วันพฤหัสบดีที่ 29 มีนาคม พ.ศ. 2555

รายการที่ 21 - Phrasal Verb Usage การใช้กิริยาวลี

 21 is sorted in alphabetical order as follows:

1. A - C abandon to: They abandoned the village to the advancing army.
abide by: They have to abide by the health and safety regulations.
abound in: The cave abounds in bats.
abstain from: The delegates decided to abstain from voting.
accede to: She would not accede to parental pressure to get married.
acclimate to: The sooner she acclimates to living in this big city the better it is for her.
account for: Increasing disappearance of icebergs in the Arctic is accounted for by global warming.
accuse of: They accuse him of not telling the truth.
accustom to: It took quite a while for him to accustom himself to the cold climate.
acquaint with: Fred would like to get acquainted with the new neighbour's daughter.

acquit of: The jury acquitted him of murder.
act for: John is looking for an experienced lawyer to act for him.
act on: Acting on a tip-off, police launched a pre-dawn raid on a house.
adapt to: I find it hard to adapt myself to my new workplace.
adapt for: Shakespeare's plays have been adapted for children.

adapt from: The play had been adapted from a novel.
add to: Increase in fuel prices will add to the cost of the project.
adhere to: We have to make sure the guidelines are strictly adhered to.
adjust to: She took a while to get herself adjusted to her new surroundings.
admit to: He admitted to eating my pizza.

admit into: Those without tickets will not be admitted into the stadium.
advance towards: The army advanced rapidly towards the capital.
advise on: We appointed him to advise us on all financial matters.
advise to: The group members were advised to arrive early
affix to: Wong affixed the stamp to the wrong corner of the envelope.

afflict with: He's severely afflicted with an unknown disease.
agree on: They belong to different political parties, but they agree on almost everything.
agree to: She agreed to meet me only after I've apologized to her.
agree with: I don't like you but I agree entirely with what you have said.
aim at: The hunter aimed his gun at the elephant but did not shoot.

allude to: John often alluded to his difficulties with his mother-in-law.
alternate with: Jack and Jill alternated with each other in bathing the dog.
amazed at: We were amazed at her sudden change in attitude.
amount to: His decision amounts to an outright refusal.
answer for: David will have to answer for his impoliteness.

apologize for: He apologized for the awful thing he said.
appeal to: The organization appealed to the public for blood donation.
appear from: It appears from what he says that he did all the work.
apply to: The restrictions do not apply to foreigners.
approve of: His mother does not approve of his smoking.

argue against: He argued against inviting her to the party.
argue for: She argued for having her at the party.
argue with: Why do you argue with everybody including me?
arrange for: We have arranged for Bob to meet you at the airport.
arrive at: By the time we arrived at his place, he had already left.
ascribe to: Some ascribed his exemplary behaviour to his religious upbringing.
ask for: Paul got drunk and asked the police for money to take a taxi home.
aspire to: He aspired to a better position in life.
assent to: The members assented to the proposal without much debate.
assist in: He volunteered to assist me in organizing the festival.

associate with: His parents have been advising him to stop associating with those loafers.
atone for: She felt that she should do more good deeds to atone for her sin.
attend to: There were not enough salespersons to attend to the customers.
attribute to: He attributed his success to his wife's constant encouragement.
avail of: He always avails himself of every opportunity to complain about other people.

back down: The government backed down over the issue after widespread protests.
back off: They told him to back off after he put too much pressure on them.
back out: We were shocked when he backed out of the project at the last minute.
back up: The witnesses backed up his account of the incident.
balk at: Jim balked at doing what he has to do.

band against: The workers banded against the takeover of the business by an outsider.
bank on: We can bank on him leading us on the long trek.
bargain for: The union intends to bargain for a minimum wage.
bargain with: The retailer bargained with the wholesaler for bulk discounts.
base on/upon: The film is based on an actual event.

bear with: You should bear with his tempers while you are staying with him.
become of: I've not heard from her for quite sometime; what has become of her I wonder.
beg for: I beg for forgiveness from God for all the sins I've committed.
beg with: I beg with her that she will leave me for good.
begin by: The comedian began the show by performing the pigeon mating dance.

believe in: He believes in ghosts but does not believe in God.
benefit from: The whole of mankind has benefited from the advancements in science.
bequeath to: What her father bequeathed to her included a collection of rare stamps.
beset with: His journey across the desert was beset with all sorts of danger.
bestow on: The President bestowed a medal for bravery on him.

betray to: The leader was betrayed to the police by gang members.
beware of: We should always beware of pickpocket in crowded places.
blame for: He was unfairly blamed for something he did not do.
blow out: One of our tyres blew out while we were on our way to catch a train.
blow over: We waited until the storm blew over before continuing our journey.

blow up: A suicide bomber blew up a van carrying soldiers.
blush at: He blushes at the thought of befriending her.
boast about: Crocket always boasts about his knowledge of crocodiles.
boast of: He keeps boasting of his new wife.
boil away: The soup really boiled away; it's so much less now.

boil down to: What his endless arguments boil down to is that he wants others to believe him.
boil over: The discussion boiled over into a shouting match.
border on: His attitude towards foreigners often borders on hostility.
borrow from: Each time I borrow six books from the library.
bother about: I'm not really bothered about getting along with my mother-in-law.

