A. Verb + preposition

• Paul doesn’t like the manager’s decision and I agree with him. [have the same opinion as]
• Don’t worry about your exam. [be nervous about]
• His teachers were satisfied with his progress. [pleased with]
• Many people spend a lot of money on clothes.
• I’m thinking of going to China. [it’s my plan to go] (used in the continuous form)
• This land belongs to the company. [it is the company’s land]
• I translated the letter into French. [changed from one language into another]
• She complained to the manager about the food. [said she wasn’t happy/satisfied with]
• I can’t concentrate on [think about] my work when the radio is playing.
• We can rely on this photocopier. [trust it; it will not go wrong]
• I may go but it depends on the weather. [used to say you are not sure about something]

B. Prepositions that change the meaning

She shouted to me. [spoke in a loud voice to be heard]	He shouted at me. [spoke in a loud voice because he was angry]
He threw the ball to me. [for me to catch it]	He threw the ball at me. [in order to hit me]

C. Adjective + preposition

• I’ve never been very good at maths. (opp bad at)
• She’s afraid of flying. [frightened of]
• The neighbours are fond of the children. [like]
• She’s similar to her sister [the same as her in some ways], but very different from her brother.
• He’s very interested in photography.
• I think she’s aware of the problem. [knows about]
• I’m tired of people telling me what to do. [bored or a bit angry about]
• Katya is mad about Brad Pitt. [likes him very much; infml]
• We’re short of coffee at the moment. [we don’t have much]
• There’s something wrong with this TV. [the TV is not working correctly]