Appropriate Prepositions

Bar to

Bar to means an obstacle or restriction. 

• There is no bar to applying for the job. (Nothing is stopping him.)

Bare of

Bare of means without something. 

• The trees were bare of leaves in winter.

Based on

Based on means supported by facts or information. 

• Her opinion is based on research.

Beg (a thing) of (a person) / Beg (a person) for (a thing)

Beg of (a person) means to make a humble request. 

• I beg of you to listen carefully. (I request you.)

Beg for (a thing) from (a person) means to ask for something. 

• He begged for money from his friend.

Behave towards

Behave towards means to act in a certain way with someone. 

• Always behave kindly towards others.

Believe in

Believe in means to trust or have faith in something. 

• I believe in honesty and hard work.

Belong to

Belong to means to be owned by someone. 

• This pen belongs to me.

Beneficial to

Beneficial to means helpful for something. 

• Eating vegetables is beneficial to health.

Bent on

Bent on means determined to do something. 

• He is bent on winning the race.

Bequeath to

Bequeath to means to leave something to someone in a will. 

• He bequeathed his house to his son.

Bereft of

Bereft of means without something important. 

• Bereft of friends, he felt lonely.

Beset with

Beset with means surrounded by problems. 

• He was beset with difficulties.

Bestow on

Bestow on means to give as a gift or blessing. 

• May God bestow peace on you.

Beware of

Beware of means to be careful of danger. 

• Beware of strangers!

Bias against / Bias towards

Bias against means an unfair dislike for something. 

• He has a bias against modern music.

Bias towards means a preference for something. 

• She has a bias towards classical art.

Blessed with / Blessed in

Blessed with means having something good. 

• He is blessed with great talent.

Blessed in means happy because of something. 

• She is blessed in her family life.

Blind of / Blind in / Blind to

Blind of / Blind in means losing eyesight. 

• He is blind in one eye.

Blind to means not noticing something. 

• She is blind to her son's mistakes.

Blush with (shame) / Blush for (a mistake)

Blush with means face turning red due to an emotion. 

• She blushed with embarrassment.

Blush for means feeling ashamed about something. 

• He blushed for his silly mistake.

Boast of

Boast of means to talk proudly about something. 

• He boasted of his achievements.

Border on

Border on means almost reaching a certain state. 

• His rude behavior borders on arrogance.

Born of / Born in

Born of means to come from a certain family. 

• He was born of noble parents.

Born in means to be born in a place or situation. 

• She was born in a small village.

Borrow of / Borrow from

Borrow of / Borrow from means to take something temporarily. 

• I borrowed a book from the library.

Bound for / Bound by / Bound in

Bound for means traveling towards a place. 

• The train is bound for London.

Bound by means forced by a rule or contract. 

• I am bound by the contract to stay for a year.

Bound in means obliged due to honor. 

• I am bound in honor to tell the truth.

Brood on / over

Brood on / over means to think about something sad for a long time. 

• Don’t brood over your bad luck. (Don’t keep thinking sadly about it.)

Burdened with

Burdened with means having too many responsibilities. 

• He is burdened with a large family.

Burst into / Burst out

Burst into means to suddenly start doing something (with force). 

• She burst into tears when she heard the bad news.

Burst out means to suddenly react (laughing, shouting, etc.). 

• He burst out laughing at the joke.

Busy at / in / with / about

Busy at → Working at a place 

• He is busy at his desk.

Busy in / with → Engaged in an activity 

• He is busy with his studies.

Busy about → Occupied with unimportant things 

• He is always busy about nothing.

Buy of / from

Buy of (a person) means to purchase from an individual. 

• I bought this painting of him. (from a person, not a store)

Buy from (a shop) means to purchase from a store. 

• I bought this book from the bookstore.

Callous to

Callous to means not caring about someone's feelings. 

• He is callous to my suffering. (He doesn’t care about my pain.)

Capable of

Capable of means able to do something. 

• She is capable of solving the problem.

Capacity for

Capacity for means the ability to do something. 

• He has no capacity for hard work.

Care for / Care about

Care for means to like or take care of someone or something. 

• He doesn’t care for music. (He doesn’t like it.)
• Take care of your health. (Look after it.)

Care about means to be concerned about something. 

• She cares about the environment.

Careful / Careless of or about

Careful of / about means paying attention to avoid mistakes. 

• Be careful of your health.

Careless of / about means not paying attention. 

• He is careless about his responsibilities.

Cause of / Cause for

Cause of means the reason something happens. 

• The cause of the accident is unknown.

Cause for means a reason to feel something (worry, joy, etc.). 

• There is no cause for worry.

Cautious of

Cautious of means careful to avoid danger. 

• He is cautious of making mistakes.

Caution against

Caution against means to warn about something. 

• He cautioned me against touching the hot pan.

Certain of

Certain of means sure about something. 

• I am certain of his honesty.

Certainty of / Certainty about

Certainty of / about means how sure something is. 

• There is no certainty of rain tomorrow.
• She has no certainty about her future plans.

Certificate of

Certificate of means an official document proving something. 

• I need a certificate of completion.

Certify to

Certify to means to officially confirm something. 

