English Grammar Lab

← C1

Advanced verb–preposition collocations

You will be able to Use fixed prepositions after common formal and academic verbs.

Explanation

Many verbs select a fixed preposition, and the combination must be learned as a unit. Common advanced patterns include comply with, account for, object to, depend on and care for.

Examples

Detailed course

Understand the grammar point

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Detailed explanation

Many English verbs select a particular preposition, and the combination functions as a lexical unit. The choice is often not predictable from a direct translation. A learner may understand both the verb and the preposition separately yet still produce an unnatural combination. For this reason, record and practise the whole pattern: comply with a regulation, account for a result, object to a proposal, depend on a condition, contribute to a project.

The preposition can determine what kind of complement follows. Because to is a preposition in object to, contribute to and lead to, it is followed by a noun phrase or an -ing form: They objected to publishing the data. It is not followed by a bare infinitive. Similarly, insist on is followed by a noun phrase or -ing form, while prevent takes prevent someone from doing something.

Some verbs allow more than one preposition with a change of meaning. Agree with a person or opinion, agree on a plan, and agree to a proposal are distinct patterns. Apply to an organisation, apply for a post, and apply a method to a problem also differ. Advanced accuracy therefore requires learning the complement and the meaning together, not memorising a verb with only one possible preposition.

Formal and academic writing frequently uses verbs such as derive from, refer to, result in, result from, consist of, distinguish between, and engage with. These combinations carry precise logical relationships. “The error resulted from incorrect coding” identifies a cause, whereas “the error resulted in a delay” identifies a consequence.

When editing, underline the verb and ask whether its complement is a person, thing, action, cause, consequence or topic. Then verify the conventional pattern. Corpus examples and reliable dictionaries are useful because grammatical plausibility is not enough: *discuss about* and *emphasise on* may look possible to speakers of other languages, but standard English normally uses discuss something and emphasise something without a preposition.

How to form it

Learn verb + preposition + complement as one pattern. A preposition is followed by a noun phrase, pronoun or -ing form. Distinguish patterns with different meanings, such as result from + cause and result in + consequence, agree with + person/view, agree on + topic, and agree to + proposal.

Treat the verb and preposition as a single collocation rather than translating each word independently.

After a preposition, use a noun phrase, pronoun or -ing form.

Some verbs take different prepositions with different meanings.

Several common English verbs, including discuss and emphasise, normally take a direct object without a preposition.

In academic writing, accurate collocations make causal and logical relationships explicit.

Guided examples

The revised procedure complies with international safety standards.

Comply conventionally takes with before the rule or standard that is followed.

Seasonal demand accounts for most of the variation.

Account for means explain or represent a proportion of something.

Several researchers objected to releasing the preliminary results.

To is a preposition here, so releasing is an -ing form.

The final outcome depends on whether the participants remain in the study.

Depend on introduces the condition that determines the outcome.

The coding error resulted in a two-week delay.

Result in introduces the consequence produced by the error.

The discrepancy resulted from an incorrect conversion formula.

Result from introduces the cause or origin of the discrepancy.

Common mistakes

Not: The team discussed about the revised protocol.

Use: The team discussed the revised protocol.

Discuss normally takes a direct object without about.

Not: She objected to publish the names.

Use: She objected to publishing the names.

To is a preposition in object to and must be followed by an -ing form when the complement is an action.

Not: The shortage resulted from several cancelled services.

Use: The shortage resulted in several cancelled services.

If the shortage caused the cancellations, result in is required; result from would reverse the causal relationship.

Not: The decision depends of the final cost.

Use: The decision depends on the final cost.

The fixed standard-English collocation is depend on.

Before you practise

  • Have I learned the verb together with its preposition and complement pattern?
  • Is to functioning as a preposition and therefore followed by an -ing form?
  • Does the selected preposition express the intended cause, result, person or topic?
  • Have I added a preposition after a verb that normally takes a direct object?
  • Could another preposition change the meaning of this verb?

Reading text

Explaining an Unexpected Research Result

About 258 words

A university research team recently repeated an experiment that had produced unusually strong results. The original authors had attributed the improvement to a new training method, but the second team could not reproduce the effect. Their investigation focused on factors that might account for the difference.

First, the researchers referred to the published protocol and compared it with the materials actually used. They discovered that one laboratory had not fully complied with the stated temperature requirements. This deviation contributed to changes in the chemical samples, although it did not account for the entire result.

The team then examined the statistical analysis. Two reviewers objected to excluding participants who had left the study early. They argued that the exclusion could result in an exaggerated estimate of effectiveness. Other researchers agreed with that concern but disagreed on the best correction. Eventually, the group agreed to repeat the analysis using several methods.

The revised figures showed that most of the apparent improvement resulted from a coding error. A variable had been entered in the wrong unit, which resulted in values ten times larger than expected. The finding did not mean that the training method had no value; rather, its effect depended on the age and prior experience of participants.

In the final report, the researchers discussed the problem directly. They did not write *discussed about the problem*, because discuss takes a direct object. They also distinguished between causes that contributed to the discrepancy and consequences that resulted from it. Accurate verb–preposition collocations helped them make the chain of reasoning clear.

Reading comprehension

  1. What procedure had one laboratory failed to follow fully?

    Show answer

    It had not fully complied with the stated temperature requirements.

  2. Why did two reviewers object to excluding participants?

    Show answer

    They believed the exclusion could exaggerate the estimated effectiveness.

  3. What caused most of the apparent improvement?

    Show answer

    A coding error involving a variable entered in the wrong unit.

  4. Why were accurate collocations important in the report?

    Show answer

    They made the causal relationships and chain of reasoning clear.

Grammar in the text

  1. account for the difference

    Account for means explain the cause or proportion of something.

  2. complied with the stated temperature requirements

    Comply takes with before the rule or requirement followed.

  3. objected to excluding participants

    To is a preposition, so excluding appears in the -ing form.

  4. resulted from a coding error

    Result from introduces the cause of the apparent improvement.

Listening practice

Watch a TEDx talk

“The power of introverts” — Susan Cain (TED). Listen for clear, natural English and pick up new vocabulary while you review this grammar point.

Check your understanding

What does Susan Cain say Western culture, especially in the United States, tends to favor?

Check your understanding

Which of these is one of Susan Cain's three calls to action at the end of her talk?

Practice

Choose the best answer. The current model fails to account ___ regional variation.

Practice

Choose the best answer. Several researchers objected ___ publishing the preliminary results.

Practice

Choose the best answer. The organisation must comply ___ national data-protection rules.

Written practice

Produce the answer yourself. Capitalisation and final punctuation do not affect validation, but the grammar and word order must be correct.

Short answer

Written practice

Complete the sentence with the correct preposition.

All laboratories must comply ___ the new safety code.