bother with: Let's don't bother with waiting for a bus. Let's go by taxi.
brag about: He's always bragging about his newfound wealth.
brag of: Brain likes to brag of having the most beautiful girlfriend.
break away: Smaller pieces of ice broke away from the main iceberg and floated away.
break down: After ten years, their marriage broke down irretrievably leading to a divorce.

break into: They broke into a research laboratory and removed all the animals.
break of: She found it hard to break herself of biting nails.
break off: Jack broke off with Jill after only three months.
break out: A plan by some prisoners to break out of the prison was foiled by the prison guards.
break up: The police used tear gas to break up the protest demonstration.

bring about: Global warming will bring about changes in man's attitude towards the environment.
bring back: More and more people are advocating that the death penalty be brought back.
bring down: Corruption and bribery scandal had brought down the government.
bring forth: High-level corruption within the government brought forth deep shame.
bring forward: The matches have been brought forward to avoid the bad weather.

bring in: The police had to be brought in to settle a seemingly private dispute.
bring on/upon: There are people who bring misfortune upon themselves.
bring out: Disasters bring out the best in human nature when they volunteer in rescue operations.
bring together: What brought them together is their common interests.
bring up: The divorcee brought up her six children single-handedly.

brood over: She's still brooding over the separation between her and her husband.
brush off: The film star brushed off a rumour of his impending divorce.
brush up: I must brush up on my driving before I get a car.
build of: One of the three little pigs' houses was built of straw.
burden with: Mary burdens me with her troubles as if I have no problems of my own.

burn away: Fire burnt away the building leaving only the pillars standing.
burn down: By the time the firemen arrived, the fire had burnt the houses down.
burn out: The fire was too huge to be extinguished and had to be left to burn itself out.
burn up: The forest fire burnt up vast tracts of woodland.
burst into: The audience burst into laughter when the clown's foot slipped and he fell.

burst out: When the clown fell down, the audience of children burst out laughing.
buy into: That's your personal belief; I'm not buying into it.
buy off: The accused man's father tried to buy the judge off but was arrested.
buy out: He bought out some shareholders and now he has a controlling interest in the business.
buy up: Lee bought up a huge quantity of a scarce commodity in anticipation of its price increase.

call back: I have already called her ten times and she hasn't called back.
call for: The people are calling for a change of government.
call in: They tried to settle the matter without calling in the police.
call off: The couple called off their engagement by mutual consent.
call on: She's never in when I called on her.

call up: That was the first time he was called up to play for the national tem.
capitalize on: We capitalized on the opportunity to learn French when we were in France.
care about: All she cares about is talking about other people.
care for: Gray cared for her aged parents when they were alive.
carry on: When the rain started to fall, we carried on playing football as if nothing happened.

carry out: She got into trouble for not carrying out her assignment.
carry over: Leave not used up may be carried over into next year.
catch on: He became popular when his new song caught on very fast.
catch up: Having been ill for the last few days, I now have got to catch up on my studying.
catch up with: After all these years the law finally caught up with him.

cater to: That boutique caters to wealthy people.
caution about: The policeman cautioned him about his fast driving.
caution against: The zookeeper cautioned them against feeding the animals.
cede to: Alaska was ceded to the United States by Russia.
celebrated for: The country celebrated for its scenery, food and wine.

chagrin at: The football coach was chagrined at losing the match to a weaker team.
chance on/upon: I was very shocked to chance upon a decaying human body.
change for: There was joy when the weather took a sudden change for the better.
change into: The magician claimed he could change a man into a woman.
characterize by: Must we always characterize people by their appearances?

charge against: We are not allowed to charge personal expenditure against profits.
charge at: Last night I dreamed about ten rhinoceroses charging at me in a shopping mall.
charge for: I will not buy it if they charge for delivery.
charge in: A woman has been charged in connection with the bank robbery.
charge into: She charged into my room uninvited.

charge of: The son has charge of the factory while his father is away.
charge to: My wife charged all her shopping to my account.
charge with: They finally arrested the man and charged him with multiple murders.
check up on: He begins checking up on his wife after suspecting her unfaithfulness.
cheer up: Being with her cheers me up a lot.

choose between: She had to choose between giving up her career or hiring a nanny.
cite for: Lack of sleep was cited as the main reason for her frequent feelings of exhaustion.
clamour for: The crowd clamoured noisily for his instant resignation.
clean out: They have to clean out the attic before they move out.
clean up: The group of volunteers gathered to clean up the beach.

clear away: The children quickly cleared away all their toys before mum reached home.
clear of: We are clearing the blocked drain of debris.
clear off: Could you clear that clutter off your desk?
clear out: It's time to clear your bedroom out; it's cluttered up with piles of books and magazines.
clear up: The weather cleared up and we went for a drive along the coast.

cling to: The villagers still cling to old habits and traditions.
close down: The factory was forced to close down by falling demand for its products.
close in: The police are closing in on the gang's hideout.
close off: Two lanes were closed off due to an accident.
close out: The store is closing out a particular brand of shoes.

close up: The supermarket is closed up for renovation.
clutter up: My desk is always cluttered up with piles of papers, books and stationery.
coincide with: My view on this case coincides exactly with yours.
collect for: So far they have collected only a few signatures for the petition.
collide with: Her car collided with a taxi.

combine with: She successfully combines her career with family responsibilities.
come across: I came across a life-size bronze statue of a horse in an antique shop.
come about: How did it come about that we didn't meet when we're both there at the same time?
come along: I wanted to go to the cinema but nobody wanted to come along with me.
come apart: My glasses came apart when I accidentally dropped them.

