| Pattern |
Example |
| accuse someone of
doing (û:
for) |
He was accused of
stealing the money. |
|
agree
with someone or an idea
|
I agree with
you. I don't agree with
capital punishment. |
| agree about
a discussion topic |
My wife and I agree about
most things. |
| agree on
a decision |
We agreed on
a date for the meeting. |
| agree to
a suggestion / price etc |
I wouldn't agree to
such a high price. |
| apologise to
someone |
She apologised to
everyone. |
| apologise for
doing something |
She apologised for
coming late. |
| arrive at / in
somewhere (û:
to) |
When does the plane arrive in
London? |
| ask for
something |
They asked for
a pay rise. |
| believe in
someone / something / doing |
Do you believe in
God?
She doesn't believe in
dieting.
I believe in you - I know
you'll help me. (= trust) |
| belong in / on
somewhere (= be in the proper place) |
The plates belong in
the cupboard. |
| belong to
someone (= be owned) |
Those books belong to
me. |
| belong to
something (= be a member of) |
She belongs to
a tennis club. |
| care about
something |
He doesn't care about
the money. |
| care for
someone (= like, love) |
I don't think she she cares for
him. |
| congratulate someone on
/ for doing |
He congratulated the team on
winning the match. (for
winning) |
| crash into
something |
The bus crashed into
a lorry. |
| depend on
something / someone |
I'm not sure if we'll go, it
depends on the weather.
He depends on his parents
to pay the fees. |
| die of / from |
Many people have died of
AIDS in the past 20 years. ( from
AIDS) |
| divide into |
Lord of the Rings is divided into
several books. |
| dream of (=
imagine, want) |
He dreamt of
becoming a singer. |
| dream about (while
sleeping) |
Last night I dreamt about
you. |
| dress in (û:
with) |
She's the woman dressed in
red. |
| drive into (û:
against) |
The taxi drove into
the back of a bus. |
| enter into an
agreement, discussion |
China has entered into
an agreement with Russia to buy corn. |
| explain something to
someone |
I tried to explain the rules to
him. |
|
fight / struggle with |
For years he has had to struggle with
drug addiction. |
| get into / out of a
car etc |
She must have dropped her scarf
when she got into the
taxi. |
| get onto / off a
bus, train etc |
All the passengers had to get off
the train when it broke down. |
| insist on doing |
George insisted on
paying for everyone. |
| be lacking in |
She is lacking in
good manners. |
| laugh at |
The audience didn't laugh at
his jokes. |
| laugh about |
This isn't something to laugh about
- it's a serious matter. |
| listen to |
Listen to
the tape and answer the questions. |
| look at |
Don't look at
me like that. |
| look after |
Can you look after
my cat while I'm away? |
| look for |
I've been looking for
my keys, but I can't find them anywhere. |
| make something of /
be made of |
This watch is made of
plastic. |
| be married to
someone |
I've been married to
Jenny for two years. |
| operate on
someone |
They operated on
him yesterday. |
| pay for |
I'll pay for
the drinks. |
| be pleased with |
She's not very pleased with
you at the moment. |
| be pleased about / at |
She's very pleased about
passing the exam. |
| prevent someone from
doing |
The noise from the storm prevented
me from sleeping. |
| run into someone (=
meet) |
I ran into
Bill Brown the other day. |
| search for |
I searched for
my keys but couldn't find them. |
| be shocked at / by |
I was shocked at
the news of his death. |
| shout at (=
aggressive, angry) |
Please don't shout at
me like that. |
| shout to someone (=
call) |
She shouted to
the children to come indoors. |
| smile at someone |
When she smiled at
me I realised she wasn't angry. |
| be sorry about (=
sympathy) |
I'm very sorry about
his accident. |
| be sorry for (=
apologise) |
I'm sorry for
being late. |
| be sorry for
someone |
I'm so sorry for
John - he's had a terrible time. |
| speak to
/ with someone |
I'll speak to
him about it. (with him) |
| suffer from |
She suffers from
insomnia and depression. |
| surprised at / by |
I was so surprised at
him getting a high grade. |
| take part in (û:
at) |
I have to take part in
the meeting. |
| think of / about
doing (û:
to) (= not
decided) |
I'm thinking of
studying for an MA degree. (about
studying) |
| throw something at
someone (= aggressive, angry) |
The angry crowd through bottles at
the referee. |
| throw something to
someone (= in a game) |
Throw the ball to
me. |
| translate into |
This needs to be translated into
Chinese. |
| trip over |
He tripped over
the cat when he came in. |
