🌼Prepositions with Verb🌼

Prepositions with Verbs 
Definition
Certain verbs require prepositions in order to connect to their sentences’ objects. These combinations, known as prepositional verbs, allow the prepositions to act as necessary links between verbs and nouns or gerunds. The prepositions used in these combinations are sometimes called dependent prepositions.
Here are some of the prepositions most commonly used with verbs:
for
to
about
with
of
in
at
on
from
Usage
Prepositional verbs always take a direct object (either a noun or gerund) after the preposition and cannot be separated by it. For example:
“He listens to classical music every night.” (Correct — the prepositional verb is not separated, and the object comes directly after the preposition.)
“He listens classical music every night.” (Incorrect — the verb listens requires a preposition to connect to its object, classical music.)
“He listens classical music to every night.” (Incorrect — listens and its preposition to cannot be separated by the object, classical music.)
Prepositional verbs vs. phrasal verbs
Sometimes, a phrasal verb may be mistaken for a prepositional verb. Although both combinations employ verbs and prepositions, you can differentiate the two grammar structures by looking at the literal meaning of the verb and the word order.
Literal meaning of the verb
Prepositional verbs use the literal meanings of verbs, whereas phrasal verbs tend to be idiomatic. For example, the meaning of the verb ask doesn’t change when combined with the preposition for; however, it changes dramatically when combined with the preposition out:
“Kelly asked for a raise.” (The literal meaning of to ask is to inquire. Kelly inquired about a raise, making it a prepositional verb.)
“Kelly asked out Chad.” (Ask out means to invite someone on a date, making it an idiomatic phrasal verb.)
Word order
The order of a verb’s preposition and its object can also help determine whether a verb is prepositional or phrasal. As previously stated, the object of prepositional verbs always comes immediately after the preposition, which in turn comes immediately after the verb. Note that an exception to this rule is when an adverb is used to modify the prepositional verb, in which case it can appear between the verb and the preposition. However, the object must still follow the preposition. For example:
“Kelly asked for a raise.” (correct)
“Kelly asked politely for a raise.” (correct)
“Kelly asked a raise for.” (incorrect)
For phrasal verbs, however, prepositions and objects can often be rearranged without issue:
“Kelly asked out Chad.” (correct)
“Kelly asked Chad out.” (also correct)
Examples of common pairings
Because there are no established rules or methods to determine which prepositions accompany which verbs, we have to settle on memorizing some of the most common verb + preposition combinations.
The following sections contain numerous examples of commonly used prepositional verbs.
Verb + for
The preposition for can be used with a number of verbs, often to emphasize purpose or reason. For example:
Verb + for
Example Sentences
apologize for
“Brittany never apologizes for her behavior.”
ask for
“The student asked for a pencil.”
beg for
“The man begged for a second chance.”
care for
“I don’t care for salads.”
fight for
“Many generations of people have fought for freedom."
hope for
“The family is hoping for a miracle.”
long for
“The man longed for the days of his youth.”
pay for
“Who’s going to pay for these tickets?”
provide for
“Parents are expected to provide for their children.”
search for
“Did you search for the missing piece yet?”
wait for
“I’m waiting for the bus.”
wish for
“Some people wish for nothing but fame.”
work for
“She works for the government.”
Verb + to
To is commonly used with verbs and usually refers to direction (literal or metaphorical) or connections between people or things. For example:
Verb + to
Example Sentences
adjust to
“You’ll adjust to your new school in no time.”
admit to
“He admitted to reading her diary.”
belong to
“The wallet belongs to that woman over there.”
travel to
“I am traveling to England tomorrow.”
listen to
“Grace is listening to music in her room.”
go to
“Anthony, please go to the back of the classroom.”
relate to
“I can’t relate to this character at all.”
respond to
“Josh responded to his friend’s email.”
talk to
“He talked to the manager for more than an hour.”
turn to
“Turn to page 46 for a diagram of the procedure.”
Verb + about
Many verbs take the preposition about when referring to things, events, or gerunds. For example:
Verb + about
Example Sentences
ask about
“I asked about the company’s job opening.”
care about
“She doesn’t seem to care about going to college.”
complain about
“The boy complained about his early curfew.”
forget about
“I forgot about the wedding reception.”
hear about
“Did you hear about the renovation project?”
joke about
“Kim often jokes about her high-pitched voice.”
know about
“What do you know about physics?”
laugh about
“The friends laughed about their terrible luck.”
learn about
“Michelle is learning about film production.”
talk about
“What are you talking about?”
think about
“We’ll need to think about hiring some more staff.”
worry about
