When using unfamiliar verbs, many students, both native English and ESL, struggle with finding the right prepositions. Unfortunately, preposition usage does not follow set rules, so the verb/preposition groupings must be memorized. Below, you will find a listing of the verb/preposition groupings, but it is hardly exhaustive. Groupings that are divided by a star * may be separated by a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase; in some cases, the verb and preposition must be separated. Those that do not have a star must remain together.

Example: We will now confer an honorary doctorate upon her.

Example: I can't believe I have to sift through all these legal documents.

account for allude to aspire to apologize for/ to appeal to	apply for/ to approve of argue about/ for/ against/ with/ over arrange for ascend toward	assign*to assist*with atone for attach*to attempt to
attest to attracted*to/ by augment*with awaken from balk at	ban*from bar*from bark at bask in banish*from	banter with/ about beg*for blame*for/ on/ upon bicker with bid for
bilk out of bite into block*from blossom into blot*out	bore into brace*for brood about burden*with burrow into/ under	campaign for capitalize on care for/ about carry*out caution*about
cavort with coerce*into coincide with collaborate with collide with	comment about/ to commiserate about/ with commit*to communicate with commute*to	compare*with compel*to compensate*for compete for complain about
compromise about/ with conceive of concentrate on concur with condenscend to	confer with/*upon confess*to confide*in/to conform*to confront*with	confused about conjure up connect*to consent to cooperate with
dabble in deal with deliberate about delve into descend to/ into	deviate from dictate to differ from distract*from distribute*to	diverge from ease*into eject*from elect to elevate*to
eliminate*from emanate from emigrate from/ to enable*to enlist*to	enroll*in entitle*to entrust*to envelop*in equip*with	eradicate*from erase*from erupt from escape from/ to escort*to
etch into evict*from evolve into excel at/in/on exclude*from	excuse*from exert*on exonerate*from expel*from experiment on/ with	expunge*from extend*to extract*from extricate*from extrude*from/ onto
familiarize*with facinated with/ about fawn over foist*upon forage for	forbid*to force*to forget to/ about fret about frolic with/ in	frown upon fumble with fume over gape at gawk at
gape at gawk at gaze at/ upon gesture toward glance at	glare at glean from gloat about gnaw on/ upon goad*into	gossip about grapple with graze on/ upon gripe about grumble about
fight*for/ about/ over/ hack up haggle about/ over/ with hammer on hanker for	hasten to heap*upon hesitate to hollow out hover over	hunch over hunger for identify with imbue*with immerse*in
immigrate from/ to impale*upon impede*from impel*to impose upon	improve upon incorporate*with/ into induce*to indulge in infect*with	infest*with inflict*upon inform*about infringe upon inject*with
inoculate*with insert*into insist upon inspire*to insulate*with	intend to interest*in interfere with intrude into inundate with	invest*in invite*to involve*in/ with jeer at lapse into
lavish upon liken*to listen to lob*at lunge at	lure into luxuriate in marvel at masquerade as mate*with	meddle in/with meditate on meld*into merge into/ with mesh with
mete*out mingle with mold*into motion toward muster up	mutate into mutter about negotiate for/ with nestle into nod toward/at	nominate*for notify*about nourish*with object to obscure*with
obsess over obstruct*by/ with occur to opt to/ for pacify*with	pander to parcel out pare*down parley*into partake in	participate in/ with peck at peer at/ into pelt*with pepper*with
perch on percolate into pertain to predisposed to preface*with	prepare*for presume to pretend to prevent*from prey upon	prohibit*from project*onto protrude from purge*from qualify*for
quarrel with/ over/ about quibble over reciprocate with reconcile with recuperate from	reduce*to refer to refrain from refuse to regale*with	relapse into relate*to rely on remind*to reminisce about
remove*from require*to reside in resign from resolve to	resort to respond to restrain*from retaliate for retrieve*from	revel in revert to revolve around rifle through rile up
rob of root for ruminate about rummage through saddle*with	schedule*to scheme to scoff at scoop up secede from	settle over/ down shame*into share*with shear*off shred*into
side with sidle up to sift through slink toward/ through/ away from slip*through/ away from	slither through/ toward/ away from/ up/ down slouch down snarl at snatch*away from/ out of sneak*toward/ away from	sneer at snicker about snipe at/ about snuggle with sort through
spar with speak about /to specialize in speculate about splurge on	spurt at/ out spur*on spy on squabble over/ about stare at	stave off steal*from/ for strive to/ for struggle with/ to subject*to
submit*to subscribe to succumb to surrender*to sympathize with	taint*with tamper with tangle with teach*to testify to/for	theorize about thicken*with threaten*with/ to thrive in/ on throng to
throttle*with tinker with toy with trace to/ around translate*for/into	treat*to trifle with trim*with truss*up tuck*in	unburden*to unite with upgrade*to urge*to usher in
vie for volunteer for vouch for vow to wallow in	will*to wince at withdraw from worm*into worry about	wrench*from wrest*from wrestle with/ from yearn for yell at/ about/ to