Dependent Prepositions for IELTS Grammar

Nov 26, 2021

Dependent Preposition for IELTS grammar is as important as other aspects of grammar. It enhances your reading, writing and oral skills for the IELTS exam. It will have a positive impact on your IELTS score. A preposition that depends on or must follow a particular verb, noun, or adjective.

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How to Master Dependent Prepositions for IELTS Grammar?

Mastering dependent prepositions is not a day’s or week’s task. You can’t learn them in a sitting or two. Learning dependent prepositions is an ever-running process. The usage of dependent prepositions can be learnt more with listening, reading, and writing. As much as you encounter dependent prepositions in the process, that much your stand over dependent prepositions will improve. Instead of by-hearting you can prepare lists of dependent prepositions, their example sentences and revise them periodically to keep them in your long-lasting memory. You will use right dependent prepositions in the right places automatically with regular touch and practice.

Comparison - Dependent Prepositions, Phrasal Verbs and Infinitives

Prepositions vary in their form, types and usage. Making distinction among them is important. To know about dependent prepositions, we should also know about other two grammatical elements like phrasal verbs and infinitives. Along with the above rules of prepositions, students feel it difficult to distinguish between a dependent preposition and a phrasal verb apart from common prepositions. At the same time a dependent preposition and an infinitive. Following table gives you a clear-cut distinction about three other ways of using prepositions.

Dependent Preposition	Phrasal Verb	Infinitive
A preposition that depends on or must follow a particular verb, noun, or adjective.	A phrasal verb is made of a verb and a particle. The particle can be a preposition or an adverb.	An infinitive is a combination of the preposition “to” and a verb in simple present tense.
Can be separated	Cannot be separated	Can be separated
Meanings of individual words and their combinations are the same.	Meanings of individual words and their combinations are different.	Meanings of individual words and their combinations are the same.
Preposition + noun, verb, or adjective	Verb + Object +Adverb	To + Verb
No new phrase is created	New phrase is created	No new phrase is created
He is linked with Manchester United.	You better link up with a good team	It is not so easy to link words in articles.

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Dependent Preposition Rules

You can perfect dependent prepositions by keeping the following rules in mind.

Every dependent preposition must follow a particular verb, noun, or adjective.
Use a dependent preposition following a pronoun, if it is in an object form.
A verb cannot be an object of a preposition.
Avoid like when a verb is involved.
Pair dependent prepositions properly.
Notice the words that follow a dependent preposition in particular situations.
Avoid using prepositions at the end of sentences. But, in informal English it’s in vogue.
Never substitute “Have” for “Of”
Don’t confuse prepositions “to” with infinitives “to”, “in” and “into”.
Don’t interchange “Than” and “From”

Types of Dependent Prepositions

The particles that follow dependent prepositions are of three categories. They are

Adjectives and dependent prepositions
Nouns and dependent prepositions
Verbs and dependent prepositions.

For the sake of distinction and easy understanding dependent prepositions are separately tabulated as follows:

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Adjectives and dependent prepositions