come around: He came around after I showed him all the evidence.
come at: I dreamed he came at me with a dagger and demanded my wallet.
come back: He comes back from five-nil down to level at seven-all.
come between: He doesn't allow anything, not even his wife, to come between him and his work.
come by: Plum jobs are hard to come by these days.

come down: He just came down with a cold, so we have to postpone the trip.
come down on: Her parents really came down hard on her for playing truant.
come down to: When it comes down to her political beliefs, she is not prepared to compromise.
come for: You had better hide; they are coming for you.
come forward: No one has come forward to claim the first prize.

come from: He comes from a long line of actors.
come in: These small tools come in handy when we need them.
come into: She came into my life just at the right time.
come into being: It is believed the custom came into being some five hundred years ago.
come of: His persistent cough comes of smoking heavily.

come off: Despite all our efforts, the social gathering did not come off very well.
come upon: We came upon a headless corpse when we stepped into a disused mine.
come out: Despite the torture to extract information from him, not a word came out of his mouth.
come out of: The police combed the entire area for evidence, but nothing came out of it.
come out with: He came out with his own interpretation which is not entirely accurate.

come over: If you come over next week, we can do it together.
come round: I expected you to come round for the drinking session, but you didn't.
come to: She came to about an hour after he was admitted to the hospital.
come under: The politician came under widespread criticism for what he proposed.
come up: They intend to come up with a solution soon.

come up against: In parliament, he had to come up against experienced opposition members.
come up for: The proposal will come up for revision next week.
come upon: The police finally came upon the spot where the murder supposedly took place.
come up with: We welcome anybody who can come up with an alternative plan.
comment on: People are always commenting on my big ears.

commit to: He ought to be committed to a mental asylum for the way he behaves.
communicate with: I've learnt how to use sign language to communicate with the chimpanzee.
commute between: People commute daily between their home and workplace.
commute from:. His sentence was later commuted from death sentence to life imprisonment.
compare to: Compared to the monkey, our bodies are less hairy.

compensate for: The company will compensate you for the loss of a thumb.
compete with: Small independent shops find it hard to compete with the large supermarkets.
compete against: Businesses have to compete against each other to survive.
complain about: My mother-in-law always complains about the weather.
compliment on: Many members of the audience complimented her on her speech.

comply with: Most of the time we have to comply with regulations.
compose of: How many letters does the longest word compose of?
conceal from: He had to conceal the truth from his wife.
concede to: The candidate conceded victory to his opponent.
conceive of: It is rather difficult to conceive of a crime-free environment.

concentrate on: It is hard to concentrate on my reading with the dogs barking loudly outside.
concern about: Some parents do not show concern about what their children do.
concern with: She does not concern herself with other people's problems.
conclude by: He concluded his speech by thanking everyone for being present.
concur with: After the discussion, they concurred with each other on this issue.

condemn to: The criminal was condemned to death.
confer with: The councilors are conferring with each other to find a solution to the problem.
confer on: An honorary degree was conferred on him by the university.
confess to: He confessed to being a double agent.
confide in: She doe not trust anyone, so she confides in no one.

confine to: Dr Quack was confined to his room by a bout of flu.
confirm by: The public negative perception of the crisis was confirmed by the latest poll results.
conform to: The imported toys conform to the official safety standards.
confuse with: The teacher always confused one twin with the other – they look so alike.
congratulate on: They congratulate her on her superb performance on stage.

consent to: Her mother would not consent to her marriage.
consign to: The cases of wine have already been consigned to the wine merchant.
consist of: My life nowadays consists almost entirely of eating and sleeping.
consort with: He was suspected of consorting with the enemy.
consult about: She consulted her doctor about the painful lump on her nose.

contend with: Jack has to contend with a few others for the gold medal.
contract for: The company contracted for the supply of fuel.
contrast with: He contrasted his present girlfriend with his former one.
contribute to: Many people contributed generously to the building fund.
converge on: A huge crowd converged on the palace ground to listen to the President.

converse with: They find it hard to converse with each other as each holds a different view.
convert from: John was converted from paganism to Christianity at an early age.
convert into: We were shown the process of converting iron into steel.
convince by: He was not easily convinced by her arguments.
convince of: She tried to convince me of her non-involvement.

convulsed with: They were convulsed with laughter to see the circus clown perform.
cooperate with: The accused's colleagues are cooperating fully with police investigation.
cope with: Although a single mother, she has no problem coping with a baby and a full-time job.
correlate with: Meagre wages were found to correlate with high staff turnover.
correspond to: Information on the first copy does not correspond to that on its duplicate copy.

correspond with: I still correspond regularly with her although we are both married.
count in: If you are having a drinking session this evening, you can count me in.
count on: You can count on my help whenever you need it.
count out: If you are going on a shopping spree this weekend, count me out.
couple with: Heavy drinking coupled with late nights caused his health to deteriorate rapidly.

crack down: The public are demanding police action to crack down hard on vandalism.
cram for: Study throughout the year and you avoid cramming for the exam at the last minute.
cram with: She crammed her attic with a lot of worthless stuff.
crave for: Since the death of her mother, she has been craving desperately for affection.
credit to: The refund was credited to my account.

