1. A - C

abandon ... to : They abandoned the village to the advancing army.

abide by : They have to abide by the health and safety regulations.

abound in : The cave abounds in bats.

abstain from : The delegates decided to abstain from voting.

accede to : She would not accede to parental pressure to get married.

acclimate to : The sooner she acclimates to living in this big city the better it is for her.

account for : Increasing disappearance of icebergs in the Arctic is accounted for by global warming.

accuse of : They accuse him of not telling the truth.

accustom to : It took quite a while for him to accustom himself to the cold climate.

acquaint with : Fred would like to get acquainted with the new neighbor's daughter.

acquit of : The jury acquitted him of murder.

act for : John is looking for an experienced lawyer to act for him.

act on : Acting on a tip-off, police launched a pre-dawn raid on a house.

adapt to : I find it hard to adapt myself to my new workplace.

adapt for : Shakespeare's plays have been adapted for children.

adapt from : The play had been adapted from a novel.

add to : Increase in fuel prices will add to the cost of the project.

adhere to : We have to make sure the guidelines are strictly adhered to .

adjust to : She took a while to get herself adjusted to her new surroundings.

admit to : He admitted to eating my pizza.

admit into : Those without tickets will not be admitted into the stadium.

advance towards : The army advanced rapidly towards the capital.

advise on : We appointed him to advise us on all financial matters.

advise to : The group members were advised to arrive early

affix to : Wong affixed the stamp to the wrong corner of the envelope.

afflict with : He's severely afflicted with an unknown disease.

agree on : They belong to different political parties, but they agree on almost everything.

agree to : She agreed to meet me only after I've apologized to her.

agree with : I don't like you but I agree entirely with what you have said.

aim at : The hunter aimed his gun at the elephant but did not shoot.

allude to : John often alluded to his difficulties with his mother-in-law.

alternate with : Jack and Jill alternated with each other in bathing the dog.

amazed at : We were amazed at her sudden change in attitude.

amount to : His decision amounts to an outright refusal.

answer for : David will have to answer for his impoliteness.

apologize for : He apologized for the awful thing he said.

appeal to : The organization appealed to the public for blood donation.

appear from : It appears from what he says that he did all the work.

apply to : The restrictions do not apply to foreigners.

approve of : His mother does not approve of his smoking.

argue against : He argued against inviting her to the party.

argue for : She argued for having her at the party.

argue with : Why do you argue with everybody including me?

arrange for : We have arranged for Bob to meet you at the airport.

arrive at : By the time we arrived at his place, he had already left.

ascribe to : Some ascribed his exemplary behavior to his religious upbringing.

ask for : Paul got drunk and asked the police for money to take a taxi home.

aspire to : He aspired to a better position in life.

assent to : The members assented to the proposal without much debate.

assist in : He volunteered to assist me in organizing the festival.

associate with : His parents have been advising him to stop associating with those loafers.

atone for : She felt that she should do more good deeds to atone for her sin.

attend to : There were not enough salespersons to attend to the customers.

attribute to : He attributed his success to his wife's constant encouragement.

avail of : He always avails himself of every opportunity to complain about other people.

back down : The government backed down over the issue after widespread protests.

back off : They told him to back off after he put too much pressure on them.

back out : We were shocked when he backed out of the project at the last minute.

back up : The witnesses backed up his account of the incident.

balk at : Jim balked at doing what he has to do.

band against : The workers banded against the takeover of the business by an outsider.

bank on : We can bank on him leading us on the long trek.

bargain for : The union intends to bargain for a minimum wage.

bargain with : The retailer bargained with the wholesaler for bulk discounts.

base on/upon : The film is based on an actual event.

bear with : You should bear with his tempers while you are staying with him.

become of : I've not heard from her for quite sometime; what has become of her I wonder.

beg for : I beg for forgiveness from God for all the sins I've committed.

beg with : I beg with her that she will leave me for good.

begin by : The comedian began the show by performing the pigeon mating dance.

believe in : He believes in ghosts but does not believe in God.

benefit from : The whole of mankind has benefited from the advancements in science.

bequeath to : What her father bequeathed to her included a collection of rare stamps.

beset with : His journey across the desert was beset with all sorts of danger.

