Words that own their prepositions: depend on, accuse of, good at, interested in, married to; preposition + -ing
I know the dependent prepositions of high-frequency verbs and adjectives, with -ing after them.
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
She apologized for being late and blamed the bridge for opening at rush hour.
She apologized for being late and blamed the bridge for opening at rush hour.
He's brilliant at chess, terrible at small talk, and married to a poker champion.
He's brilliant at chess, terrible at small talk, and married to a poker champion.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
The preposition belongs to the word, not the meaning:
| Verbs | Adjectives |
|---|---|
| depend on, rely on | good/bad at |
| accuse sb of, dream of/about | interested in |
| apologize for, blame sb for | afraid/proud of |
| insist on, congratulate on | married/similar to |
| listen to, wait for | famous for, responsible for |
After the preposition a verb takes -ing: good at cooking, insisted on paying, apologized for being late. Learn word + preposition as one unit.
Apply this grammar in B2 course exercises
Practice ExercisesL1 preposition copied
Learn word+preposition as a unit
to-infinitive after prepositions
Preposition + -ing
She apologized for being late and blamed the bridge for opening at rush hour.
She apologized for being late and blamed the bridge for opening at rush hour.
apologize for + -ing, blame for: units in action.
He's brilliant at chess, terrible at small talk, and married to a poker champion.
He's brilliant at chess, terrible at small talk, and married to a poker champion.
at / at / to: adjective prepositions in series.
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in B2 course exercises