• I certify to his good behavior.

Characterized by

Characterized by means having a special quality. 

• His speech was characterized by confidence.

Characteristic of

Characteristic of means a typical quality of something. 

• Honesty is characteristic of good leaders.

Charge against / Charge of (Noun)

Charge against means an accusation. 

• The police filed a charge against him.

Charge of means responsibility for something. 

• She took charge of the event.

Charge with / Charge on (Verb)

Charge with means to accuse someone of something. 

• He was charged with theft.

Charge on means to officially blame someone. 

• The crime was charged on him.

Charge (payment) to

Charge to means to record a cost under someone’s name. 

• Please charge the bill to my account.

Cheat of / Cheat out of

Cheat of / Cheat out of means to trick someone into losing something. 

• He was cheated out of his money.

Claim upon / against (a person)

Claim upon / against means demanding something from someone. 

• I have no claim upon him for money.

Claim to / Claim for (a thing)

Claim to means a right to something. 

• She has no claim to the property.

Claim for means a request for compensation. 

• His claim for damages was approved.

Clear of

Clear of means free from something bad. 

• Stay clear of danger.

Cling to

Cling to means to hold onto something tightly. 

• She clung to her mother when she was scared.

Close to (adjective)

Close to means near. 

• His house is close to mine.

Close with (verb)

Close with means to accept an offer. 

• He closed with the deal immediately.

Clothed with / in

Clothed with → Covered with (abstract things like emotions) 

• Clothed with shame, she left the room. (She was full of shame.)

Clothed in → Wearing (physical things like clothes) 

• She was clothed in a white dress.

Clue to

Clue to means a hint or piece of information to solve something. 

• Find a clue to the mystery in this letter.

Coincide with

Coincide with means to happen at the same time or match with something. 

• Your story coincides with his. (Both stories match.)

Comment upon

Comment upon means to give an opinion about something. 

• Please comment upon this passage. (Share your thoughts about it.)

Commence on / with

Commence on → To start on a specific date 

• The exam commences on Monday.

Commence with → To begin something with another thing 

• He commenced his speech with a short prayer.

Commit to (memory)

Commit to memory means to memorize something. 

• Commit this poem to memory. (Memorize this poem.)

Common to

Common to means shared by two or more things. 

• This road is common to both villages. (Both villages share this road.)

Communicate to / with / on

Communicate to → To give information 

• He communicated the news to me. (He told me the news.)

Communicate with → To talk to someone 

• I will communicate with her soon. (I will contact her.)

Communicate on → To discuss a topic 

• We communicated on this issue. (We talked about it.)

Compare with / to

Compare with → To find similarities and differences in similar things 

• Compare this painting with that one.

Compare to → To say something is similar to something else 

• Life is often compared to a journey.

Compensate for / with

Compensate for → To make up for something lost 

• He compensated me for my loss.

Compensate with → To replace something with something else 

• I compensated the missing book with another one.

Competent for

Competent for means qualified or able to do something. 

• She is competent for the job.

Compete with / for

Compete with → To try to win against someone 

• He competed with me in the race.

Compete for → To try to win something 

• They competed for the trophy.

Complain to / against / of

Complain to → To report a problem to someone 

• She complained to the manager.

Complain against → To accuse someone of wrongdoing 

• He complained against his boss.

Complain of → To talk about pain or a problem 

• She complained of a headache.

Comply with

Comply with means to follow rules or a request. 

• He complied with my request. (He agreed to my request.)

Composed of

Composed of means made of something. 

• Water is composed of hydrogen and oxygen.

Conceal from

Conceal from means to hide something from someone. 

• He concealed the truth from his parents.

Conceive of

Conceive of means to imagine or think of something. 

• I cannot conceive of such cruelty.

Concerned in / at / about / for

Concerned in → Involved in something 

• He was concerned in the robbery.

Concerned at / about → Worried about something 

• She is concerned about her exam results.

Concerned for → Worried about someone’s well-being 

• I am concerned for your safety.

Concur with / in / on

Concur with → To agree with a person 

• I concur with you.

Concur in → To agree with an idea 

• They concurred in the decision.

Concur on → To agree on a specific point 

• We concurred on the main issue.

Condemn to / for

Condemn to → To give a punishment 

• He was condemned to life imprisonment.

Condemn for → To blame someone for something 

• He was condemned for his actions.

Condole with / on

Condole with means to express sympathy to someone. 

• We condoled with him on his loss.

Conducive to

Conducive to means helpful for something. 

• Fresh air is conducive to good health.

Confer on / with / about

Confer on → To give something (award, title, etc.) 

• The President conferred an award on the scientist.

Confer with → To discuss with someone 

• I need to confer with my lawyer.

Confer about → To talk about a topic 

• We conferred about the new project.

Confess to

Confess to means to admit something. 

• He confessed to the crime.

Confession of

Confession of means an admission of something. 

• His speech was a confession of guilt.

Confide in / to

Confide in → To trust someone with personal information 

• You can confide in me; I will keep your secret.

Confide to → To tell something in confidence 

• He confided his fears to his best friend.

Confident of

Confident of means sure or hopeful about something. 

