FLUENT ENGLISH 🇬🇧 | Say Goodbye to PREPOSITION MISTAKES in English!

Hi there. This is Harry. Welcome back to  Advanced English lessons with Harry, where  

we try to help you get a better understanding  of English, how you can improve your chances  

of a job, and how you can be successful in those  proficiency exams, everything you need to help.

In this particular lesson, we're looking  at collocations, and in particular,  

we're looking at verbs and prepositions.  These are always a question that I get:  

Which preposition goes with  which verb? When do I use it?

So, I'm going to go through some examples.  I've got 18 of them. There's a lot,  

but they're important. So, I'll  give you 18 verbs, 18 prepositions,  

and 18 examples. Verb plus a preposition and  an example. You have to practice them and  

read them and try them. And you won't  remember them all, but do your best.

And as always, any problems, come back to me.

Okay, I'll do it slowly so that you can  think of it, and then get ready for the  

next one. Accuse of. He was accused of the  crime. He was accused of shoplifting. He was  

accused of robbing the bank. He was accused  of sending suggestive texts or emails. Okay,  

so to be accused of something, and  usually accused of a crime or accused  

of doing something he shouldn't, or  she shouldn't have done, accused of.

Number two, belong to. So  here we can have something  

that belongs to somebody or belongs to something.

He belongs to a really good football team.  So the team has been very successful. Yeah,  

but you can't do it on your own. He  belongs to a really good football team.

This belongs to him. So whose jacket is this? Oh,  

it belongs to Michael. It belongs to Janet.  Okay. They own it. It belongs to them.

Hope for this is usually followed by a noun.  Hope for success. Hope for some interest.

Hope for some money. Hope for a job we hope  for. Yeah. I hope for a good mark in my exam.

We hope for success for everybody  who's taking the FCE exams.

To hope for something, and it's  usually followed by a noun.

Then we have hope. Okay, I hope  to go on and finish my career.

So it's hope to plus the  infinitive. I hope to go on.

I hope to benefit from this. I hope to succeed in  my exams. So always hope to. Plus the infinitive.  

I hope to do this. I hope to do that. I hope to go  here. I hope to go there. I hope to be successful.

Hope to infinitive. Be successful.

To search for something. Search for something. I  

searched for my keys for an hour. I couldn't  find them. Where were they? In my pocket.

I searched for a present for his 30th birthday.  I really wanted to get something special,  

but I couldn't find anything I wanted at the end,  I had to ask him what did he want? I searched for  

something. I searched for a parking place in the  city forever and there were no parking places. I  

don't know, there must have been something special  on in the city to search for a parking place.

Now apologise. Apologise to somebody. I apologise  to my wife for being late home for dinner.

I apologise to everybody who wasn't able  to listen in to the podcast because there  

was something wrong with the technical. I  apologise to somebody for something. Okay,  

so now I apologise for the mistake.

I apologise for the weather. Okay. I'm  sorry. We're going on a hike today,  

but look at the weather. It's terrible. But  if you are happy to go, I am happy to lead.  

Apologise for. So we can apologise to somebody.  And we can apologise for something. For forgetting  

something. I apologise for forgetting your  birthday. I apologise for interrupting. Okay?

So we apologise to somebody  and apologise for something.  

And that's the real difference between  those. Apologise to and apologise for.

Blame for. I'm always blamed for everything  that happens around here. I saw that's how I  

felt when I was a young boy who broke  the window. Was that you blamed for  

leaving the door open? Who left the door  open? The dog would get out. Blame for.

Who forgot to switch off the oven? Blame  for. Who didn't buy milk? Blame for. So  

when you get blamed for something. Blamed for  forgetting. Blamed for doing. Blamed for not  

doing. Blame for everything. I always get the  blame around here for everything. Blame for.

Object to. I object to that  statement. I object to that remark. I  

object to being called that name yet. We  object to something. We don't like it. We  

object to the building of another block of  apartments on the children's playground. We  

object to having to work late every week.  We object to having to provide our email  

address and WhatsApp number so that our  boss can contact us, object to something.

Specialise in. What does he specialise in?  Or he specialises in criminal law. Or he  

specialises in commercial law or he specialises  in cosmetic surgery. Somebody is very good at  

something. Or indeed he is made out to be  a specialist. He doesn't bother with other  

things. He focuses on only one area. What does  he specialise in? He specialises in something.

He specialises in family law. He  specialises in dog training in.

Awareness or in mindfulness, whatever it might be,  

they specialise or he or she specialises in  something. Preposition in. Specialise in.