bestow on : The President bestowed a medal for bravery on him.

betray to : The leader was betrayed to the police by gang members.

beware of : We should always beware of pickpocket in crowded places.

blame for : He was unfairly blamed for something he did not do.

blow out : One of our tyres blew out while we were on our way to catch a train.

blow over : We waited until the storm blew over before continuing our journey.

blow up : A suicide bomber blew up a van carrying soldiers.

blush at : He blushes at the thought of befriending her.

boast about : Crocket always boasts about his knowledge of crocodiles.

boast of : He keeps boasting of his new wife.

boil away : The soup really boiled away ; it's so much less now.

boil down to : What his endless arguments boil down to is that he wants others to believe him.

boil over : The discussion boiled over into a shouting match.

border on : His attitude towards foreigners often borders on hostility.

borrow from : Each time I borrow six books from the library.

bother about : I'm not really bothered about getting along with my mother-in-law.

bother with : Let's don't bother with waiting for a bus. Let's go by taxi.

brag about : He's always bragging about his newfound wealth.

brag of : Brain likes to brag of having the most beautiful girlfriend.

break away : Smaller pieces of ice broke away from the main iceberg and floated away.

break down : After ten years, their marriage broke down irretrievably leading to a divorce.

break into : They broke into a research laboratory and removed all the animals.

break of : She found it hard to break herself of biting nails.

break off : Jack broke off with Jill after only three months.

break out : A plan by some prisoners to break out of the prison was foiled by the prison guards.

break up : The police used tear gas to break up the protest demonstration.

bring about : Global warming will bring about changes in man's attitude towards the environment.

bring back : More and more people are advocating that the death penalty be brought back .

bring down : Corruption and bribery scandal had brought down the government.

bring forth : High-level corruption within the government brought forth deep shame.

bring forward : The matches have been brought forward to avoid the bad weather.

bring in : The police had to be brought in to settle a seemingly private dispute.

bring on/upon : There are people who bring misfortune upon themselves.

bring out : Disasters bring out the best in human nature when they volunteer in rescue operations.

bring together : What brought them together is their common interests.

bring up : The divorcee brought up her six children single-handedly.

brood over : She's still brooding over the separation between her and her husband.

brush off : The film star brushed off a rumour of his impending divorce.

brush up : I must brush up on my driving before I get a car.

build of : One of the three little pigs' houses was built of straw.

burden with : Mary burdens me with her troubles as if I have no problems of my own.

burn away : Fire burnt away the building leaving only the pillars standing.

burn down : By the time the firemen arrived, the fire had burnt the houses down .

burn out : The fire was too huge to be extinguished and had to be left to burn itself out .

burn up : The forest fire burnt up vast tracts of woodland.

burst into : The audience burst into laughter when the clown's foot slipped and he fell.

burst out : When the clown fell down, the audience of children burst out laughing.

buy into : That's your personal belief; I'm not buying into it.

buy off : The accused man's father tried to buy the judge off but was arrested.

buy out : He bought out some shareholders and now he has a controlling interest in the business.

buy up : Lee bought up a huge quantity of a scarce commodity in anticipation of its price increase.

call back : I have already called her ten times and she hasn't called back .

call for : The people are calling for a change of government.

call in : They tried to settle the matter without calling in the police.

call off : The couple called off their engagement by mutual consent.

call on : She's never in when I called on her.

call up : That was the first time he was called up to play for the national tem.

capitalize on : We capitalized on the opportunity to learn French when we were in France.

care about : All she cares about is talking about other people.

care for : Gray cared for her aged parents when they were alive.

carry on : When the rain started to fall, we carried on playing football as if nothing happened.

carry out : She got into trouble for not carrying out her assignment.

carry over : Leave not used up may be carried over into next year.

catch on : He became popular when his new song caught on very fast.

catch up : Having been ill for the last few days, I now have got to catch up on my studying.

catch up with : After all these years the law finally caught up with him.

cater to : That boutique caters to wealthy people.

caution about : The policeman cautioned him about his fast driving.

caution against : The zookeeper cautioned them against feeding the animals.

cede to : Alaska was ceded to the United States by Russia.

celebrated for : The country celebrated for its scenery, food and wine.

chagrin at : The football coach was chagrined at losing the match to a weaker team.

