In this second of two online exercises on prepositions, we will continue to look at more examples of verbs/adjectives and their prepositions in English. The focus here is on those verbs and adjectives in English where learners often make mistakes when using a preposition.

Click here to see both a guide of how to use verbs and their prepositions and more examples in part one of this exercise.


Quiz:

Complete the following 15 sentences with a preposition from the question's selection box which you believe is correct for each sentence. In some of the sentences a preposition is not necessary, so for those, select the blank answer in the selection box. You can use each preposition more than once. It is important to focus on the context and object when deciding. Click on the "Check" button at the bottom of the quiz to check your answers.

When the answer is correct, two icons will appear next to the question. The icon contains extra information on the answer. In the icon, you can listen to the pronunciation of the word/phrase.

1. The contract depends his approval.

   

Depends on:
(verb & prep) 'to depend on', the preposition 'on' is used when the object is either a person or a thing, e.g. 'the decision depends on him.' In Spanish: "depender de".

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Depends on:
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2. He has fulfilled his promise.

   

Fulfilled:
(verb) The infinitive is 'to fulfill'. It means to 'do' or 'carry out' something required or expected. It does not require a preposition and is only used when the object is a thing (e.g. contract, part, role etc...). In Spanish: "complir con".

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Fulfilled:
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3. Sorry, I can't come. I will be busy the report this weekend.

   

Busy with:
(adjective & prep) 'to be busy with'. The preposition 'with' is used when you give the reason why you are busy. The object is normally a thing (e.g. project, repairs, car etc...). It can also be used with people as the object, but it's less common. In Spanish: "estar ocupado con".

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4. You should look the report before you go. (in-depth or in detail)

   

Look at:
(verb & prep) 'to look at' has different meanings. It can be used to simply look at a person or thing. In this context it is used with the meaning of 'examine' or 'check', and is normally only used with things, e.g. 'I looked at the figures last night, and they were fine.' In Spanish: "mirar".

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5. You should look the report before you go. (quickly)

   

Look through:
(verb & prep) 'to look through' has different meanings. In this context it is used with the meaning of 'to quickly examine'. It is only used with information, e.g. 'I looked through the presentation last night. It seems good.' In Spanish: "hojear".

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6. Tomorrow, I'm going to say him what we need.

   

Say to:
(verb & prep) 'to say to' is used when the object is a person. It has the same meaning as 'to tell', which doesn't have a preposition. It can be used when the object is a thing, but may sound strange, e.g. 'I said to my car that I wasn't happy.' In Spanish: "".

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7. I'm not sure that we can rely him.

   

Rely on:
(verb & prep) 'to rely on' is used when the object is either a person and a thing. It has a similar meaning in this context to 'trust' or 'count on'. In Spanish: "contar con".

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8. Simon, Peter called you earlier. Can you ring him back.

   

Called for:
(verb & prep) 'to call for' is used in this context to mean who the caller wanted to speak to when they phoned. The object is normally a person. People sometimes don't use 'for' in this situation, but it is more grammatically correct to use it. In Spanish: "llamar".

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Called for:
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9. He insisted including it in the report.

   

Insisted on:
(verb & prep) 'to insist on' is generally used with things, although it can be used when the object is a person. It is followed by either a noun or a gerund, e.g. 'I insist on it!' In this context it has a similar meaning to 'demand', but sounds less strong. In Spanish: "insistir en".

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10. They have too much work, they can't cope it.

   

Cope with:
(verb & prep) 'to cope with' means in this context to face/deal with difficult situations, difficult people or problems. It often has the verb 'can' in front of it, e.g. 'I can cope with the situation.' The object can be either a person or thing, e.g. 'how is he coping with her?' In Spanish: "no puede hacer frente a".

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11. She is in favour increasing the budget on the project.

   

In favour of:
(noun & prep) 'to be in favour of' is generally used with things (i.e. proposal). It has a similar meaning to 'to support' or 'to back'. It is normally followed by a gerund, e.g. 'they are in favour of accepting the offer.' In Spanish: "estar por".

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In favour of:
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12. I don't know why she has taken an interest politics. It's so boring.

   

An interest in:
(noun & prep) 'to take an interest in' means 'to start to be interested in something/body' or 'to be more involved in something/body'. The object can be either a person or thing. It is often used with 'more of', e.g. 'he should take more of an interest in his family.' In Spanish: "interesarse por".

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13. We should focus customer service in the coming year.

   

Focus on:
(verb & prep) 'to focus on' is the same as 'to concentrate on' or 'to pay attention to'. The object can be either a person or thing, although it is more common with things. In Spanish: "enfocar a/concentrar en".

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14. We're going to deal questions about the profit forecast a little later.

   

Deal with:
(verb & prep) 'to deal with' has different meanings. In this context it is used with the meaning of 'to look at' or 'to talk about'. Normally, the object in this context is a thing. It's other meanings are 'to do business with' and 'to resolve', e.g. 'don't worry, I've already dealt with the issue.' In Spanish: "ocuparse de".

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15. Remind me to call him tomorrow about the meeting.

   

Remind:
(verb) When something/body causes you to remember something/body. We use diaries, schedules, plans to remind us to do things. No preposition is used when the object is a person. In Spanish: "recordar a".

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Practice

Now that you know the verbs/adjectives/nouns and their prepositions, practise them. Also click on the icon next to each correct answer and listen how each is pronounced correctly.