Verb/Adjective + preposition Prepositions following verbs Explanations ■ About agree about, argue about, boast about, dream about, know about, laugh about, read about, talk about At guess at, laugh at, look at GRAMMAR 29 VERB/A D|ECTIVE + PREPOSITION ■ For famous for, (ate for, ready for, sorry for ■ From absent from, different from, safe from m In interested in Of afraid of, ashamed of aware of, capable of, fond of, full of, it is good of you (to do something), jealous of Of apply far, arrange for, ask for something, blame someone for, care for, forgive someone for, look for, pay for something, search for, vote for, wait for believe in, confide in someone, involve someone in something, specialise in, succeed in, take part in r accuse someone of something, (dis)approve of, die of sometlring, dream of, remind someone of something, rob someone of something, smell of, taste of, warn someone of something grateful to, kind to, married to angry with, annoyed with, bored with, happy with, pleased with blame something on someone, concentrate on, congratulate someone on something, depend on, insist on, rely on > add something to, admit to, apologise to someone for something, be accustomed to, be used to, belong to, confess to, explain something to someone, lend something to someone, listen to, object to, reply to, talk to someone about something Prepositions following adjectives agree with, argue with, begin with, charge someone with a crime, deal with, discuss something with someone, provide someone with something, share something with someone, trust someone with something About annoyed about, anxious about, ceitain about, excited about, happy abuut, pleased about, right about, sorry about, upset about At angry at, annoyed at, bad/good at, surprised at ■ By bored by, shocked by, surprised by FIRST CERTIFICATE LANGUAGE PRACTICE GRAMMAR 29 VERB / ADJECTIVE - PREPOSITION Practice Put one suitable word in each space. a) A lot of people I know really believe.........klk........ghosts. b) Martin grew to be very fond......................his pet snake. c) This bread tastes......................fish! d) Everyone was shocked...................... Susan's strange appearance. e) The company blamed the drop in sales......................the economic situation. f) Brenda decided to discuss her problems.....++...............a psychiatrist. g) When Harry made his speech, everyone laughed......................him. h) Robert has been married......................Deborah for over a year. i) You were right after all ......... the result of the election. j) The woman who lived next door admitted......................the robbery. 2. Rewrite each sentence beginning as shown. Do not change the meaning. a) Two men stole the old lady's handbag. The old lady was .........wfcW. o/.fi^..^^.^f........................................ b) John finds photography interesting. John is.......................................................................................... c) Helen has a good knowledge of car engines. Helen knows a lot ,................+.+.. .................................................................. d) The food in france is famous. France is............................................................................................................ e) I'd like to thank your brother for his help. 1 am very grateful............................................................................................... f) Can you and Stephen share this book, please? Can you share this book.................................................................................... g) 1 find studying all night rather difficult. I'm not used to................................................................................................... h) Harry feels frightened when he sees a snake. Harry is afraid..................................................................................................... i) I'm sorry about breaking your camera. Please forgive me.............................................................................................— j) Peter knows how to draw well. Fetei is good....................................................................................................... i Put one suitable word in each space. a) David was of what he had done, and he blushed. b) I'm not very...................... on the idea of going climbing. c) Mary is always......................about all the famous people she has met. d) Jim was uften...................... for work, and lost his job as a result. e) There were no empty seats on the train, which was..........______...... of soldiers. E) Bill decided not to......................Bob with his secrets. g) The two boys weTe......................of stealing a sports car. h) We......................in persuading Carol to lend us her boat. i) You have worked very hard! I am very...................... with youl j) 1 can't remember her name, but it......................with '}'. Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. You must use between two and five words, including the word given. a) William could do betteT work, capable William ...........................ksmkltjf............................doing better work. b) 1 own this car. belongs This car..........................................................,.......................................me c) The job received over a hundred applications, applied Over a hundred people............................................+......t.....................the job. dj Mrs Jones' death was caused by old age. died Mrs Jones..........................................................r.............................old age. e) 'Well done, Tony, you have passed the exam,' said Joe. congratulated J°e .....................................-.....»....................................................the exam. 0 Jean borrowed Shirley's camera, lent Shirley...................................................................................................camera. g) Graham found the film very boring, by Graham................................................................................................the film. h) We all pitied Stephen, sorry WeaU .........................................................................-........................Stephen. FIRST CERTIFICATE LANGUAGE PRACTICE GRAMMAR 29 VERB/ADJECTIVE + PREPOSITION 5 Put one suitable word in each spaccn a) My boss shouted at me - he was really.....^Y^Vf.„..„ with me! b) I can see your point, but [ just don't......................with you. c) Terry doesn't......................of his children going to rock concerts. d) George and I......................about politics all night! e) Can I have a......................at the evening paper? f) This story...................... me of a novel by Dickens. g) Peter feels......................of anyone who talks to his girlfriend. h) I didn't expect you to behave like that! I'm......................at you! i) Oh dear, I forgot to......................any baking powder to the cake. j) I think you should......................your boss for a rise. 6 Complete each sentence with the most suitable word or phrase. a) Thank you veiy much. It's very.........P...........you to help me. AJ good with E} good of C) good for D) good about b) The bad weather was.....+,...............the series of power cuts. A) blamed for B) blamed on C] blamed with D) blamed by c) I'm sorry, but I +,.r,+,.,............. seeing the manager at once! A) arrange for B) look for C) agree with D) Insist on d) Why do you spend all your time......................your sister! A) arguing about B) arguing for C) arguing with D) arguing at e) Hekn is very.....................going to work in Germany. A) excited about B) excited for C) excited with D) excited to f) The tourists were not......................the danger of bandits in the hills. A) known about B) aware of C) provided with D) guessed at g) 1 understood the problem after it had been......................inc. A) explained to B) admitted to C) confessed to D) replied to h) 1 wish you wouldn't show off and......................your success so much! A) full of B) bored by C) boast about D) congratulate on i) If you listen to music, you can't......................your homework- A) read about B) arrange for C) specialise in D) concentrate on j! Will we be......................the storm if we shelter under a tree? A) happy about B) safe from C) depended on D) cared for / Look carefully at each line. Some of the lines are correct, and same have a word which should not be there. Tick each correct line. If a line has a word which should not be there, write the word in the space. Brothers and sisters When I was young I had argued with my............ brothers and sisters all the time. 1 used to ..........f„......... share with most of my toys with my brother, l)..............„...... but he specialised in to keeping them for 2)...................... himself. When 1 asked about him for anything 3)...................... he simply used to refuse to give it to me, and 4)...................... then 1 became and very angry with him. Our 5)...................... sisters blamed for everything on us when our 6)...................... parents accused us of quarrelling all the time. 7)................,..... My brother and I got up annoyed about this, 8)...................... but only succeeded them in making matters 9)...................... worse. Our parents didn't approve of our 10)...................... quarrelling so much, and insisted us on 11)...................... not taking sides. They either laughed about 12)..........„.......... itr or told us to forgive and each other for 13)...................... everything. Soon we became ashamed of 14) ..„+,.+,„.+.T....... quarrelling, and became good at last getting 15)...................... on well with each other. Key points l Check verbs and adjectives in a dictionary to be certain which prepositions fallow them. 2 In some cases different prepositions give different meanings. 3 Note the difference between used to (see Grammar 1) and be used to. I used to go to the beach every weekend when I was a child. This is a habit in the past which is no longer true. To is part of the infinitive to go in this sentence. I am not used to gettittg up so early in the morning. [f you are used to something you have done it many times so that it no longer seems surprising or difficult. In this case to is a preposition, and getting up is the noun form of the verb (gerund). Grammar 30: Consolidation 6