 Under construction

A new railroad is under construction.

 For real
After two trial runs we did it for real.
 At the same time
All speak at the same time.
 By the time
By the time I got there, he’d gone.
 By the way
By the way, how is John?
 On paper
Could you put your ideas down on paper?
 With regret
Do not waste time with regret.
 At a discount
Employees can buy books at a discount.
 Without a hitch
Everything had gone without a hitch.
 Under treatment
He is under treatment for malaria.
 By force
He took the purse from her by force.
 On board
He tried to jump back on board.
 At risk
He was putting himself at risk.
 By nature
He was by nature a philosophical person.
 In vain
Her efforts were in vain.
 On trial
He’s on trial for his life.
 In debt
I am in debt to the bank for my car loan.
 With regard to
I am writing with regard to your recent order.
 With respect
I ask for her hand with all respect.
 For life
I believe marriage is for life.
 Out of place
I felt out of place among foreigners.
 For ages
I haven’t seen you for ages.
 By mistake
I’ve paid this bill twice by mistake.
 Out of stock
I’m afraid we’re temporarily out of stock.
  Within limits
I’m willing to help, within limits.
 Under repair
Is the bridge still under repair?
 Without precedent
It is without precedent in history.
 In theory
It sounds fine in theory, but will it work?
 At least
It will cost at least $200.
 To the full
I’ve always believed in living life to the full.
 Out of school
Never tell tales out of school.
 By now
Perhaps they are already there by now.
 For a while
Please sit down for a while.
 With abandon
She danced with abandon.
 In detail
She described the accident in detail.
 For sale
She has put her house up for sale.
 By far
She is the best by far.
 At the age of
She went blind at the age of ten.
 On leave
She’s on leave until the end of the month.
 In case
Took an umbrella, just in case.
 In full
The apple trees are in full bearing.
 On the move
The army is on the move.
 In terms of
The book is well organized in terms of plot.
 Out of order
The boy put the telephone out of order.
 To date
The car is a beauty and quite up to date.
 On fire
The car was now on fire.
 Out of control
The fire is burning out of control.
 Under review
The matter is still under review.
  On sale
The new model goes on sale next month.
 On show
The paintings are on show until April.
 Within walking
The shops are within walking distance.
 Under stress
The silver was deformed under stress.
 At peace
The two countries were at peace.
 Out of fashion
Their music will never go out of fashion.
 Under the stairs
There’s a broom cupboard under the stairs.
 For hire
They have boats for hire.
 Out of hand
Unemployment is getting out of hand.
 Within reach
We live within reach of the station.
 For nothing
We went all that way for nothing.
 With a view of
We’d like a room with a view of the sea.
 In doubt
When in doubt, call the doctor.
 Without respect
Without respect, love cannot go far.
 At once
You have to call her at once.

Verbs with Prepositions: TO

 Adapt to
 Add to
 Agree to
 Apologize to
 Belong to
 Consent to
 Devote to
 Happen to
 Lead to
 Listen to
 Object to
 React to
 Refer to
 Reply to
 Speak to
  Talk to
 Turn to
1.1.1 Verbs + Prepositions: FOR
 Admire for
 Apologize for
 Apply for
 Ask for
 Blame for
 Care for
 Excuse for
 Head for
 Long for
 Pay for
 Pray for
 Prepare for
 Scold for
 Search for
 Vote for
 Wait for
 Wish for
 Work for
1.1.2 Verbs + Prepositions: FROM
 Abstain from
 Borrow from
 Escape from
 Graduate from
 Hide from
 Infer from
 Prevent from
 Prohibit from
 Protect from
 Recover from
 Rescue from
 Resign from
 Retire from
 Save from
 Separate from
 Stem from
 Suffer from
1.1.3 Verbs with Prepositions: ON
 Agree on
 Base on
 Be on
 Blame on
 Comment on
 Concentrate on
 Congratulate on
  Count on
 Depend on
 Elaborate on
 Impose on
 Insist on
 Play on
 Pride on
 Rely on
 Work on
1.1.4 Verb Preposition Collocations: AT
 Aim at
 Arrive at
 Glance at
 Guess at
 Hint at
 Laugh at
 Look at
 Marvel at
 Peer at
 Point at
 Smile at
 Stare at
 Wink at
1.1.5 Verb + Preposition: ABOUT
 Argue about
 Ask about
 Be about
 Boast about
 Care about
 Concern about
 Decide about
 Dream about
 Forget about
 Know about
 Laugh about
 Protest about
 Think about
 Worry about
1.1.6 Verbs + Prepositions: WITH
 Acquaint with
 Agree with
 Associate with
 Charge with
 Clutter with
 Coincide with
 Collide with
 Compare with
  Comply with
 Confront with
 Confuse with
 Cover with
 Cram with
 Deal with
 Discuss with
 Help with
 Tamper with
 Trust with
1.1.7 Verbs with Prepositions: IN
 Absorb in
 Arrive in
 Be engrossed in
 Believe in
 Confide in
 Implicate in
 Involve in
 Participate in
 Result in
 Specialize in
 Succeed in
 Trust in
EXAMPLES OF VERB PREPOSITION COLLOCATIONS
 The boys argued about which bus to take.
 He always cares about me.
 Don’t forget about the party you promised.
 The students protested about the invasion.
 Don’t worry about me. I’ll be all right.
 I base my conclusions on market research.
 She blames the lack of interest on the teacher’s poor explanation.
 You can count on me anytime.
 Can you elaborate on the process?
 I like to pride myself on my ability to concentrate.
 She is working on a new novel.
 She had to apologized to the whole family.
 I think you should apply yourself to getting a degree.
 Professor Samson attributes this painting to Leonardo.
 She committed herself to finding a new job.
 There is no need for you to consent to anything.
 Can you explain Andrew to me?
 Have you been invited to their party?
 I object to your opinion.
 I want to apologize for my mistakes.
 I‘m for Mayor Martini.
 All three are to be congratulated for doing so well.
 I can’t excuse myself for not doing it.
 Let me pay for Tom.
 Rose scolded the child gently for her bad behavior.
 I can vouch for her ability to work hard.
 He always agrees with my opinion.
 These mountains do not compare with the Himalayas.
 She covered her face with her hands.
 I’d like to discuss our next conference with the boss.
 Peter packed his case with extra brochures.
 We looked around the school and talked with the principal.
 He derived the meaning from the context of the sentence.
 Please distract Tim from the television.
 The children were expelled from school for their bad behavior.
 She seemed totally absorbed in her book.
 You should participate in this training course
 John succeeded in getting a new job.