TOEFL  - Writing
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Preposition Combinations

Preposition combinations appear frequently and must be learned "by heart." There is no rule or reason why these words go together…

they just do!

In fact, word collocations and preposition combinations are extremely important at the proficiency level of the English language.

The importance of collocations and combinations at the proficiency level can't be emphasized enough! Learning them will help you in every section of the exam.

The following combinations always appear together.

It's a very good idea to know them. ; - )

Agree on (something)

We agree on that issue.

Agree with (a person)

I agree with you in that matter.

Approve of

Betty approves of exercising.

Arrive at OR in

They arrived in Tokyo last night.

Have you arrived at a decision?

Complain about

Please do not complain about the color.

Consent to

She consented to her daughter’s marriage.

Comment on

She commented on his haircut.

Consist of

Water consists of hydrogen and oxygen.

Depend on

I am depending on you to help me.

Laugh at

We laughed at his silly shirt.

Object to

Do you object to my smoking?

Succeed in

He succeeded in making everyone angry.

 

Compare… with OR to

Why compare me with ( OR to) my brother?

Excuse… for

I cannot excuse you for being late.

Prefer… to

She prefers juice to milk.

Remind… of

She reminded me of my appointment.

Thank… for

I thanked him for letting me use his bike.

 

Be afraid of

Jake is afraid of dogs.

Be accustomed to

I was accustomed to seeing her every day.

Be aware of

Are you aware of this problem?

Be bored with

Todd is bored with backgammon.

Be certain of

He cannot be certain of the date.

Be disappointed with

Susan was disappointed with her meal.

Be familiar with

Is Doctor Jones familiar with that new pill?

Be famous for

Michigan is famous for its Great Lakes.

Be frightened by

Don’t be frightened by the dog, he won’t bite.

Be happy with

The Smith’s are very happy with their new car.

Be in favor of

Are you in favor of abortion?

Be interested in

John is interested in anthropology.

Be opposed to

He is really opposed to buying a new car.

Be satisfied with

He is not satisfied with his new school.

Be surprised at (or) by

I was surprised by his behavior.

Be tired of

Maria is tired of working for a living.

Be worried about

Mark is very worried about his sick mother.

 

According to

According to the news, it will rain tonight.

Along with

Can you take this bottle along with these cans, to the recycle bin?

As well as

I enjoy physics as well as math.

Because of

Because of the strike, there will be no buses today.

By means of

The child entered the yard by means of an open gate.

By way of

John went to Paris by way of London.

In addition to

In addition to studying ballet full-time, Patricia works part-time.

In case of

In case of fire, break glass and pull alarm.

In consideration of

In consideration of all your hard work I would like to take you to dinner.

In contrast to (or) with

In contrast to last summer, this summer is quite cool.

In deference to

In deference to her age, we did not argue with her.

In hopes of

We came here in hopes of meeting the famous musician.

In lieu of

He gave an oral report in lieu of the written exam.

In pursuit of

The business is in pursuit of excellence.

In search of

They went into the cave in search of lost treasure.

In spite of

In spite of his good intentions, he did not study much or do well on the exam.

In the face of

In the face of a severe drought, conservation measures needed to be adopted.

In terms of

He was a good teacher in terms of getting his students to pass their exams.