crop up: Unexpected problems cropped up and caused the delay.
cross off: As you perform each task, cross it off the list.
cross out: When you make a mistake, cross it out.
crow about: I still think passing my exam is nothing to crow about.
cry over: Why waste our time crying over him?

cry out: She finally cried out to him not to act so stupidly.
cure of: His doctor assured him that he would be completely cured of his illness.
cut across: We'd better cut across the park and get home before it rains.
cut away: We spend the whole afternoon cutting away the dead branches.
cut back: Businesses are cutting back on staff to remain profitable.

cut down: You ought to cut down on the number of cigarettes you smoke.
cut in: His annoying habit is to cut in whenever a conversation is going on.
cut off: He tried to explain but they cut him off and warned him not to be late again.
cut out: Can you fellows cut it out? I'm trying to read.
cut up: The murderer cut up the victim's body into eight pieces.

 2. D - F
dabble in: When I was little I used to dabble in water.
dance to: As soon as the music was played, couples got up and danced to it.
dash off: He dashed off a quick note and left it on the table for the family.
date from: Some of these coins date from the 12th century.
dawn on: The truth finally dawned on him that she really meant what she said.
deal in: My uncle's shop deals in genuine antiques.
deal with: They seem unable to deal with the long-standing problem.
debate on: People are unhappy that there has been no public debate on these issues.
debate with: I see no point in debating with someone who holds extremist views.
decide on: Have you decided on the dress you will be wearing for the occasion?

declare to: He declared to us that he will be unable to chair the meeting.
declare war on: The African nation has declared war on locusts which destroyed crops.
decrease from: The prison population has decreased from ten thousands to nine thousands.
decrease in: Human beings decrease in size as they grow older.
dedicate to: He has dedicated his entire life to helping the homeless.

deduce from: The police deduced from the evidence that more than one person were involved.
defeat by: Our team was defeated by two goals to one.
defer to: Young people are expected to defer to the wishes of their elders.
defraud of: The accountant defrauded his company of tens of thousands of dollars.
delegate to: An able administrator should be able to delegate authority to the right person.

deliberate about/on: They spent hours deliberating on the matter.
delight in: Jack delights in telling stories about his days in the army.
deliver to: The postman delivered the letter to her house.
demand from: They demanded an apology from me for something I said.
demote from: The soldier was demoted from sergeant to corporal.

denounce for: He was widely denounced for his deviant religious teachings.
depart from: The first train departs from Birmingham at 6.00 a.m. tomorrow.
depend on/upon: Their future depends on their hard work, and not on their teachers.
deprive of: The prisoners of war were deprived of proper medical attention.
derive from: The country derived enormous benefit from direct foreign investments.

descend from: The plane started to descend from high altitude as it approached its destination.
describe to: The main witness described briefly to the police what happened.
desist from: He was warned to desist from such undesirable behaviour.
despair of: She despaired of reviving the relationship that existed between her and Jack.
destined to: The emperor's son is destined to succeed him.

detect in: He detected a change in her attitude towards her.
deter from: Heavier penalties may deter motorists from committing more traffic offences.
detract from: A blemish detracts from the beauty of her skin.
deviate from: We had to deviate from our usual route due to a fallen tree across it.
devolve on: When the leader is away, his responsibility devolves on his assistant.

devote to: Jane wants to devote herself entirely to caring for the elderly people.
dictate to: It is often difficult to refuse to be dictated to by rule or principle.
die away: I could only sleep after the noise caused by thunderstorm died away.
die down: The storm has died down and the sea become calmer.
die from: My dog died from its wounds sustained in a fight with another dog.

die of: More and more people are dying of cancer of various parts of their bodies.
die out: The old French custom of serving the vegetables separate from the meat has died out.
differ from: Humans differ from monkeys in their not having a tail.
digress from: The story-teller digressed from his story for a while.
direct to: He directed the traveler to the railway station.

disabuse of: I didn't say anything to disabuse him of that belief.
disagree with: Jack disagrees with Jill on almost everything.
disapprove of: Mother strongly disapproves of her daughter dying her hair red and blue.
discharge from: He was certified clinically insane and discharged from the army.
disconcert by: We were disconcerted by her statement.

discourage by: She is easily discouraged by adverse criticisms.
discourage from: Incentives have been cited to discourage students from playing truant..
discriminate against: You should not discriminate against people from ethnic minorities.
discriminate between: We were unable to discriminate between fake and genuine goods.
disguise as: He disguised as a clown to entertain children.

disgusted by: They were disgusted by her antisocial behaviour.
dismiss from: She was unfairly dismissed from her job.
dispense with: We will have to dispense with the question-and-answer session to save time.
dispose of: To dispose of nuclear waste is a major challenge to the countries concerned.
dispossess of: The captors dispossessed the captives of their valuables.

disqualify from: He was disqualified from participating for flouting a rule.
dissent form: John dissented from the majority opinion.
dissociate from: Jack dissociated himself from the views expressed by Jill.
dissuade from: His mother dissuaded Mike from taking up car racing.
distance from: He distanced himself from all the remarks made by her.

distinguish between: It is important to distinguish between fact and fiction in the film.
distinguish from: It's difficult to distinguish one of the twins from the other.
distinguish by: He distinguished himself by scoring the highest number of goals in the season.
distract from: He is easily distracted from whatever he's doing by the slightest noise.
diverge from: The path diverges from here and we don't know which one to follow.

