frame.
226. Loyal to - he is loyal to his master
227. Mad with- he is mad with pain.
228. Made of - this ring is made of gold.
229. Make for- the ship made for England. / make for England at your earliest.
230. Make out – I cannot make out what you say.
231. Marry to – he married his daughter to a rich man. She was married to a rich
man.
232. Marry. - She married a Frenchman(A.L.D. Hornby)
233. Mourn for, over – don’t mourn for(over) the dead.
234. Need for , of – I have no need for more money. I am in need of money.
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235. Object to - he objected to my proposal
236. Oblige ( a person) with or by (doing) something - he obliged me with a loan,
or by giving me a loan.
237. Obliged to – ( a person),for ( a thing) – I am obliged to him for his kind help.
238. Obsessed by, with – he is obsessed by the idea/ why are people so
obsessed with money?
239. Obstacle to – proverty is often an obstacle to higher studies.
240. Occupied with ( a business) ,in (doing a thing) – he is occupied with his studies.
He is occupied in writing a letter.
241. Occur to- (one’s mind) – the idea never occurred to me.
242. Occur in ( an essay , a poem etc.) – this line occurs in the poem ‘ the cloud’,
written by Shelley
243. Offend against – you have offended against good manners.
244. Offended with ( a person) at (an action)- I am offended (displeased) with you at
your conduct.
245. Offensive to – this acrid smell is offensive to me.
246. Officiate for ( a person) in ( a post) – he officiated for me in that post.
247. Open to – his plan is open to objection.
248. Open at- open at page 20.
249. Opportunity for, of – I have no opportunity for (of) doing the work.
250. Opposite to- your idea is opposite to mine . our house is opposite to the park.
251. Overcome with , by (emotion etc)- he was overcome with fatigue . he
was overcome by anger .(COD)
252. Owe to, for – I owe my all to him./ he still owes for the goods supplied to him.
253. Parallel to - this road is parallel to that.
254. Part from ( a person) , with ( a thing) – he parted from his friend . she parted
with the ring(COD).
255. Partial to – he is partial to his son.
256. Partiality for - he has no partiality for his son.
257. Pass for- he passes for a clever man
258. Pass away- he passed away last night.
259. Persist in – he persisted in disturbing me.
260. Pity for- have pity for the poor.
261. Play on – he played on guitar.
262. Plead with ( a person) for or against (something)- I am pleased with him . I am
pleased at the news.
263. Polite in, to- he is polite in his manners . he is polite to strangers.
264. Poor in (spirit)- don’t be poor in spirit . he is poor in mathematics.

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265. Popular with he is popular with all for his good behavior.
266. Prefer (one) to (another) – I prefer coffee to tea.
267. Preferable to – death is preferable to dishonor
268. Preside over- he presided over the meeting.
269. Pretend to- he does not pretend to high birth.
270. Prevent (one) from (doing something) – I prevented him from going there.
271. Pride(oneself) on, (take pride in)- he prides himself on (takes pride in) his high
birth.
272. Proud of- he is proud of his position.
273. Prior to – prior to that, he was in a wretched condition.
274. Prohibit from- I prohibited him from going there.
275. Prompt in (answers), prompt at (figures)- he is prompt in his answers . he
is prompt at figures.
276. Prone to – he is prone to idleness.
277. Proportionate to- punishment should be Proportionate to offence.
278. Provide against (evil days). For (children), with (a thing) – You must provide
against evil days for your children. I provide (supply) him with food
279. Qualified for – He is qualified for the post.
280. Quick at, of – He is quick at figures. He is quick of understanding
281. Quarrel with ( a person) for, over, about (something) – They quarreled with one
another for (over, about) the property.
282. Refer to – Refer the matter to him for enquiry
283. Rejoice at , in – Everyone rejoiced at (in) her success.
284. [Nesfield says “rejoice in one’s own success”, but “rejoice at the success of
another”. But COD does not make any such distinction]
285. Relevant to – Your remark is not relevant to the point.
286. Rely on, upon – You can rely on him./ He can be relied upon for that kind of hel
287. Remedy for – There is no remedy for this disease. (COD)
288. Remind (one) of (a thing) – I reminded him of his promise.
289. Render into – Render the passage into Hindi
290. Replace (one thing) with another – Replace this chair with a new one (COD)
291. Require (a thing) of (a person) – I required a loan of him./ What do you require of
me?
292. Resign (oneself) to – I resigned myself to fate.
293. Respond to – Nobody responded to my call.
294. Responsible to (an authority) for ( an action) – He is responsible to the committee
for his action.