“So many adults worry about getting older.”
write about
“Dean wrote about his day in his journal.”
Verb + with
Verbs using the preposition with usually point to connections and relationships between people or things. For example:
Verb + with
Example Sentences
agree with
“I don’t agree with his opinions.”
argue with
“The two argued with each other for several minutes.”
begin with, start with
“Let’s begin with a short quiz.”
“I shouldn’t have started with a salad.”
collide with
“It is possible, albeit unlikely, for an asteroid to collide with Earth.”
compare with
“How does the restaurant’s soup compare with Vera’s?”
compete with
“When I run races, I only compete with the clock.”
cope with
“It’s not easy to cope with failure.”
disagree with
“She disagrees with my suggestion.”
interfere with
“Be careful not to interfere with the conference upstairs.”
meet with
“When will you meet with her?”
Verb + of
The preposition of can be used with a variety of verbs. For example:
Verb + of
Example Sentences
approve of
“Ellen doesn’t approve of her sister’s friends.”
consist of
“Pizza consists of bread, cheese, and tomato sauce.”
dream of
“I dream of visiting Europe.”
hear of
“Have you heard of this new TV show?”
take care of
“Who will take care of your goldfish while you’re away?”
think of
“If you only think of failure, you’ll never take any risks.”
Verb + in
The preposition in accompanies several verbs and tends to point to involvement or connections between people or things. For example:
Verb + in
Example Sentences
believe in
“The majority of children believe in Santa Claus.”
engage in
“Maurice likes to engage in political debates.”
invest in
“Now is the time to invest in as many companies as possible.”
live in
“Haley lives in Seattle.”
participate in
“What sports did you participate in as a kid?”
result in
“The hotel’s failure to exterminate the bed bugs resulted in fewer customers.”
specialize in
“English majors can choose to specialize in creative writing or literature.”
succeed in
“Steven succeeded in earning a scholarship.”
Verb + at
At is commonly used with verbs to indicate places, skills, and reactions. For example:
Verb + at
Example Sentences
arrive at
“We arrived at the hotel in the morning.”
balk at
“Melissa balked at taking out the garbage.”
excel at
“My five-year-old niece already excels at math and science.”
laugh at
“The boy couldn’t stop laughing at Isabella’s joke.”
look at
“Look at the whiteboard, please.”
nod at
“She nodded at her coworkers.”
shout at
“He could hear someone shouting at the TV.”
smile at
“My son smiles at me every time I walk through the door.”
stare at
“It’s uncomfortable when people stare at you.”
Verb + on
The preposition on is used with a number of different verbs. For example:
Verb + on
Example Sentences
agree on
“The committee finally agreed on a solution.”
bet on
“I wouldn’t bet on that happening.”
comment on
“The lawyer briefly commented on the lawsuit.”
concentrate on, focus on
“He’s trying to concentrate on his work.”
“I'm too tired to focus on this assignment.”
decide on
“He eventually decided on a career path.”
depend on, rely on
“You can’t depend on him forever.”
“Too many students rely on the Internet to conduct research.”
elaborate on
“This paragraph elaborates on the previous one’s claims.”
experiment on
“The company offered assurances that it does not experiment on animals.”
insist on
“She insisted on joining us.”
operate on
“Aspiring surgeons learn how to operate on people.”
plan on
“Do you plan on attending the concert tomorrow?”
Verb + from
The preposition from is commonly used with verbs to identify a point of origin or a connection or disconnection between people or things. For example:
Verb + from
Example Sentences
benefit from
“Aspiring musicians benefit from getting public exposure for their music.”
come from
“Saya comes from Japan.”
differ from
“How does milk chocolate differ from white chocolate?”
escape from
“The prisoners escaped from their captors.”
recover from
“The girl recovered from her illness.”
refrain from
“Could you please refrain from shouting?”
resign from
“The CEO resigned from her position after 25 years with the company.”
retire from
“He retired from his job last year.”
suffer from
“Many people suffer from social anxiety.”
Verb + other prepositions
Other prepositions can be used to create prepositional verbs. Some of these prepositions are against, into, and like. For example:
“We decided against visiting my aunt.”
“The car nearly crashed into a tree.”
“I feel like going on an adventure.”
Verbs with multiple prepositions
Certain verbs can take multiple prepositions without changing the overall meaning of the sentence. For example, the verb talk can use the prepositions to and with interchangeably:
“I need to talk to the principal.”
“I need to talk with the principal.”
On the other hand, some verbs’ meanings do change when a different preposition is introduced. For example, the verb dream can mean to aspire when it is used with the preposition of; however, when it is used with the prepositions about, it means to see images during sleep. For example:
“She dreams of becoming a pilot.” (aspiration)
“She often dreams about flying.” (image during sleep)
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Subvocalization

