Common Mistakes in Written English 7 - Prepositions

Ouiz

Notes & Exercises

A. Verbs + preposition combinations

i. Verb+ to

•  Belong to: The house belongs to Mr Chan.

•  Listen to: The audience listened to the music in silence.

•  Speak to: I haven't spoken to anyone about this.

•  Talk to: Could I talk to you for a minute, Sam?

•  Apologize to: You must apologize to him for your mistake.

ii. Verb + at

•  Laugh at: Nobody laughs at my jokes.

•  Look at: Look at me.

•  Shout at: He was angry, so he shouted at me to go away.

•  Arrive at: They arrived at their hotel at ten o'clock .

•  Aim at: Sam aimed at the target.

•  Knock at: He knocked at the door.

•  Stare at: Why are you staring at me?

•  Stay at: I always stay at home on Sundays.

•  Smile at: She smiles at everyone.

iii. Verb+ for

•  Apologize for: I must apologize for being so late.

•  Apply for: I'd like to apply for the job you advertised.

•  Ask for: We finished the meal and asked for the bill.

•  Look for: What are you looking for?

•  Pay for: I'll pay for the food.

•  Prepare for: George has to prepare for the examination.

•  Wait for: How long have you been waiting for the bus?

•  Search for: I've been searching for my keys for hours.

iv. Verb +on

•  Count on: You can count on me.

•  Depend on: It depends on the weather.

•  Rely on: You can't rely on the post. It is always late.

•  Concentrate on: Concentrate on the road when you are driving.

v. Verb + into

•  Bump into: I fell down because someone bumped into me.

•  Crash into: The car crashed into the tree.

•  Drive into: The driver drove the car into the garage.

vi. Verb+ about

•  Talk about: We are talking about money.

•  Care about: I don't care about the cost.

•  Complain about: They complained about the terrible weather.

•  Dream about: I dreamed about you last night, Eva.

•  Speak about: They were speaking about their holidays.

•  Talk about: I am going to talk about our new product.

•  Think about: What are you thinking about?

•  Write about: You should write a book about your life.

2. Incorrect Insertion

•  Jo's husband accompanied with her.

•  Ask for a teacher if you don't know how to answer the question.

•  No one will believe in what you said.

•  They drank up all the juice.

•  We didn't enter into the room.

•  I will get to there as soon as possible.

•  Do you want to join with them?

•  Amy went to the cinema on last Saturday.

•  Tony married with Carmen.

•  She went to there last night.

•  Did you remove away the chair?

•  Don't discuss about my boss.

3. Use of Prepositions

i. Agree

•  I agree with my brother about most things. (We agree with a person)

•  We agree to their request for a full investigation. (Weagreed to an opinion or idea)

•  I agree about this issue. (We agree about a topic for discussion.)

•  We need to agree on a date for our next meeting. (We agree on a decision.)

ii. Anxious

•  Students are anxious about the coming exams. (Anxious about means worried about.)

•  We were anxious for peace. (Anxious for or anxious to indicates an eagerness to do something.)

iii. Care

•  No one seemed to care about her feelings. (Care about means develop interest for.)

•  He really cared for her. (Care for means like.)

iv. Eager

•  The girls were bored and seemed eager for new experiences. (Eager for something)

•  He is so eager to learn that he stays late every evening. (Eager to do something)

v. End

•  You're going on holiday at the end of this month, aren't you? (At the end means at the point where something stops )

•  The meeting came to an end. (Come to an end means finished)

•  In the end, we decided not to buy it.( In the end means finally or at last)

vi Speak

•  I phoned your office and spoke to your assistant. (Speak to someone)

•  I think I speak for everyone here when I say we wish you all the best. (Speak for means act as a spokesman)

vii Time

•  We were behind time to catch the ferry. (Behind time means late)

•  I want to go home in time for tea. (In time means early enough but not late)

•  I still see him from time to time.(From time to time means occasionally)

•  Please keep your bags with you at all times. (At all times means always)

•  The kids will be leaving home in no time. (In no time means very soon)

•  These buses are never on time. (On time means at the right time)

4. Wrong Prepositions

•  She went out in a sunny afternoon. (on)

•  The great scientist lived at the fifteenth century (in)

•  We saw the tree on Christmas. (at)

•  He is confident at passing the exam. (of)

•  Are you interested of cooking? (in)

•  She congratulated me for my success. (on)

•  May lives in the second floor. (on)

•  They study in Hong Kong Island . (on)

•  The manager signed with ink. (in)

•  According my opinion, the idea is not perfect. (In)

•  Does she always participate for the activity? (in)

•  Do you prefer Music than English? (to)

•  The audience didn't laugh in his jokes. (at)

•  They are good in arts. (at)

•  Please divide yourselves for two groups. (into)

•  They remind her from their uncle. (of)

•  Do you like walking with the rain? (in)

•  Is your shirt similar between mine? (to)

•  I used to succeed at planting sunflowers. (in)

•  We are capable to making kites. (of)

•  Are you pleased at what you have done so far? (with)

Ouiz

Notes & Exercises