Adjectives + dependent prepositions	Example Sentence
According to	You will be promoted according to your service and talent.
Accustomed to	We are not accustomed to hard work, but expect greater results.
Afraid of	I am not afraid of your threats and ultimatums.
Anxious about	The audience is anxious about his appearance.
Ashamed of	You should be ashamed of your deeds and failures.
Astonished at	The children were astonished at the results.
Attached to	The keyboard is attached to the monitor.
Aware of	I am not aware of your presence and my observance.
Capable of	Some students are not capable of writing exams.
Crazy about	Why are you so crazy about cinema?
Different from	You are quite different from others.
Dissatisfied with	The master is very much dissatisfied with his behaviour.
Doubtful about	Megha is doubtful about an answer.
Doubtful of	I am doubtful of getting top rank in the recently conducted examination.
Enthusiastic about	Children are enthusiastic about playing both indoor and outdoor games.
Envious of	Everyone is envious of our success.
Excited about	She is excited about her examination results.
Famous for	This jungle is famous for tigers and other wild animals.
Fed up with	We are fed up with boresome teaching.
Fond of	I am fond of sweets, but not junk food.
Friendly with	You should be friendly with your neighbours.
Friendly to	The mother is friendly to her daughter.
Friendly towards	We should be friendly towards our colleagues.
Guilty of	Don’t be guilty of bad luck and consequent failures.
Hooked on	She has been hooked on the episodes of that series for years together.
Incapable of	My sister is incapable of drawing pictures.
Interested in	I am not interested in politics.
Jealous of	She is jealous of her sisters-in-law.
Keen on	That intelligent boy is keen on learning new things.
Kind to	Be kind to children and old people.
Opposed to	People are opposed to the new taxation policy.
Pleased with	They are pleased with my nature and behaviour.
Popular with	The team is popular with youth of the day.
Proud of	His teachers are proud of his performance.
Puzzled by	They are puzzled by our tricks.
Puzzled about	We are puzzled about your new theme of the project.
Responsible for	I am not responsible for the mistake that you have made.
Safe for	Now the animals are safe from poachers.
Satisfied with	I am not satisfied with the results declared by the board.
Sensitive to	Leaves of touch-me- not plants are sensitive to touch.
Sensitive towards	Nature lovers are sensitive towards endangered animals.
Serious about	Our master is serious about upcoming exams.
Sick of	We are sick of staying indoors, always sticking to books.
Similar to	All the chicks are similar to each other.
Sorry for	I am very sorry for irritating you.
Sorry about	We are sorry about disturbing the meeting.
Suspicious of	The police are suspicious of a man.
Sympathetic to	We are sympathetic to hard workers.
Sympathetic towards	The elephant is sympathetic towards its calf.
Tired of	She is tired of her daylong work.
Typical of	It is typical of tigers to leave near water bodies.
Unaware of	They were unaware of my presence there.
Used to	I am used to browsing online articles.
Vigilant about	Be vigilant about corona virus and its rapidly mutating strains.

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Nouns and dependent prepositions

Nouns + dependent prepositions	Example Sentence
Anxiety about	I have anxiety about a new project.
Attack on	That is an attack on our image.
Attitude towards	Have a positive attitude towards everyone.
Comparison between	There is no comparison between a cat and a dog.
Connection between	Is there any connection between these two incidents?
Cruelty towards	Poachers have cruelty towards wild animals.
Decrease in	There is a decrease in corona cases these days.
Demand for	There is a lot of demand for turmeric products.
Difference between	What is the difference between two students?
Difficulty in	There is some difficulty in handling the machine.
Difficulty with	I have difficulty with my rigid boss.
Impact on	Rains show impact on commodity prices.
Increase in	There is an increase in temperature due to global warming.
Information about	Please draw information about the availability of sugar.
Intention of	I have no intention of spoiling the match,
Key to	Smart work is key to her success.
Key factor in	A key factor in our success is analysing past stats.
Knowledge of	They do not have knowledge of computers.
Lack of	He lacks proper support from his parents.
Need for	There is no need for people who are always lazy at doing things promptly.
Notice of	There is a notice of a special meeting tomorrow.
Prevent from	Prevent diseases before they infect people.
Reaction to	What is her reaction to your proposal?
Reason for	What is the reason for the delay in supplies?
Reduction in	There is a reduction in the growth of business.
Report on	Is there any report on the missing plane?
Result of	The success is the result of the team effort.
Rise in	There is a sudden rise in corona cases.
Room for	There is no room for inefficient staff in this company.
Solution to	There is a solution to every problem.
Taste for	I have a great taste for playing cricket.
Trouble with	Do you have any trouble with your partner?
Way to	Consistency is the way to success.