divert from: Traffic had to be diverted from the main road due to a major accident.
divest of: Sons of aristocrats were divested of their power.
divide between/among: The money was to be divided equally among the children.
do away with: My wife wants me to do away with my vast collection of old magazines.
do for: Employing a temporary worker will do for the time being.

do in: Painting the house really did me in./It is believed a hired killer did his boss in.
do out of: She was done out of $100 by a door-to-door salesman this morning.
do over: The report contains errors and the boss wants him to do it over.
do up: He bought an old car and did it up./She looks more beautiful when she did her hair up.
do with: With this warm weather, I could do with a cold drink.

do without: I wish she would keep quiet; I can do without all this grumbling.
double as: The secretary doubled as the receptionist just for that day.
doze off: I dozed off when I was watching television.
drag into: I had nothing to do with it but was dragged into the embarrassing situation.
draw on: Luckily I have a savings to draw on to buy her a present.

draw up: Thinking he's going to die soon, he drew up a will./The taxi drew up in front of me.
dream away: At times, I couldn't help but dream away the hours.
dream of: He told me he had always dreamed of striking the first prize of the lottery.
dream on: When I asked if she's going to help me with the cooking, she told me to dream on.
drive at: He didn't say exactly what he meant. But I knew what he was driving at.

drive for: You look tired; why not let him drive the car for you?
drive to: I always like to drive to the sea-side.
drive away: His bossiness has driven his friends away.
drive off: He was probably angry when without a word, he just got into his car and drove off.
drive up: The rise in oil price drives up other prices.

drop in: He always drops in for a chat without prior notice.
drop out: He shouldn't have dropped out of school, but he did.
dry out: Our washing dried out very quickly in this hot weather.
dry up: The prolonged drought had caused all the rivers to dry up.
dwell on/upon: Nobody likes to be with Bobbie because she always dwells on the past.

eat in: I am cooking tonight so we are eating in.
eat into: The high bills are eating into my savings.
eat out: It's your birthday; let's eat out and celebrate tonight.
eat up: Who ate up all my potato chips?
egg on: The boys didn't want to fight but their friends kept egging them on.

elaborate on: He refused to elaborate on his next course of action.
eliminate from: Jack was eliminated from the competition by a stronger opponent.
embark on/upon: John has finally decided to embark on a career in banking.
embody in: The ideals of equality and freedom are embodied in the country's constitution.
embroil in: Bob found himself unexpectedly embroiled in a heated argument.

emerge from: When the deer emerged from behind the bush, the hunter shot it dead.
emigrate from: When his family emigrated from their homeland, he was only five years old.
employ as: Ryan was employed as a security officer at the airport.
encompass by: The entire area was encompassed by a dense forest.
encourage by: We were greatly encouraged by the massive support for our proposal.

encroach on/upon: The expansion of farmland is encroaching on animals' habitat.
end in: Their argument ended in a fist fight.
end up: The driver took a wrong road and we ended up somewhere else.
end with: We ended our tour of the area with a visit to the souvenir shops.
endear to: Her friendly attitude endeared her to everybody she met at the social gathering.

endow with: Ronnie is certainly endowed with a good sense of humour.
endue with: She seems to be endued with a good sense of direction.
engage in: I tried to engage her in conversation.
engage to: Jill is engaged to my brother./I engaged a private tutor to improve my written work.
engross in: Granny often engrossed herself in her writing.

enjoin from: He was enjoined by law from stalking her.
enlarge on/upon: Could you please enlarge on your last statement?
enrage by: She was enraged by his derogatory comments.
enrich by: My life has certainly been enriched by extensive reading.
entitle to: Everybody is entitled to his or her own opinion.

entrust to: The parents entrusted their baby to a nanny when they had to go overseas.
entrust with: I entrusted her with the responsibility to manage the business while I was away.
envelope in: The mountain peaks were enveloped in clouds.
equip for: I think we are well equipped for the climb.
escape from: To date many prisoners have escaped from that prison.

escape into: The enemy soldiers escaped into the forest.
escape with: She was very lucky to escape with her life.
estimate at: The crowd of protesters was estimated at three thousands.
excel in: Johnny excels in a number of things including swimming.
exclude from: They exclude us from the trip.

excuse from: We requested to be excused from participating.
expatiate on: Once again he is expatiating on his favourite topic of communism.
expect from: Wives expect faithfulness from their husbands.
expect of: Faithfulness is expected of a husband.
expend on: The government has to date expended two million dollars on the housing project.

explain to: The mystery was not fully explained to the viewers.
export to: The country exports huge quantities of military wares to third world countries.
expose to: His behaviour exposes himself to ridicule and criticism.
extract from: After five hours of interrogation, the police extracted a confession from him.
extricate from: Finally he managed to extricate himself from a very difficult situation.

face up to: He has to face up to the fact that he has to study hard to pass the exam.
face with: The scientist was faced with many unknown factors.
fall back on: She has her big savings to fall back on if need be.
fall behind: I'd better hide the car as I have fallen behind in my payments.
fall in: Poor construction let the roof and ceiling fall in after a few years.

fall into: He fell into the habit of talking to himself.
fall in with: He falls in love with every girl he meets.
fall off: Business along the main road fell off after a series of public demonstrations.
fall out: Sarah fell out with her boyfriend after knowing her for only two months.
fall through: The plan fell through and they agreed to renegotiate.

