English grammar: Collocations with prepositions

What this grammar point covers

Collocations with prepositions are common combinations of words in English, where certain verbs, adjectives, or nouns are often used together with specific prepositions. These combinations sound natural to native speakers.

When to use it

Use collocations with prepositions when you want to sound natural in English. They are used in everyday speech and writing, and the preposition is often fixed for each word.

Key forms

• verb + preposition (e.g., depend on, look at)
• adjective + preposition (e.g., interested in, afraid of)
• noun + preposition (e.g., reason for, solution to)

Examples

Tips

• Do not change the preposition in a collocation, even if it seems strange.
• Learn collocations as whole phrases, not just individual words.
• Some words can use different prepositions with different meanings. Check the context.

Exceptions and edge cases

• Some collocations may use different prepositions in American and British English.
• A few words can take more than one preposition, with different meanings (e.g., 'think of' vs. 'think about').