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Verbs and dependent prepositions

Verbs + dependent prepositions	Example Sentence
Abide by	Abide by the rules of the land to avoid problems.
Abstain from	You have to abstain from bad habits to keep your health.
Accuse of	He is accused of murdering a old lady in the countryside.
Add to	Corona added to already existing global issues.
Adhere to	While driving, adhere to traffic rules.
Advise to	The doctor advised him to go for a morning walk, eat healthy food and keep away from smoking.
Agree with	I don’t agree with your outdated ideas.
Aim at	She aims at achieving a professional course abroad.
Aim for	You better aim for the IELTS exam through proper planning and hard work.
Allow for	The conditions don’t allow for further investment into the scandal.
Apologise for	I have apologised to him for his wrong deeds in the past.
Approve of	She will approve of the salary enhancement today only.
Argue with	You better don’t argue with your boss in any circumstance.
Argue about	Why should you argue about others’ problems?
Argue for	They have been arguing for increasing the budget.
Arise from	Majority of diseases arise from food adulteration and pollution.
Arrest for	They were arrested for obstructing traffic and creating nuisance on the road.
Arrive in	The train had arrived in time, but left late.
Arrive at	The train had arrived at the station in time, but left late.
Ask for	Why should you not ask for a promotion?
Attend to	Please attend the meeting before lunch.
Beg for	They have been begging for help since last month.
Believe in	Don’t believe in rumours which have no basic evidence.
Belong to	Whales belong to the class Mammalia.
Beware of	Beware of mad dogs on streets.
Blame for	Don’t blame others for your mistakes.
Boast about	Don’t always boast about your own deeds.
Borrow from	This story is borrowed from a famous novel.
Buy for	He bought gadgets and toys for his children.
Call for	There is a call for banning some online games.
Care about	You have to care about your family.
Care for	I will do my best to care for you.
Choose between	It is very difficult to choose between two beautiful things.
Comment on	He did not give any comment on his defeat in elections.
Compare with	Don’t compare yourself with others, instead try to know yourself better.
Complain about	She always complains about her husband.
Comply with	I cannot comply with your strange idea regarding a new start-up.
Conceal from	It is very difficult to conceal fragrant flowers from others.
Concentrate on	I cannot concentrate on my studies due to mobile games.
Conform to	These measurements do not conform to standards.
Congratulate on	I would like to congratulate you on your success.
Consent to	People do not consent to illogical orders.
Contribute to	All the employees contribute to the success.
Cook for	Please cook for today’s dinner.
Deal with	Deal well with your staff and subordinates.
Depend on	He doesn't depend on anyone, he creates his own opportunities.
Depend upon	She depends upon him for every work.
Deter from	Citizens should deter from flouting rules.
Disappear from	A strange bird disappeared from our vision.
Discriminate against	Don’t discriminate against girls from boys.
Dispose of	Recycling is the best way to dispose of plastic refuse.
Distinguish from	You cannot distinguish one from the other in a group.
Do for	I do everything for you and for your success.
Dream of	I have been dreaming of going abroad for studies.
Dream about	You cannot dream about success without a proper plan.
Escape from	They escaped from the accident in a fraction of second.
Excel at	She excels at data science and programming.
Excel in	He excels in programming languages.
Exchange for	I have got a laptop in exchange for a desktop computer.
Excuse for	There is no excuse for creating nuisance in society.
Expect to	Don’t expect to get a refund of money from the college.
Find for	She has found a house for her childhood friend.
Fine for	He has been fined for jumping a traffic signal.
Forget about	I have forgotten about the immediate task.
Forgive for	Please forgive me for my inexcusable mistake.
Get for	They have got gifts for the President of the club.
Give to	Please give good marks to creative students.
Hide from	Don’t hide important information from well-wishers.
Hear of	Have you ever heard of the existence of devils?
Hear about	They heard about a great king in ancient India.
Hope for	We hope for a better outcome from our efforts.
Incorporated into	Many towns are incorporated into the nearby city.
Insist on	They always insist on certain formulations.
Interfere with	Don’t interfere with my creative work.
Interfere in	Don’t interfere in anybody’s affairs and get a bad name.
Introduce to	Please introduce me to all the staff members.