Sujith Gladwin:
🗣 Eliminating Subvocals 🗣

Subvocalization occurs when you mouth or silently say words to yourself as you read them.

❗️Because you're able to read faster than you can speak, reducing this habit will increase your reading speed dramatacally ❗️

➖ The following 3️⃣ exercises are designed to keep you from mouthing or silently saying words as you read:

1️⃣ Audible Humming 🗣🎶

❗️Hum while you read the text. This occupies your mouth so you can't mouth or say words as you read:

◼️ To best survive, most animals live in groups, learning to hunt, forage, or migrate together.  When we talk about these groups, we use language that often mirrors their actions. We call a group of ants a colony or a swarm and a group of ducks a flock. Sometimes these names drift into more abstract descriptions: a school of fish, a bloat of hippopotamuses, a pride of lions. Our collective names for animals form rich images, such as an unkindness of ravens or a bouquet of pheasants, and at times they seem far-fetched, fanciful, and even poetic. They are oddly compelling, and their origins tell us much about how we use language to situate ourselves in our environment. ◼️

2️⃣ 1..2..3..4 Silent Counting 🔢

❗️Slowly count from 1 to 10 as you read the text. This helps keep you from mentally saying words as you read them.

Silently count to ten repeatedly:

◼️ We know little about Juliana Berners, other than that she was a 15th-century English noblewoman who enjoyed hunting , hawking, and fishing. She likely became a prioress, or head nun, of a nunnery in St. Albans, a town not far from London. But today she's best known for having written or compiled a section on hunting practices for The Book of St. Albans, a collection miscellany published in 1486. Berners included what she called "the company of beasts and fowls," terms given to groups of animals related to their actions (a busyness of ferrets), defining characteristics (a gaggle of geese),  or humans' use of them (a yoke of oxen). ◼️

3️⃣ Unaided Reading 📖

❗️Read the text without saying anything to yourself. This helps you understand words without saying them silently.

Read without aids:

◼️ Berners likely drew from existing names for groups of animals for her work in The Book of St. Albans, but she also extended her descriptions further. She went so far as to create a social hierarchy of birds or prey, with the eagle as emperor and the kestrel as knave, and she even put down what now seem humorous names for human professions: a melody of harpers, a superfluity of nuns, and an eloquence of lawyers. If these names have fallen out of favor, names for groups of animals have only grown. While many existed in usage before Berners collected them, putting them in print helped ensure they would persist throughout the centuries. ◼️

📝 For notes:

❓What is subvocalization? 🤷‍♂️

⭕️ Reading and speaking are separate activities, but some readers mouth words to themselves as they read. Even after learning to read silently, most readers continue to mentally say each word in their heads. This is what researchers call subvocalization, and it creates a natural limit to the speed at which we can read.

❓Why do we subvocalize? 🤷‍♂️

⭕️ When we first learn to read, we begin learning the sounds associated with each letter and how those are formed into words. When we read aloud, we pronounce each syllable of every word. This ensures that we read every word on the page and helps us comprehend  what we read. However, it also leads many people to continue to say words to themselves even as they become strong readers.

❓Why eliminate subvocalization? 🤷‍♂️

⭕️ When you subvocalize, you can only read as fast as you can speak. That results in a reading speed of around 150-200 words per minute. If you eliminate subvocalization, you can still comprehend all the words you read, but you won't be artificially limited by the speed at which you can talk. It takes some practice, but doing so can allow you to double your reading speed.

HOW_TO_SPEAK_ENGLISH_FLUENTLY

⭐◼⭐◼⭐◼⭐◼⭐◼⭐◼⭐◼⭐◼⭐◼⭐
       
    These guidelines seem to be simple but they work wonderfully.