chance on/upon : I was very shocked to chance upon a decaying human body.

change for : There was joy when the weather took a sudden change for the better.

change into : The magician claimed he could change a man into a woman.

characterize by : Must we always characterize people by their appearances?

charge against : We are not allowed to charge personal expenditure against profits.

charge at : Last night I dreamed about ten rhinoceroses charging at me in a shopping mall.

charge for : I will not buy it if they charge for delivery.

charge in : A woman has been charged in connection with the bank robbery.

charge into : She charged into my room uninvited.

charge of : The son has charge of the factory while his father is away.

charge to : My wife charged all her shopping to my account.

charge with : They finally arrested the man and charged him with multiple murders.

check up on : He begins checking up on his wife after suspecting her unfaithfulness.

cheer up : Being with her cheers me up a lot.

choose between : She had to choose between giving up her career or hiring a nanny.

cite for : Lack of sleep was cited as the main reason for her frequent feelings of exhaustion.

clamour for : The crowd clamoured noisily for his instant resignation.

clean out : They have to clean out the attic before they move out.

clean up : The group of volunteers gathered to clean up the beach.

clear away : The children quickly cleared away all their toys before mum reached home.

clear of : We are clearing the blocked drain of debris.

clear off : Could you clear that clutter off your desk?

clear out : It's time to clear your bedroom out ; it's cluttered up with piles of books and magazines.

clear up : The weather cleared up and we went for a drive along the coast.

cling to : The villagers still cling to old habits and traditions.

close down : The factory was forced to close down by falling demand for its products.

close in : The police are closing in on the gang's hideout.

close off : Two lanes were closed off due to an accident.

close out : The store is closing out a particular brand of shoes.

close up : The supermarket is closed up for renovation.

clutter up : My desk is always cluttered up with piles of papers, books and stationery.

coincide with : My view on this case coincides exactly with yours.

collect for : So far they have collected only a few signatures for the petition.

collide with : Her car collided with a taxi.

combine with : She successfully combines her career with family responsibilities.

come across : I came across a life-size bronze statue of a horse in an antique shop.

come about : How did it come about that we didn't meet when we're both there at the same time?

come along : I wanted to go to the cinema but nobody wanted to come along with me.

come apart : My glasses came apart when I accidentally dropped them.

come around : He came around after I showed him all the evidence.

come at : I dreamed he came at me with a dagger and demanded my wallet.

come back : He comes back from five-nil down to level at seven-all.

come between : He doesn't allow anything, not even his wife, to come between him and his work.

come by : Plum jobs are hard to come by these days.

come down : He just came down with a cold, so we have to postpone the trip.

come down on : Her parents really came down hard on her for playing truant.

come down to : When it comes down to her political beliefs, she is not prepared to compromise.

come for : You had better hide; they are coming for you.

come forward : No one has come forward to claim the first prize.

come from : He comes from a long line of actors.

come in : These small tools come in handy when we need them.

come into : She came into my life just at the right time.

come into being : It is believed the custom came into being some five hundred years ago.

come of : His persistent cough comes of smoking heavily.

come off : Despite all our efforts, the social gathering did not come off very well.

come upon : We came upon a headless corpse when we stepped into a disused mine.

come out : Despite the torture to extract information from him, not a word came out of his mouth.

come out of : The police combed the entire area for evidence, but nothing came out of it.

come out with : He came out with his own interpretation which is not entirely accurate.

come over : If you come over next week, we can do it together.

come round : I expected you to come round for the drinking session, but you didn't.

come to : She came to about an hour after he was admitted to the hospital.

come under : The politician came under widespread criticism for what he proposed.

come up : They intend to come up with a solution soon.

come up against : In parliament, he had to come up against experienced opposition members.

come up for : The proposal will come up for revision next week.

come upon : The police finally came upon the spot where the murder supposedly took place.

come up with : We welcome anybody who can come up with an alternative plan.

comment on : People are always commenting on my big ears.

commit to : He ought to be committed to a mental asylum for the way he behaves.

communicate with : I've learnt how to use sign language to communicate with the chimpanzee.

commute between : People commute daily between their home and workplace.

commute from :. His sentence was later commuted from death sentence to life imprisonment.

