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Appropriate Prepositions
Certain words take particular prepositions after them. This is a matter of Idiom.
Abide by [the rules] (obey): Students should abide by the rules of the school.
Abide in [a place] (live): His uncle abides in London
Abstain from [smoking] (refrain from): We should abstain from smoking.
Accused of [a guilt] (convicted): The man was accused of theft.
Abound with [life] (full of): Our rivers abound with fishes.
Abound in [a place] (exist plentifully): Fishes abound in our river.
Admit to [a school] (take in / enroll): He was admitted to Motijheel Govt. Boys' High school.
Agree with [a person] on [a point] (consent): I agree with you on this point.
Agree to [a proposal] (consent): He did not agree to this proposal.
Aim at [a thing] (shoot at): He aimed at the bird.
Appear before [the court] (present publicly): The man appeared before the court.
Appear in [the exam] (set for an exam): We shall appear in the S. S. C Exam.
Apply to [a person] for [something] (ask for): I applied to the headmaster for leave.
Appear to (seem): It appears to me that he is innocent.
Attend to (give care and attention): You should attend to your lesson.
Attend on/upon [a patient] (look after): The nurse is attending on/upon the patient.
Absent from [a place] (not present): He was absent from school.
Addicted to [smoking] (habituated to evil things): Don't be addicted to smoking.
Accompanied by [a person] with [a thing]: He went to Dhaka accompanied by his father.
Afraid of [snake] (frightened): Everybody is afraid of snakes.
Attentive to [study] (mindful): You should be attentive to studies.
Affectionate to [a person] (fond of): Teachers are affectionate to students.
Access to [an office] (entrance): We have access to the office.
Adjacent to [a place] (near): My office is adjacent to my residence.
Appetite for [food] (hunger): Physical exercise increases appetite for food.
Ambition for [fame] (strong desire): Almost everybody has ambition for fame.
Aware of (conscious): We should be aware of our duties.
Anxious about (worried): Father is anxious about my result.
Ashamed of (feeling shame): I am ashamed of your conduct.
Adequate to (sufficient): Water supply is not adequate to our needs
According to (in harmony with): He worked according to my advice.
Beware of (having caution): Beware of pickpockets.
Bask in (enjoy warmth and light): They were basking in the sun.
Believe in (to have faith): We believe in Allah.
Blind of [eye] (having no power to see): He is blind of one eye.
Blind to [fault] (indifferent): The man is blind to his son's fault.
Boast of (feel proud): He boasts of his riches.
Born of (come of): He is born of a middle-class family.
Bound for (ready to start): The train is bound for Sylhet.
Burst into [tears] (suddenly begin to cry): Hearing the news, she burst into tears.
Burst out [laughing] (suddenly begin to laugh): The whole class burst out laughing.
Beneficial to [health] (good for): Walking is beneficial to health.
Care for: I do not care for anybody.
Close to (near): My house is very close to our school.
Compare with (to make comparison with a similar thing): Rabindranath is compared with Shelly.
Compare to (to make comparison with a dissimilar thing): Anger is often compared to fire.
Commit to memory (memorize): Can you commit this long poem to memory?
Charge against (complaint): What is the charge against him?
Complain against (bring charge): They complained against the teacher.
Complain to (bring charge to somebody): They complained to the headmaster.
Comply with (keep): Please comply with my request.
Competent for (fit for): You are competent for the post.
Consist of (contain): Our family consists of five members.
Consist in (lie in): Happiness consists in contentment.
Compensate for (make up the loss): Who will compensate for the loss?
Congratulate on (express pleasure for one's success): I congratulate you on your brilliant success.
Condemn to (sentence to): The murderer was condemned to death.
Conducive to (good for): Early rising is conducive to health.
Congenial to (conducive): Polluted air is not congenial to health.
Convict of (declare guilty): He was convicted of theft.
Cure of (get rid of a disease): He was cured of malaria.
Cure for (remedy): There is no cure for AIDS.
Credit to (deposit): Credit the amount to my account.
Deal in [a thing] (do business): His uncle deals in rice.
Deal with [a person] (behave): He deals well with all.
Deficient in (weak): He is deficient in English
Deliver to (hand over): The postman delivered the letter to me.
Deprived (not allowed to enjoy rights): The poor are deprived of their rights.
Die of (die of a disease): The man died of malaria.
Die from (die because of harmful effect): The boy died from over-eating.
Die for (sacrifice): Soldiers die for their country.
Die by (die by own hand): The man died by suicide/hanging.
Devoid of (empty of): He is devoid of commonsense.
Cause of (reason): What is the cause of your failure?
Cause for (reason for a future event): There is no cause for anxiety.
Depend on (rely): We should not depend on foreign aids.
Different from (not the same): This book is different from yours.
Differ with (disagree): I differ with you on this point.
Dull at (not bright): He is dull at Mathematics.
Difference between (the state of being not the same) Do you know the difference between a poet and a scientist?
Disqualified for (not qualified): Only a B.A. is disqualified for the post of Headmaster.
Fond of (favorite): The cat is fond of milk.
Faith in (belief): We have faith in Allah.
Faithful to (loyal): The dog is faithful to its master.
Famous for (reputed): Rajshahi is famous for mangoes.
Feed on (live on): The cow feeds on grass.
Expert in (skilled) He is an expert in English.
Expect from (hope): We expect a good result from you.
Fit for (suitable): He is fit for this post.
Fine for (penalize): He was fined for misconduct.
Fire at (shoot at): The hunter fired at the bird.
Free from (exempt/ without): We are not free from diseases.
Free of (without cost): We had the books free of cost.
Full of (filled with): Every fruit is not full of juice.
Fondness for (love): He has fondness for games.
Good at (efficient): He is good at driving.
Grateful to/for (thankful): We are grateful to you for your help.
Guilty of (having guilt): He is guilty of theft.
Hanker after (have a strong desire): Don't hanker after evil money.
Hopeful of (having hope): I am hopeful of your success.
Inform of (give information): Who informed you of the matter?
Interested in (having an interest): He is interested in painting.
Introduce to (acquaint with): He introduced me to the class.
Laugh at (ridicule): Don't laugh at the poor.
Jealous of (having ill feeling): He is jealous of my prosperity.
Key to (mainly helpful): Industry is the key to success.
Lame of (having lameness): He is lame of one leg.
Marry to (to be in marriage): Mamtaz was married to Shahjahan.
Mindful of (attentive to): Good students are mindful of their studies.
Open to (allowing all): A school is open to all for education.
Noted for (famous): Mohsin was noted for charity.
Play at (cards/with fire): He was playing at cards. Don't play with fire.
Popular with (loved by people): He is popular with his work mates.
Preside over (be the head of): He presided over the meeting.
Prepare for (get ready): He is preparing for the exam.
Qualified for (fit for): He is qualified for the post of Principal.
Play on (perform on a musical instrument): The boy was playing on a violin.
Prevent from (forbid): Father prevented me from going to the cinema.
Prohibit from (forbid): Father prohibited me from going to the cinema.
Recover from (come round): He has recovered from illness.
Regard for (honour): We must have regard for our elders.
Smile at (laugh at): Don't smile at the poor.
Smile on (favour): Fortune smiles on the brave.
Sure of (having confidence): I am sure of my success.
Trust in (believe in): We should trust in God.
Taste for (interest): He has taste for music.
Thirst for (strong desire): He had thirst for knowledge.
Worthy of (deserving): Your action is worthy of praise.
Wait upon (attend on): A nurse waits upon the patient.