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295. Rest with, upon – The whole matter rests (depends) with you. I rest upon (rely
on) your promise.
296. Restore to – Restore his property to him
297. Restrict to – Admission was restricted to students
298. Retire from, on – He retired from service on a pension
299. Rich in – Bihar is rich in minerals
300. Rid of – Get rid of bad company
301. Rob of – Somebody robbed him of his purse
302. Sanguine of – She is sanguine of her success
303. Satisfied with, of – I am satisfied with him. I am satisfied of the truth
304. Satisfaction in, with – I find satisfaction in gardening. Great was his satisfaction
with his result.
305. Search for – Their search for the thing was of no avail
306. (In) search of – They are in search of a nice bird
307. Sensible of – She is sensible of the risk
308. Sensitive to – She is sensitive to cold
309. Sentence to, for – He was sentenced to death for murder
310. Senior to – He is senior to me by four years. I am senior to him in service.
311. Send for – Send for a doctor immediately
312. Sick of , for – I am sick of fever. I am sick of this idle life. He is sick for home
313. Similar to – This pen is similar to that
314. Sink in (mud), into (the sea, river etc) – He sank in mud. The ship sank into the
sea.
315. Slow of (speech), at (figures), in (doing something) – He is slow of speech. He is
slow at figures. He is slow in writing.
316. Smell of – This glass smells of wine
317. Smile on – Fortune smiled on him
318. Stare at – She started at me.
319. Stick to – He sticks to his decision
320. Subject to – This is subject to approval of the committee
321. Succeed in – He will succeed in life
322. Suffer from – He is suffering from fever
323. Superior to – This type of rice is superior to that
324. Supply (a person) with (a thing), to (a person) – He supplied us with food. He
supplied food to us.
325. Sure of – I am sure of success
326. Sympathy for - I have no sympathy for him

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327. Take after – The boy takes after (resembles) his father.
328. Talk to, with (a person), of, about, over (a thing) – I am talking to (with) Mr.Roy of
(about, over) the matter.
329. Taste for – She has no taste for music
330. Tell upon – Over-eating tells upon health
331. Tide over – He will soon tide over the difficulty
332. Tired of – I am tired of doing the same thing day after day
333. Think of, about (a person), over (something) – What do you think of (about)
him?
334. Think carefully over his advice.
335. Tolerant of – We must be tolerant of opposition
336. Triumph over – Jim and Della triumphed over their poverty
337. True to – He is true to his master
338. Trust (a person) with (a thing), to (a person), in God – You may trust me with the
work. You may trust the work to me . Trust in God.
339. Unite with – Be united with your friends
340. Useful to (a person), for (some purpose) – This book is useful to us for
examination
341. Vain of – She is vain of her beauty
342. Vary from – His opinion varies from his brother’s
343. Vexed with (a person), for, at (a thing) – He is vexed with me at my conduct . He
is vexed with me for opposing him
344. Void of – He is void of common sense
345. Wait for – I waited for him for two hours
346. Wait on – The nurse waited on (attended ) the patient
347. Want of – He warned me of the danger
348. Weak in – He is weak in Mathematics
349. Weak of – He is weak of understanding
350. Weary of – He is weary of hard life
351. Wish for – I do not wish for name and fame
352. Wonder at – I wonder at his ignorance
353. Worthy of – He is worthy of our praise
354. Yield to – He yielded to his enemy
355. Zeal for – He has a zeal for social work
356. Zealous for, in – He is zealous for improvement in a good cause
357. Zest for – She has no zest for music
FOR

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