To approve of. She doesn't approve of his friends.  She doesn't approve of my girlfriend. She doesn't  

approve of his habits. She doesn't approve of  him smoking. So always there in the negative.  

To approve or here in the negative doesn't  approve of. Yeah. So always that preposition  

of doesn't approve of my friends. Doesn't approve  of my smoking, doesn't approve of the job I got.

Okay. Approve of.

Consist of. Oh, that's a beautiful,  beautiful cake. What does it consist  

of? Meaning what it is made of.  Oh, well, it's just typical. It's,  

the flour, the egg, the water. But just a  little special. Something that I put in to  

give it that little bit of zest and that  little bit of extra taste to consist of.

What does the new job consist of?  Well, I think I really just have  

to do what I normally do a bit  of research, a bit of analysis,

write a few papers, be there when they want to  

talk about it. It's really just  number crunching to consist of.

Pay for? Who's going to pay for the tickets?  Who's going to pay for lunch? Who's going to  

pay for. That mistake. Yeah. So you can  use it positively or negatively. Oh,  

I think I'll have to pay for that mistake. The  boss is going to be really, really mad at me.

I'll pay for lunch. I got my bonus last week,  

so I got a little bit of extra cash I'll  pay for lunch. Happy to do it. Pay for.

Succeed in. Will he succeed in

the application for the job? Will he succeed  in getting what he wants? He's meeting his  

boss next week, and he really wants to  get that promotion. Or he wants to get  

the increase in salary. I wonder will succeed in  his objectives to succeed in to be successful.

He succeeded in annoying me.  That's exactly what he did.

He cried and winced and moaned all night.

Yeah, they succeeded in ignoring me all night.

To believe in something or somebody.

He believes in God.

He believes in himself. He believes in me. He  knows I can do the job. He believes in hard work.

He believes in dedication. He believes  in training hard, working hard,  

living hard. What do you believe in?  He believes in this. I believe in that.

He's a believer in all things beautiful.  Okay, so to believe in something

Religion to believe in somebody himself,  

to believe in the business, to  believe in the success of the team.

Forgive for. Will you forgive  me for forgetting your birthday?  

Will you ever forgive me for breaking your  favourite vase? Will you ever forgive me for  

what I said so? To forgive somebody for something.  To forgive somebody for saying something. Yeah.

I'll forgive you for that. If you promise  not to do it again. Famous words of parents.

Of course, I'll forgive you for that, provided  you try not to do it again. Forgive for.

Remind somebody about something. Can I remind  you about the meeting next week? Please don't  

forget it. A few people were late this week,  so put it in your diaries. Be here at 10:00.  

The meeting will start on time. So I would like  to remind you all about the meeting next week.

So remind somebody about something.

I promise to remind you about your mother's  birthday. You always forget it. You always  

get the date wrong. So remember, it's the  10th, not the 11th. Okay? So get the card,  

get the flowers. Give her a card,  but make sure you do it on the 10th,  

not the 11th. Why do I always have  to remind you about the birthday?

Yeah, I remind you about your  mother's birthday. Don't forget  

it. Okay? To remind somebody about something.

And then finally to thank somebody for something.  

I'd like to thank you all for the work  you did in making this such a success.

I'd like to thank Jonathan for his years of  service to the company. He's leaving today,  

and we wish him well on his retirement.

I'd like to thank you for that  beautiful present. I mean, I really,  

really didn't expect it. I know I've  been talking about a holiday or a cruise,  

but I really, really didn't think  you would go ahead and do it.

So wow, it's going to be really,  really special. A great way to  

celebrate the anniversary, to  thank somebody for something.

Okay, so all of those first certificate  English collocations help you to prepare  

for those proficiency exams, 18  in all. Try and practice them.

Let me give them to you one more time.  Accuse of, belong to something or to  

belong to somebody. Hope for plus a noun. Hope  to plus the infinitive. Search for something.

Apologise to somebody for  doing something. Apologise  

for something you didn't  do or something you did do.

Blame for, object to, specialise in, approve  of something, or don't approve of something,  

consist of, pay for, succeed in, believe in  something, believe in somebody, forgive somebody  

for something, remind somebody about something,  and then finally, thank somebody for something.

Okay. Right. As I said, there are lots  of them. We've got 18. They're really,  

really important to remember, particularly  with the prepositions. Which preposition  

goes with which particular verb.  You'll find them very useful if  

you're preparing for those all-important FCE  exams, but also equally when you're writing,  

when you're speaking. To get the right  verb, right preposition. Good combination.

And I've given you some examples. Hopefully,  

you'll understand those if you  need more. As always, come back.

Thank you for listening. Thanks for  joining me. As always. Join me again soon.