🔳#Less_grammar_is_enough :

Friends, If you are preparing for competitive exams like IELTS, GRE, TOEFL, you must have a high level of grammar. But To speak English fluently, a little bit of basic grammar is more than enough. So Learn some basic concepts of English. You need not use very long sentences with extreme grammar. Just use small sentences with simple grammar. see the below 2 points. 1)On hearing the news of her husband’s selection for a job, she felt happy. 2) Her husband was selected for a job. She heard the news. Then she felt happy. . The above two points are giving the same information. Then what is the difference between those 2 points? 1st point is a long sentence with extreme grammar. 2nd point is a collection of three simple sentences with basic grammar. While you are speaking English, always use simple sentences with easy grammar as I showed in the 2nd point. By doing so. you can do wonders.

🔲#Less_vocabulary_is_enough :

To speak fluent English, according to experts, a maximum of 1500 frequently used words such as get, keep, want, surprise are enough. In-depth words such as magnanimous, penetrate, outrageous etc. are not needed. Just use simple words which you already know. By using simple words, you can give all kinds of information to the other person.

🔳#Read_English_Novels :

English novels help you a lot for spoken English. Because you can find wonderful conversations in novels. So many characters like Hero, heroine etc have discussions with each another. You can see their conversations. By reading a novel, you can understand how a person can express his feelings in English sentences. you can follow the spoken English of the hero or heroine in that novel. It really gives an amazing advantage to your fluency.

🔲#Listen_to_English_speech :

Friends, Listening to some English speech daily is really essential. For this purpose, you should watch English movies, English Channels like Discovery, Animal Planet, History channel, BBC, AXN etc. By listening to their speech , you can know correct pronunciation. You can understand how they are arranging words in a sentence to tell their opinions, beliefs, suggestions, information etc.

🔳#Speak_English_Daily :

you may have a good car. you might have read hundreds of books on how to drive a car. But if you don't try to drive the car, you cannot learn driving. You should open the car door, sit inside the car, start the engine and go. Then only you can learn driving. Similarly you may know many concepts of grammar. But your knowledge itself does not give you fluency. You must speak English daily. There is no other way to get fluency. Daily speak English with your friends (at least with one person). Daily you must speak, speak speak and speak. Wherever and whenever you have an opportunity, speak English there. If possible, try to avoid your mother tongue.

🔲 #Dare_to_do_mistakes:

Friends, do you feel it is shameful to speak English with mistakes ? No friends. It is not really shameful. There are two reasons for why it is not shameful. 1) what is learning ? Knowing something, understanding it, applying it, doing mistakes and correcting them later. This is called learning. Doing mistakes is a part of learning. You did mistakes, while learning your mother tongue. Later you understood your mistakes, corrected them and learned your mother tongue correctly. You have learned all the things in this way. This same thing applies to learning English. So you need not feel shameful to do mistakes while speaking English. 2) While you are talking to a person, the person wants to know what you want to tell. He does not need your correctness of grammar. see the below sentences. I am working for 4 hours. He is going America on July. The above two sentences are grammatically wrong. But as a beginner you have full rights to use the above said wrong sentences. Those sentences may be wrong. But surely the other person can understand your meaning. That is enough. If you are able to speak English with grammatical mistakes, that is your first success. So do mistakes confidently. Dare to do mistakes. Gradually you will know your mistakes. Automatically you can easily correct them later. If anyone laughs at your mistakes, be proud of yourself. Because you have manners. He does not have. .

🔳#Believe_in_yourself :

Friends, Last one but not the least one. you must believe in yourself. You are really greater than you think. you are able to use internet. You are able to use Facebook. You read my speech until now. you are able to understand my sentences. These are the proofs for your wonderful knowledge and intelligence. These your knowledge and intelligence are more than enough to speak fluent English. English is old. But you are advanced with latest weapons such as internet, mobile and books. Start speaking English. without giving break

Among/Between

➖Commonly confused prepositions➖

⛔️ Among / between

The words among and between are often confused. They have very similar meanings, but they are not usually interchangeable.

🔸 Between is used to show position between two or more well-defined objects.

✏️  Example
   • Mary sat between Peter and Alice.

   • The boy sat between his dad and mom.

🔸 Among shows position among an indefinite number of objects. It is not exactly clear how many people or things are there in the group.

✏️  Example
   • I found an envelope among the papers on the table.