fall to: It fell to the eldest son to manage the business after the death of his father.
familiarize with: The new guard familiarized himself with the internal layout of the building.
find with: They find fault with everything the new staff does.
feel for: We certainly feel for the victims of the plane crash.
feel like: Sometimes I feel like taking a walk in the rain.

feel toward: I can't describe how I feel toward that girl but I think I like her.
fend for: Everyone has to fend for himself in this world.
ferret out: The police managed to ferret out his motive for the killing.
fight against: The defending champion is going to fight against the challenger tonight.
fight for: Freedom is something that is always worth fighting for.

fight off: The leader of the party has to fight off his image as a dictator.
figure on: I was figuring on meeting him tomorrow.
figure out: We spent the whole night figuring out how to make him change his mind.
fill in: We found someone to fill in for Sarah when she was away on medical leave.
fill out: I have to fill out the form and hand it in as soon as possible.

fill with: We have filled all the glasses with wine and are now ready to propose a toast.
find out: We were shocked when we found out that he was a man and not a woman.
fit in: The new member has learned quickly to fit in with the others.
fit out: The entire building was fitted out with air conditioners but they were not working.
fix on: They haven't fixed on a venue for the next match.

fix up: We have to fix the spare room up for our guests.
focus on: The astronomer focused his telescope on the comet.
follow around: Quit following me around, will you?
follow through: Ensure the report is followed through so that all amendments are included.
follow up: The investigation was followed up with the arrest of the gang leader.

fool around: You want to fool around; it's up to you, but surely not in the office.
fool with: He fooled with his neighbour's dog once too often and got badly bitten on the hand.
force on/upon: He forced another big pizza on us when we already had more than enough.
forget about: James drank a bit too much and forgot about catching the train home.
forgive for: I will not forgive him for not forgiving me for what I said about him.

foul up: Heavy rain fouled up our trip to the mountain.
freeze over: Whatever the lake freezes over, there's bound to be people skating on it.
fret about: She always has something to fret about.
frighten by: Mrs. Muffet was frightened by a hairy spider while sitting on a park bench.
frighten away: Rumours of a big white shark frightened many people away from the beach.

fritter away: The boy frittered away whatever money he had on the gaming machine.
frown at: The lady frowned at him for talking very loudly on his cell phone.
frown on/upon: She can't help frowning on those who sport multi-coloured hair.
furnish with: Each of the six bedrooms is furnished with a big desk, swivel chair and soft rug.
fuss over/about: Their only child fussed about not having a window seat on the plane.

 3. G - I
get about: She's an old woman now and doesn't get about much any more.
get across: Somehow or other, I just couldn't get my message across to them.
get ahead: We can't afford to stall; we must get ahead in order to meet the deadline.
get ahead of: Instead of getting ahead of others, we are actually falling further behind.
get along: They are trying to get along but they are arguing all the time.

get around: Rumour is getting around that I'll be marrying a wealthy man's daughter.
get at: We still think he's the one who stole it; somehow, we will get at the truth.
get away: I want to know who deliberately opened the cage and let the bird get away?
get away from: It'd be nice to get away from the office for a few days and not to return to it.
get away with: He must have thought he could get away with murder; he's now in prison for life.

get back to: I'll get back to him after he has calmed down completely.
get by: He has to stop smoking and drinking as his old age pension is barely enough to get by.
get down: These pills are a bit too big to swallow; I have a hard time getting them down.
get down to: It's time you got down to clearing out your bedroom.
get even with: I'll get even with you sooner or later for eating my pizza.

get in: The lift was full and we couldn't get in.
get off: The post office has just closed; now how am I going to get this letter off?
get off of: At bus stop I sometimes get off of a bus while it's still moving.
get on: I got on a wrong bus the other day and ended up somewhere else.
get out: I am getting the next edition of my book out by the end of the month.

get out of: We're having dinner with my mother-in-law tonight, but I'm planning to get out of it.
get over: I still haven't got over the death of my parrot.
get through: I nearly killed myself when I failed to get through my final exam.
get to: When she got to talking about politics, nothing could stop her.
get together: We always end up arguing when we get together for a drink.

get up: Everybody gets up when the national anthem is played.
give away: It is the bride's father, mother or eldest brother who gives the bride away?
give back: He hasn't given back the money I lent him two years ago.
give in: A henpecked husband always gives in to his wife.
give out: Santa Claus gives out presents once a year.

give rise to: A bomb explosion in the city gave rise to speculation as to who was responsible.
give up: They searched for their missing puppy, but eventually gave up.
give up to: The family of the deceased gave up his organs to research.
give way: All the other vehicles gave way to the ambulance.
given to: He is given to occasional outbursts of temper.

gladden by: Harry was gladdened by the birth of his first child.
glance at: John glanced at his watch and realized his watch had stopped working.
glance off: The bullet glanced off the side of a metal bin and struck a car.
glance through: He had just enough time to glance through the paper at breakfast.
gloat over: The miser gloated over his money.

gloss over: Mike glossed over the loss of his job and started talking something else.
glow with: He entered the interview room glowing with confidence.
go about: I think we should discuss how to go about imposing discipline in the workplace.
go against: She went against her mother's advice when she divorced her husband.
go ahead: We went ahead with the project despite strong objection.

go along: You go along with him now; I'll be late.
go along with: I'm afraid I can't go along with your idea.
go around: A rumour is going around that someone is going to commit suicide.
go at: He went throwing punches at his opponent.
go back: I left my wallet at home and now I've to go back for it.