Invite to	All the members are invited to the function and subsequent dinner.
Invest in	Don’t invest in bankrupt companies and become bankrupt.
Joke about	It is a joke about a saint walking on water.
Laugh at	Don’t laugh at anyone’s work.
Leave for	We all friends left for England for further studies.
Lend to	Please lend your bike for a few hours.
Listen to	Listen to good advice, whosoever gives it, even if he is younger to you.
Long for	He longs to get a seat in some great college abroad.
Make for	They made this bungalow for the district collector.
Mistake for	She always mistakes me for my sister, and reveals all the secrets.
Object to	People object to bars and pubs in residential areas.
Participate in	All students should pay a certain amount and participate in the farewell party.
Pay for	You have to pay for your unforgivable blunders.
Praise for	There is a lot of praise for his performance in the last match.
Pray for	Please pray for my success in the IELTS exam, which is going to be conducted in 2022.
Prepare for	I have been preparing well for my IELTS exam.
Present with	The scientists have been presented with a medal and a lot of prize money.
Prevent from	All terrorists are prevented from entering the border by a strong vigilance along the border.
Prohibit from	All are prohibited from trespassing.
Protect from	Tajmahal has to be protected from fuming factories along the Yamuna.
Provide with	All the flood victims were provided with food, clothing and shelter in the affected areas.
Punish for	He was punished for stealing secrets from the department.
Recover from	She has been recovering from the corona attack.
Refer to	Whenever you prepare an article, please refer to a few authentic sites.
Rely on	Don’t rely on wavering mentalities and unreliable personalities.
Rely upon	The entire northern belt relies upon waters of the Ganges.
Rescue from	Almost all children were rescued from the traffickers.
Respond to	Don’t miss to respond to the call of your bosses and superiors.
Run for	He ran for the President in the last elections in the United States of America.
Result in	Global warming will result in the extinction of the majority of living species on the planet.
Save from	Save children from bad effects of pollution and junk food.
Search for	I have searched for an article on dependent prepositions, and I have found it most useful.
Sell to	They have sold all the fish to local people in the market.
Send to	I have sent the letter to my officer, today itself.
Sentence to	The rapist was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Smile at	She smiled at all the awaiting children in front of the school building.
Spend on	Don’t spend money on bad and harmful things.
Stare at	He stared at me, but refused to talk.
Stop from	Stop industrialists from making indiscriminate felling down of trees.
Subscribe to	I have subscribed to this magazine for a year.
Substitute for	There may be a substitute for a tree, but not for a mine,
Succeed in	Can you succeed in your business?
Suffer from	She has been suffering from malaria for a fortnight.
Talk with	I didn’t talk with them for some reason.
Talk about	I didn’t talk about the matter for some reason.
Think of	I cannot think of marriage at this critical juncture.
Think about	They have thought about my marriage, but I am not ready.
Vote for	We should not vote for destroyers, but for humanists.
Wait for	Please wait for a moment, I shall come back soon.
Warn about	They had warned about the danger, but we didn’t heed.
Worry about	Don’t worry about jobs, but about knowledge, behaviour and experience.

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Common Errors in Dependent Prepositions

Incorrect Form		Correct Form
Accuse in	He is accused in murder.	Accuse of	He is accused of murder
Arrive for	I have arrived for a decision.	Arrive in, arrive at, arrive to	I have arrived at a decision.
Ask something	They asked for salaries.	Ask for something	They asked for salaries.
Belong + something / somebody	We belong to Delhi.	Belong to	We belong to Delhi.
Depend of	Don’t depend on others.	Depend on upon	Don’t depend on others.
Divide on	The river is divided into many tributaries.	Divide into	The river is divided into many tributaries.
Graduated of	They have graduated from a recognised university.	Graduated from	They have graduated from a recognised university.
Laugh on	Don’t laugh at others.	Laugh at	Don’t laugh at others.
Listen somebody	I listen to good advice.	Listen to somebody	I listen to good advice.
Look forward for	I am looking forward to your earlier response.	Look forward to	I am looking forward to your earlier response.
Spend for	The Government is spending for different projects.	Spend on	The Government is spending on different projects.
Wait somebody	She waited for me.	Wait for somebody	She waited for me.