Appropriate Prepositions

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.