go back on: She promised to marry me, but now it appears she has gone back on her word.
go by: Go by the rules or I am not playing/You go by that old map and now we are lost.
go far: He is a smart person and will go far in what he does.
go for: Jenny goes for tall and handsome men with considerable wealth.
go in for: The rodent was injured and the hawk went in for the kill.

go off: The bomb went off prematurely and killed the bomber.
go off with: She has gone off with her brother-in-law.
go on: As time went on, I became more attracted to her.
go on to: Can you go on to the next topic? This one is very boring.
go over: I saw the horrific accident and it kept going over and over in my mind.

go through: She went through the terrible five-hour ordeal.
go through with: Jane feels she isn't ready yet to go through with the wedding.
go under: Many small businesses go under in the first year of operation.
go with: Ivan's baldness does not go with his bushy beard.
go without: Little Jonny went out without his parents' permission.

gossip about: Mrs. Goss loves to gossip about other people, especially her neighbours.
graduate from: He graduated from university with a degree in palmistry.
grapple with: Let the Govt grapple with the problem of wages not keeping pace with inflation.
grasp at: Let us grasp at every opportunity that comes along to make money.
grasp of: All the students have already got a good grasp of the basic principles of mathematics.

grieve about: She still grieves deeply about the loss of her father.
grind out: That author has been grinding out short hard-luck stories non-stop.
ground on/upon: You should ground your analysis on facts.
ground in: The new students were grounded in the basic principles of mathematics.
grow out of: Children grow out of many bad habits such as biting nails, etc.

grow up: This boy wants to be superman or spiderman when he grows up.
grumble about/at: My mother-in-law, like the farmers, is always grumbling about the weather.
guard against: We should guard against pickpocket in crowded places.
guess at: I have not studied hard, so I guess I have to guess at the answers in the exam.
gun down: Rival gang members gunned each other down in broad daylight.

haggle over/about: I haggled over the price with the car salesman.
hand back: We handed back the form after filling it.
hand down: These stories and legends have been handed down from generation to generation.
hand in: The students handed in their homework without being told to.
hand out: I helped to hand out parcels of food to people in need.

hand over: They handed over power to the new government after their defeat in the election.
hang around: He spends his time hanging around with friends in the shopping centre.
hang back: He is often advised not to hang back but to mix freely at school.
hang on to: We all hung on to the strap when the subway train was moving.
hang out: After school, he hangs out with his classmates in a snooker hall.

hang together: They hung together while waiting for the rescue team to find them.
hang up: She was so angry she hung up before I could explain.
happen on/upon: We happen on our former lecturer in a restaurant.:
happen to: I just don't know what is happening to me.
harp on: My mother-in-law is always harping on about my laziness.

head for: We've been driving around for hours; let's turn here and head for home.
hear about: Did you hear about the latest mass killing?
hear from: We haven't heard from John since he left port to sail round the world.
hear of: I'm very sorry to hear of your mother's death.
help with: I helped her with the application form.

help out: He helped the old lady out of the taxi.
hide from: John would always hide under the bed from his drunk father.
hinder from: He's hindered from a good night sleep by the constant noise from the expressway.
hint at: The spokesman hinted at the possible change of leadership.
hit on: He hit on the idea of mechanization when thinking about how to solve the problems.

hold back: She struggled to hold back her tears.
hold down: Mick seems unable to hold down a job for longer than a month.
hold forth: The speaker held forth on the inevitable end of the world.
hold off: He always holds off making decisions until the very last moment.
hold on: How long more do you want me to hold on?

hold on to: We held tightly on to the rail as the bus sped on.
hold out: The supermarket held out the chance for customers to win a brand new car.
hold out on: Why do you hold out on me all the things I need to know?
hold over: The match was held over because of the snowy conditions.
hold to: The home team held the away team to a 2-2 draw.

hold together: The different factions within the party are held together by a charismatic leader.
hold up: We arrived late as we were held up by traffic jam.
hold up as: The Governor was held up as a model of integrity and decency.
hunt for: The police are hunting nationwide for the serial killer.
hurry up: I don't quite like the way she's always hurrying me up.

identify with: I can't identify myself with men like him.
identify by: He was identified at an identity parade by a witness as the culprit.
imbue with: The coach imbued the players with a sense of team work.
immerse in: For months the novelist totally immersed herself in her work.
impart to: The barman was happy to impart his knowledge of taming lions to me.

impose on/upon: A ban has been imposed on the sale of cigarettes to those below 18 years old.
impress by: We were impressed by the beauty of the rural landscape.
impress on: Father impressed on me the value of hard work.
impress with: We were really impressed with the craftsmanship.
improve by: His musical skill can be improved by engaging a professional coach.

improve in: It is very advantageous to improve in whatever we are do.
improve on: The second edition greatly improves on the first edition.
include in: Labour charges are included in the bill for the repairs.
incorporate in: Not all the proposals and up-to-date information are incorporated in the report.
increase from: Budget for the welfare program has been increased from $500,000 to $800,000.

increase in: The sharp increase in crime is attributed to the current state of the economy.
inculcate in: Parents should inculcate a sense of discipline in their children.
indict for: The suspect was indicted for the crime of arson.
indulge in: I think we shouldn't indulge in too much lunchtime drinking.
infect with: Some insects can infect human beings with deadly diseases.

