LANGUAGE AND USE
Master your English grammar
English Prepositions 3
One of the most difficult areas to manage in English grammar is prepositions used with certain verbs and nouns. Let´s explore a few cases:
AGREE WITH / AGREE ON / AGREE TO
You AGREE WITH somebody when you think that what that person says is correct.
e.g. Tom agreed with him on the subject.
People in a group AGREE ON something when all of them come to a joint agreement
e.g. They all agreed on the plan to follow.
You AGREE TO a suggestion, proposition or request when you accept it or say “yes”
e.g Both countries agreed to the terms of the peace treatry.
COMPARE WITH / COMPARE TO
You COMPARE one thing WITH another when your idea is to highlight their differences.
e.g They compared the cost of the air ticket with that of a train fare to decide how to travel.
COMPARED TO is more rarely used, and it refers to the similarity between two things or people.
e.g. I was flattered when I heard they compared my son’s tennis skills to those of Rafael Nadal’s.
MAD AT/ MAD ABOUT
If somebody is MAD AT somebody else they are extremely angry.
e.g. She was mad at him when she discovered he had been cheating on her for several months.
MAD ABOUT denotes extreme enthusiasm.
e.g My son is mad about trains, he has a huge collection of engines and cars.
When referring to a person MAD ABOUT means in love.
e.g. She is mad about him and would do anything to marry him.
ANGRY WITH / ANGRY AT / ANGRY ABOUT
Somebody is ANGRY WITH or AT a person.
e.g. The teacher was terribly angry with the students who cheated during the exam.
ANGRY ABOUT specifies reasons for strong emotions
e.g. Country people were angry about the latest government resolutions.
CONCERNED ABOUT / CONCERNED WITH
When you are worried about something you are CONCERNED ABOUT it.
e.g The governor is concerned about the economic situation of the lower classes
When we refer to work or some other kind of responsility we prefer CONCERNED WITH.
e.g Susan used to be in the Customer Service department now she is concerned with Marketing.
WORK IN / WORK AT / WORK FOR / WORK WITH
We choose IN when we refer to a place of work in general. If we want to be more specific and mention name and/or location we prefer AT
e.g. I work in a school. / I work at Saint George’s College.
FOR is used for people not working in a specific location such as anthropologists, geologists, sales reps, service staff and so on.
e.g. I work FOR the Louvre Museum ( An anthropologist talking to natives in Egypt)
If we choose to use the verb “to be” when referring to our place of work we need WITH
e.g. Fred is with Smith, Clark & Barnes.
A collection of examples to analyze carefully and memorize. More can be found in dictionaries, which will give the prepositions that can be used after a verb.
English Prepositions 3
One of the most difficult areas to manage in English grammar is prepositions used with certain verbs and nouns. Let´s explore a few cases:
AGREE WITH / AGREE ON / AGREE TO
You AGREE WITH somebody when you think that what that person says is correct.
e.g. Tom agreed with him on the subject.
People in a group AGREE ON something when all of them come to a joint agreement
e.g. They all agreed on the plan to follow.
You AGREE TO a suggestion, proposition or request when you accept it or say “yes”
e.g Both countries agreed to the terms of the peace treatry.
COMPARE WITH / COMPARE TO
You COMPARE one thing WITH another when your idea is to highlight their differences.
e.g They compared the cost of the air ticket with that of a train fare to decide how to travel.
COMPARED TO is more rarely used, and it refers to the similarity between two things or people.
e.g. I was flattered when I heard they compared my son’s tennis skills to those of Rafael Nadal’s.
MAD AT/ MAD ABOUT
If somebody is MAD AT somebody else they are extremely angry.
e.g. She was mad at him when she discovered he had been cheating on her for several months.
MAD ABOUT denotes extreme enthusiasm.
e.g My son is mad about trains, he has a huge collection of engines and cars.
When referring to a person MAD ABOUT means in love.
e.g. She is mad about him and would do anything to marry him.
ANGRY WITH / ANGRY AT / ANGRY ABOUT
Somebody is ANGRY WITH or AT a person.
e.g. The teacher was terribly angry with the students who cheated during the exam.
ANGRY ABOUT specifies reasons for strong emotions
e.g. Country people were angry about the latest government resolutions.
CONCERNED ABOUT / CONCERNED WITH
When you are worried about something you are CONCERNED ABOUT it.
e.g The governor is concerned about the economic situation of the lower classes
When we refer to work or some other kind of responsility we prefer CONCERNED WITH.
e.g Susan used to be in the Customer Service department now she is concerned with Marketing.
WORK IN / WORK AT / WORK FOR / WORK WITH
We choose IN when we refer to a place of work in general. If we want to be more specific and mention name and/or location we prefer AT
e.g. I work in a school. / I work at Saint George’s College.
FOR is used for people not working in a specific location such as anthropologists, geologists, sales reps, service staff and so on.
e.g. I work FOR the Louvre Museum ( An anthropologist talking to natives in Egypt)
If we choose to use the verb “to be” when referring to our place of work we need WITH
e.g. Fred is with Smith, Clark & Barnes.
A collection of examples to analyze carefully and memorize. More can be found in dictionaries, which will give the prepositions that can be used after a verb.
- The garage is closed FOR repairs till Monday.
- My sister is married TO a politician.
- What happened TO your car?
- We will only deliver the parcel AGAINST this order, do not lose it.
- Milan lost TO Barcelona yesterday evening.
- I will be busy Monday THROUGH Friday. Call me on Saturday.
- The baby is suffering FROM measles.
- Sure, depend ON it!
- She’s allergic TO penicillin.
- He was completely indifferent TO the matter.
- The manager didn’t object TO the changes proposed by the sales staff.
- You can’t have learnt that AT school.
- They quickly showed their distaste FOR her commentary.
- The kid is in bed WITH flu.
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