compare to : Compared to the monkey, our bodies are less hairy.

compensate for : The company will compensate you for the loss of a thumb.

compete with : Small independent shops find it hard to compete with the large supermarkets.

compete against : Businesses have to compete against each other to survive.

complain about : My mother-in-law always complains about the weather.

compliment on : Many members of the audience complimented her on her speech.

comply with : Most of the time we have to comply with regulations.

compose of : How many letters does the longest word compose of ?

conceal from : He had to conceal the truth from his wife.

concede to : The candidate conceded victory to his opponent.

conceive of : It is rather difficult to conceive of a crime-free environment.

concentrate on : It is hard to concentrate on my reading with the dogs barking loudly outside.

concern about : Some parents do not show concern about what their children do.

concern with : She does not concern herself with other people's problems.

conclude by : He concluded his speech by thanking everyone for being present.

concur with : After the discussion, they concurred with each other on this issue.

condemn to : The criminal was condemned to death.

confer with : The councilors are conferring with each other to find a solution to the problem.

confer on : An honorary degree was conferred on him by the university.

confess to : He confessed to being a double agent.

confide in : She doe not trust anyone, so she confides in no one.

confine to : Dr Quack was confined to his room by a bout of flu.

confirm by : The public negative perception of the crisis was confirmed by the latest poll results.

conform to : The imported toys conform to the official safety standards.

confuse with : The teacher always confused one twin with the other – they look so alike.

congratulate on : They congratulate her on her superb performance on stage.

consent to : Her mother would not consent to her marriage.

consign to : The cases of wine have already been consigned to the wine merchant.

consist of : My life nowadays consists almost entirely of eating and sleeping.

consort with : He was suspected of consorting with the enemy.

consult about : She consulted her doctor about the painful lump on her nose.

contend with : Jack has to contend with a few others for the gold medal.

contract for : The company contracted for the supply of fuel.

contrast with : He contrasted his present girlfriend with his former one.

contribute to : Many people contributed generously to the building fund.

converge on : A huge crowd converged on the palace ground to listen to the President.

converse with : They find it hard to converse with each other as each holds a different view.

convert from : John was converted from paganism to Christianity at an early age.

convert into : We were shown the process of converting iron into steel.

convince by : He was not easily convinced by her arguments.

convince of : She tried to convince me of her non-involvement.

convulsed with : They were convulsed with laughter to see the circus clown perform.

cooperate with : The accused's colleagues are cooperating fully with police investigation.

cope with : Although a single mother, she has no problem coping with a baby and a full-time job.

correlate with : Meager wages were found to correlate with high staff turnover.

correspond to : Information on the first copy does not correspond to that on its duplicate copy.

correspond with : I still correspond regularly with her although we are both married.

count in : If you are having a drinking session this evening, you can count me in .

count on : You can count on my help whenever you need it.

count out : If you are going on a shopping spree this weekend, count me out .

couple with : Heavy drinking coupled with late nights caused his health to deteriorate rapidly.

crack down : The public is demanding police crack down hard on vandalism.

cram for : Study throughout the year and you avoid cramming for the exam at the last minute.

cram with : She crammed her attic with a lot of worthless stuff.

crave for : Since the death of her mother, she has been craving desperately for affection.

credit to : The refund was credited to my account.

crop up : Unexpected problems cropped up and caused the delay.

cross off : As you perform each task, cross it off the list.

cross out : When you make a mistake, cross it out .

crow about : I still think passing my exam is nothing to crow about .

cry over : Why waste our time crying over him?

cry out : She finally cried out to him not to act so stupidly.

cure of : His doctor assured him that he would be completely cured of his illness.

cut across : We'd better cut across the park and get home before it rains.

cut away : We spend the whole afternoon cutting away the dead branches.

cut back : Businesses are cutting back on staff to remain profitable.

cut down : You ought to cut down on the number of cigarettes you smoke.

cut in : His annoying habit is to cut in whenever a conversation is going on.

cut off : He tried to explain but they cut him off and warned him not to be late again.

cut out : Can you fellows cut it out ? I'm trying to read. (stop it)

cut up : The children cut up a piece of paper into eight pieces.

1. Sentences using Verb + Preposition Pairs A - C

Examples:

'A'

'B'

'C'