Verb and Preposition Collocations

Collocation is a combination of words in a language that happens very often and more frequently than would happen by chance. Being proficient in a language means mastering some of its subtleties.

 

What follows is a list of some of the most common ones.

accuse (someone) of ([doing] something)
add (something) to (something else)
admire (someone) for ([doing] something)
agree on (topic)
agree with (someone)
apologize to (someone) for ([doing] something)
apply to (a place) for (something)
approve of (something)
argue with (someone) about (topic)
arrive at (a building, room, site, event)
arrive in (a city, country)
ask (someone) about (someone/topic)
ask (someone) for (something) 

believe in (something)
belong to (someone)
blame (someone) for ([doing] something)
borrow (something) from (someone) 

care about (someone/something/topic)
comment on (topic)
compare (something) to/with (something else)
complain to (someone) about (something)
concentrate on ([doing] something)
congratulate (someone) for/on ([doing] something)
consist of (some things)
consent to ([doing] something)
contribute to (something)
count on (someone) to (do something)
cover (something) with (something else) 

decide on (topic)
depend on (someone) for (something)
discuss (something) with (someone)
distinguish (something) from (something else)
dream about/of (someone/something) 

escape from (somewhere)
explain (topic) to (someone)
excuse (someone) for ([doing] something) 

forgive (someone for ([doing] something)

get rid of (something)
graduate from (a place) 

happen to (someone)
help (someone) with (something)
hide (something) from (someone) 

insist (up)on (something)
introduce (someone) to (someone else)
invite (someone) to (an event) 

keep (something) for (someone) 

matter to (someone) 

object to (something) 

participate in (something)
pay (price) for (something)
pray for (someone/something)
prefer (something) to (something else)
prevent (someone) from ([doing] something)
prohibit (someone) from ([doing] something)
protect (someone) from (something)
provide (someone) with (something) 

recover from (something)
rely (up)on (someone/something)
remind (someone) of (something)
rescue (someone) from (something)
respond to (someone/something) 

save (someone) from (something)
search for (something)
separate (something) from (something else)
scold (someone) for ([doing] something)
smile at (someone) for ([doing] something)
speak to/with (someone) about (topic)

stare at (something/someone)
stop (someone) from ([doing] something)
subscribe to (something)
substitute (something) for (something else/someone)
subtract (something) from (something else)
succeed in ([doing] something)
suffer from (something) 

take advantage of (someone/something/ situation)
take care of (something/someone)
talk to/with (someone) about (topic)
thank (someone) for ([doing] something)
travel to (somewhere) 

vote for (someone)
vouch for (someone) 

wait for (someone/something)
wish for (something)
work for (company/something/someone)