• She is confident of winning the race.

Confined in / to

Confined in → Kept inside a place 

• He is confined in prison.

Confined to → Limited to a space or condition 

• My grandfather is confined to bed due to illness.

Conform to / with

Conform to → To follow a rule or standard 

• You must conform to school rules.

Conform with → To agree with someone’s views 

• His opinion does not conform with mine.

Conformity with

Conformity with means acting according to a rule. 

• Your actions should be in conformity with the law.

Confuse with

Confuse with means to mix up two things. 

• Don’t confuse "liberty" with "library."

Congenial to

Congenial to means suitable or favorable. 

• The warm weather is congenial to my health.

Congratulate on

Congratulate (someone) on (something) means to praise for success. 

• I congratulate you on your achievement!

Connected with / Connection with / Connection between

Connected with → Related to something 

• He is connected with the newspaper industry.

Connection with → Relationship between people or organizations 

• She has no connection with that company.

Connection between → A link between two things 

• There is no connection between the two incidents.

Conscious of

Conscious of means aware of something. 

• I am conscious of my responsibilities.

Consequent on / In consequence of

Consequent on → Happening because of something 

• Consequent on the storm, many houses were damaged.

In consequence of → As a result of 

• In consequence of his hard work, he passed the exam.

Consist of / in

Consist of → To be made up of 

• This team consists of five players.

Consist in → To depend on or be based on something 

• True happiness consists in being content.

Consistent with

Consistent with means matching or agreeing with something. 

• Your actions should be consistent with your words.

Conspicuous for / by

Conspicuous for → Noticeable because of something 

• He was conspicuous for his intelligence.

Conspicuous by → Noticeable by absence 

• She was conspicuous by her absence from the meeting.

Consult with / on / about

Consult with → To discuss with someone 

• I will consult with my teacher about my project.

Consult on / about → To seek advice on a topic 

• We consulted on the new school policy.

Contact with

Contact with means to communicate or be in touch with someone. 

• I have no contact with my old classmates.

Contemporary of / with

Contemporary of → A person who lived at the same time as another 

• Shakespeare was a contemporary of Galileo.

Contemporary with → Happening at the same time 

• The Renaissance was contemporary with the Age of Exploration.

Contend with / against / for

Contend with → To struggle against something difficult 

• He had to contend with many hardships.

Contend against → To fight or compete against an opponent 

• She contended against strong competitors in the tournament.

Contend for → To compete for something 

• They contended for the championship.

Contented with

Contented with means satisfied with something. 

• He is contented with his simple life.

Contiguous to

Contiguous to means next to or touching something. 

• Their house is contiguous to the park.

Contrast to / between / with

Contrast to → A difference between two things 

• His actions are in sharp contrast to his words.

Contrast between → A comparison of two things 

• There is a big contrast between summer and winter.

Contrast with (verb) → To compare one thing to another 

• Contrast this painting with the previous one to see the differences.

Contrary to (opposite to)

Contrary to → Against a rule, order, or expectation.

• His actions were contrary to the teacher’s instructions.

Contribute to (give something for a cause)

Contribute to → To give money, effort, or help toward something.

• Everyone contributed to the school fundraiser.

Control of / over (power to direct or manage)

Control of / over → To have power over something or someone.

• She has control over her emotions in stressful situations.

Conversant with (familiar with)

Conversant with → To know a lot about something.

• He is conversant with the latest technology trends.

Converse with (a person) on/about (a subject) (talk with someone about something)

Converse with → To have a conversation with someone about a topic.

Converse on / about → To have a conversation on/ about a topic.

• I conversed with my friend about our weekend plans.

Converted to, into (changed to something different)

Converted to / into → To change completely.

• He converted to Buddhism.
• The old factory was converted into a shopping mall.

Convict of (found guilty of a crime)

Convict of → When a court decides that someone is guilty.

• He was convicted of robbery.

Convince of (make someone believe something)

Convince of → To make someone sure about something.

• I am convinced of his honesty.

Cope with (manage a difficult situation)

Cope with → To handle or deal with problems.

• She is struggling to cope with her workload.

Correspond with (a person) about (a thing) (exchange letters/emails or match with something)

→ To write to someone or to match something.

• She corresponds with her cousin about their family history.
• His story corresponds with the witness's statement.

Count for / upon (be important / depend on)

→ "Count for" means to have value or importance, and "count upon" means to rely on someone.

• Hard work counts for more than luck.
• I count upon my best friend’s support.

Covetous of (greedy for)

→ Wanting something very much, especially someone else's belongings.

• He is covetous of his neighbor’s success.

Crave for (desire strongly)

Explanation: To want something very much.

Example: She craves for chocolate after dinner.

Credit to (account) / with (something valuable) (add money to or believe someone has something)

"Credit to" means to add money to an account, while "credit with" means to believe someone has something (like skills or qualities).

• Please credit the payment to my account.
• He is credited with inventing the telephone.

Cure (v.) of / a Cure (n.) for (heal someone / a treatment)

"Cure of" is used when someone is healed, while "cure for" refers to the treatment itself.

• The doctor cured him of his illness.
• Scientists are looking for a cure for cancer.