MIXED PREPOSITIONS EXERCISE 2 (ESL)

Grammar review Mixed prepositions — verb + preposition combinations

Many English verbs have a fixed preposition that follows them. These verb + preposition combinations must be learned as units — the preposition can’t always be predicted from the verb’s meaning alone.

How to approach this exercise:
Read the sentence and identify whether a preposition follows a verb, an adjective, or forms part of a fixed expression. Then ask: does the context suggest direction, possession, cause, manner, or location? That often narrows down the options considerably.

Some broad patterns:
Verbs of communication and opinion often pair with one of two or three prepositions depending on what follows — a person, a topic, or an object. Verbs of reliance and dependency tend to favour one consistent preposition. Verbs of composition and membership also tend to be consistent.

These are patterns, not rules — exceptions exist. The safest long-term strategy is to learn common verb + preposition combinations through repeated exposure in context, which is exactly what this exercise provides.