Indirect Questions

What Are Indirect Questions?

Direct questions are the “normal” questions that we can ask friends, family members, and people who we know well.

Example of a direct question:
“Where’s the bathroom?”

Indirect questions are a little more formal and polite. We use them when talking to a person we don’t know very well, or in professional situations, and their form is a little different.

Example of an indirect question:
“Could you tell me where the bathroom is?”

Phrases For Indirect Questions
*Could you tell me…
*Do you know…
*I was wondering…
*Do you have any idea…
*I’d like to know…
*Would it be possible…
*Is there any chance…

Direct And Indirect Questions In English:

Examples
Direct: Where is Market Street?
Indirect: Could you tell me where Market Street is?

In indirect questions with is/are, the verb (is) comes after the subject (Market Street).

Direct What time does the bank open?
Indirect: Do you know what time the bank opens?

In indirect questions, we don’t use the auxiliary verbs do/does/did. Also, you can see that the verb is “open” in the direct question, and “opens” in the indirect question.

Direct: Why did you move to Europe?
Indirect: I was wondering why you moved to Europe.

Again, there is no auxiliary verb did in the indirect question. In fact, this indirect question isn’t even a question – it’s more of a statement that invites the other person to give more information.

Direct: How has he managed to get in shape so quickly?
Indirect: Do you have any idea how he’s managed to get in shape so quickly?

The auxiliary verbs have and has can be used in both the direct and indirect questions – but in the direct question, “has” comes before the subject (he), and in the indirect question, “has” comes after the subject.

Direct: How much does this motorcycle cost?
Indirect: I’d like to know how much this motorcycle costs.

To form the indirect question, remove does and change “cost” to “costs.”

Direct: Can you finish the project by tomorrow?
Indirect: Would it be possible for you to finish the project by tomorrow?

For direct questions with can, we can use the phrase “would it be possible…” to make it indirect.

Direct: Can we change the meeting to Thursday?
Indirect: Is there any chance we could change the meeting to Thursday?

“Is there any chance…” is another option for forming indirect questions with can.

Yes/No Direct Questions –> “If” In Indirect Questions

If the direct question is a “yes or no” question (it has no question word such as what, who, when, where, why, or how), then the indirect question will have if.

Direct: Does Tom like Italian food?
Indirect: Do you know if Tom likes Italian food?

Direct: Are your parents joining us for dinner?
Indirect: Could you tell me if your parents are joining us for dinner?

Direct: Do they speak English?
Indirect: I was wondering if they speak English.

Direct: Has Barbara ever studied abroad?
Indirect: Do you have any idea if Barbara’s ever studied abroad?

Direct: Do you plan on traveling this summer?
Indirect: I’d like to know if you plan on traveling this summer.

censor vs. sensor vs. censure

  What is the difference between censor and sensor?
The word censor was originally a noun referring to a magistrate who oversaw and upheld moral standards. In modern times, it means “a person authorized to examine various media, such as books, plays, and films, and suppress or expurgate vulgar, obscene, or otherwise objectionable content.” Early in the 19th century, this use was extended to a verb meaning “to suppress or remove objectionable material.” Here are some examples:
“The experimental film never left the country due to the strict oversight of the state’s censor.”
“The book, heavily censored upon its initial release, was republished in its entirety this year.”
“It came to light that upper management had been censoring employees’ reports.”
The homophone sensor, however, is only a noun, derived from the word sense. It uses the suffix of agency “-or” to mean “a device that senses and responds to signals or other physical stimuli,” as in:
“Most phones now have sensors that determine how bright the screen should be.”
Spelling Tricks and Tips
We can remember the difference between these two spellings more easily by keeping in mind that sensor comes from sense. If what we’re talking about doesn’t have anything to do with sensing, then the correct spelling will likely be censor.
censure
There is also a third term with a similar spelling and pronunciation: censure. Like censor, this word can be a noun (meaning “a severe rebuke or an expression of strong disapproval”) or a verb (meaning “to express such a rebuke or disapproval”), as in:
“Following a review of the case, the committee concluded that no censure was necessary.”
“After being censured by the advisory board, Professor Keating considered an early retirement.”
However, censure has a slightly different pronunciation than censor or sensor: /ˈsɛnʃər/ (SEN-sher). Censor and sensor, on the other hand, are both pronounced /ˈsɛnsər/ (SEN-ser).