Here are some of the most common phrases in English that combine a verb and a preposition. These phrases need to be learned together. That is, do not try to learn the preposition alone--learn the verb+preposition combination.
 
Commonly Used Prepositional Verbs
Account for   We must account for all the information in our report.
Accuse (someone) of   The teacher accused Michael of cheating on the test.
Adapt to   We have adapted to living in the U.S.
Add to   6 added to 5 equals 11. The new requirement has added to my worries about paying for my education.
Agree on   We agreed on an answer for the problem
Agree to   We agreed to the solution for the problem.
Agree with   I agree with your answer for the problem.
Apologize for something   He apologized for his rude behavior.
Apologize to someone   He apologized to his friends for his rude behavior.
Apply for   She is applying for Georgia State University. She applied for a teaching assistantship.
Approve of   The teacher approved of his plan for his research paper.
Argue with someone   Michael argued with his teacher about his grade.
Argue about something   I argued politely with Michael about his ideas on the economy.
Arrive at   We arrived at the test center on time.
They arrived at the same solution for the problem.
Ask for   We asked for more time on the test.
Become of   What became of Michael? Have you seen him lately? I haven't seen him for a long time.
Believe in   He believes in his solution for the problem.
Belong to   She belongs to a tennis club.
Blame someone/something for something   He blames his poor English for his grade on the test.
The citizens blame the government for the economic problems.
Blame something on someone   He blamed his grade on his English.
The police blamed the explosion on a separatist group.
Borrow from  

I borrowed some paper from my roommate.
Shakespeare borrowed his plots from other writers.
Care about   I really care about the environment.
Care for   I don't care for his attitude--I don't like it at all.
He is caring for his elderly parents.
Catch up with   Run faster--we have to catch up with the rest of the group.
I caught up with the homework last weekend.
Come from   He comes from Egypt.
Comment on   The teacher commented on the effect of the election on the economy.
Communicate about something   He communicated with his teacher about his grade.
Communicate with someone   He communicated with his teacher about his grade.
Compare with  

Please compare Clinton's presidency with Reagan's.
He compared the food in the cafeteria with his mother's cooking.
Complain about   The students complained about the food in the cafeteria.
Compliment someone on something   The teacher complimented Maria on the good work she did on the examination.
Congratulate someone on something   The teacher congratulated all the students on their final reports.
Concentrate on   I want to concentrate on my major.
Consent to   My advisor consented to my plan.
Consist of  

Grammar consists of syntax, morphology, semantics, and phonology.

Water consists of hydrogen, oxygen, and a few other elements.
Convince someone of something   Michael convinced his teacher of the correctness of his answer on the test. He convinced his teacher to change his grade.
Decide between  

I have to decide between coffee and tea to go with my lunch.

He decided between the U.S. and Australia as the place to study English.

Decide on   Michael decided on biology as his major.
Depend on   I depend on my family for money.
(Dis)approve of   Mary approves of my plan. Michael disapproves of my ideas.
Dream about   He dreams about being a doctor.
Dream of   He dreams of Maria.
He dreams of being a doctor.
Excuse someone for something   She excused him for being rude.
Explain something to someone   She explained her ideas about the project to the teacher.
Get along with   He gets along well with many different people.
Get back from   We just got back from Egypt.
Get rid of   I need to get rid of my old car.
Get through with   I'll get through with school in late May.
Get used to   I can't get used to American food.
Happen to   What happened to Michael? He seems sad.
What happened to the oranges that I put in the refrigerator? They're not there.
Have confidence in   Our teacher has confidence in our dedication to study.
Have influence on   His father had a lot of influence on his major.
Have an opportunity for  

I have an opportunity for getting a scholarship.

I have an opportunity to get a scholarship.
Have patience with   The teacher has patience with us.
Have a reason for   You must have a good reason for your answer on the math test.
Hear about   I heard about the lecture from Michael.
Hear from   I just got an email from Michael--I hear from him everyday.
Hear of   Have you ever heard of a music group called "Echelon"? They seem to be popular in France.
Insist on   The teacher insists on our being on time to class.
Introduce someone to something/someone   Mary introduced her grammar teacher to Michael.
Invite someone to   Mary invited her grammar class to the lecture.
Keep for someone   Michael will be out of town for the summer. Mary will keep his cat for him while he is gone.
Keep away from someone   I don't like John's attitude. I want to keep away from him.
Keep on   To learn English, you must keep on studying. You can't stop after a few months.
Laugh about   Mary and Michael laughed about the article in the newspaper.
Laugh at   They laughed at the silly joke.
Learn about   I learned about his problems from his mother.
Listen for   John and Mary are supposed to get home at 5:00 P.M. Their mother is listening for their car.
Listen to   We listened to the new CD.
I listened to the teacher's lecture.
Look at   Please look at my answer to this problem.
Look for   I looked for information on the Web.
Look forward to  

I am looking forward to my visit to Egypt.
Michael looked forward to visiting his family.
Object to   I object to your tone.
They objected to having a test on the last day of class.
Participate in   All the students participated in the discussion.
Pay for   He paid for our lunch.
We paid $120 for our textbooks.
Plan on  

Michael planned on studying in the U.S
We're planning on going to the movie tonight.
Prefer to   I prefer tea to coffee.
He prefers English to chemistry.
Prepare for   Mary is preparing for TOEFL.
Prevent from   Her poor Spanish prevented her from getting the job in Peru.
Provide for   His family provides for his tuition.
Provide someone with something   I provided Michael with information for his report.
Recover from   She was very sick. But, she's recovering from her illness rapidly.
Refer to   He referred to the Internet in his report.
Relate to   Michael related the economic decline to oil prices.
Rely on   I rely on my family for money.
We relied on the Internet for our research papers.
Remind someone of   Michael reminds me of my brother.
Search for   I searched for information about water pollution.
See about  

We need to see about buying our textbooks for the semester.
Send for   We sent for some books from home about the history of our country.
Separate something from something   Separate the yolk from the white of the egg.
Separate the truth from fiction.
Show up at   We didn't invite him--he just showed up at the party.
Spend money on something/someone   He spends a lot of money on his girlfriend.
Stop from  

His teacher wants him to stop from answering all the questions in class.
Substitute for   Margarine can substitute for butter.
Mary will substitute for Michael next week--she can teach his class for him.
Subtract from   The company will subtract the cost of insurance from your salary.
His bad temper substracts from his other good qualities.
Succeed at   Mary will succeed at any task she attempts.
I want to succeed at this new job.
Succeed in   He succeeded in passing the test.
She succeeded in her ambition to be a teacher.
Take advantage of   Let's go to the store right now. I want to take advantage of the sale.
He's not a very good person. He will take advantage of his friends to make money.
Talk about   Let's talk about your problem.
Talk over   We talked over the possible answers.
Talk to   I talked to my teacher about my test grade.
Talk with   Mary talked with Michael about this temper.
Thank someone for something   Michael thanked Mary for her advice.
Think about   The students thought about their answers to the math problem. They considered all the possible answers.
Think of   They thought of several new ways to do the problem. They developed several new methods.
Throw away   They cleaned their apartment and threw away two sacks of old newspapers.
Vote for   We voted for the president of the student government.
Wait for   Michael was late for the meeting, and Mary waited for him for thirty minutes.
Waste money on something/someone   My brother wasted a lot of money on a very old car.
He wasted time and energy on that car, too.
Wish for   He wished for a new car.
Work for   Michael works for a computer company.
Worry about   Mary worries about her grades.
Michael worries about money.
     

 
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