infer from: One can reasonably infer from the evidence presented that insanity is hereditary.
infest with: The whole wasteland was heavily infested with rats.
inflate with: The egos of some people are really inflated with self-importance.
inflict on/upon: He's found guilty for deliberately inflicting grievous bodily harm on his granny.
inform of: The doctor will immediately inform you of any changes in her condition.

inform against/on: He was summarily arrested when his comrades informed on him.
infringe on: Discussing a politician's divorce is tantamount to infringing on his private life.
infuse with: The good news infused her with happiness.
inherit from: He inherited his loud and powerful voice from his grandfather.
inhibit from: The fear of ridicule inhibited students from raising questions.

initiate into: Last evening he was initiated into a religious cult.
inquire after: I think Amy likes you; she's always inquiring after you.
insert in/into: Nick inserted a coin into the vending machine for some cigarettes.
insist on: She insisted on keeping a baby armadillo as a pet.
inspire by: The movie was really inspired by an actual event.

inspire to: Her dogged perseverance to succeed inspires others to do likewise.
instigate against: Foreigners were blamed for instigating a revolt against the government.
instill in/into: The parents instilled ethical values into their children at an early age.
instruct in: Ms. Olive instructed students in Latin.
insure against: My uncle insured against damage to or loss of his yacht.

intend for: The author's second book was intended for golfing enthusiasts.
intercede with: The organization interceded with the authorities on my behalf.
interfere with: Lack of confidence has seriously interfered with his performance at school.
interpolate in: Mary interpolated a casual remark in our conversation.
interrupt in: The leader was rudely interrupted in his speech by loud jeers.

intervene in: The police don't usually intervene in what was essentially a private dispute.
introduce into: New subjects will be introduced into the syllabus next year.
intrude on/upon: We deeply resented her intruding on our conversation.
inure to: In his early life Simon soon became inured to the considerable hardship of life.
invest in: The company invests heavily in research and development.

invite to: We have always been invited to her birthday.
involve in: I don't see why I should involve myself in their affairs.
irritate by: He was irritated by the frequently loud argument that went on next door.
isolate from: The exceptionally violent child is isolated from other children.
issue from: From a long distance, we could see smoke issuing from a lone cottage chimney.

4. J - O
jack up: The storekeeper dare not jack up prices because of a supermarket nearby.
jam with: The entrance was jammed with crowds trying to get in.
jar on: The constantly loud music from next-door neighbour is starting to jar on my nerves.
jeer at: The spectators jeered at their own team for their poor performance.
jockey for: The riders jockeyed for the best position.

join in: We join them in clearing up the beach.
joke with: The more we joked with each other, the closer we became.
jot down: I jotted her telephone number down on a piece of paper but I lost it on my way home,
judge by: We do not judge a book by its cover, do we?
judge from: Judging from the look on his face, we suspected he's the one who took it.

jumble up: I arranged those things in a neat order but someone came along and jumbled them up.
jump at: I jumped at the chance to visit the Niagara Falls.
jump on: My mother never failed to jump on me whenever I was home late.
justify to: He tried to justify his decision to us by saying that he had no alternative.
jut out: We marveled at the huge rocks jutting out from the steep side of the cliff.

keep at: We kept at it until we completed it ahead of schedule.
keep away from: You should keep away from the dangers of heavy smoking.
keep back: I think she is keeping something back that she does not want us to know.
keep from: He has only two months to live and we should keep him from knowing.
keep off: Keep your hands off my pizza.

keep on: She keeps harping on the one little mistake I made.
keep out: She should keep the puppy out instead of sleeping with it.
keep out of: Why don't they keep out of the politician's personal affair.
keep to: Why did you beat about the bush? Keep to what you wanted to say.
keep to (oneself): He trusts no one and so keeps to himself most of the time.

keep up: The furious barking of the neighbour's dog kept me up the whole night.
keep up with: She's always trying to keep up with her siblings.
keep/bear in mind: These are well-known sayings; keep them in mind.
knock down: The speeding car knocked down a villager's goat.
knock off: James can't knock off work at the same time every day.

knock over: His dog was knocked over by a motorcyclist when it was running across the street.
knock out: The underdog knocked out his opponent in the last round.
know about: Nobody in the area knows much about the accident.
know of: I know of one policeman who always receives bribe.
knuckle down: He had better knuckle down soon or else he'll never get through those exams.

lapse into: He lapsed into a coma and died two days later.
laugh at: Everybody will laugh at a funny clown.
lay off: Mark was laid off after working for the company for twenty years.
lead to: We took the wrong way which led us to the cemetery.
leaf through: Bob leafed through many magazines while waiting at the clinic.

lean on: In times of difficulty it would be great to have someone to lean on for support.
learn about: When we were children we learned about the birds and the bees.
leave for: We're leaving for funfair.
leave off: Let's continue from where we left off, shall we?
leave out: This is the first time he is left out of the squad for the World Cup.

lecture about/on: He lectures on the ancient civilizations of Greece and Rome.
lend to: I lent the lawn mover to my neighbour.
let in: Let's open the windows and let the air in.
let off: If you pluck my apples again, I'll not let you off.
let out: Every evening we let the dog out.

let up: It looks like the rain is not going to let up, so what shall we do?
level at: All he can do is level criticism at others.
level with: The developer leveled the old building with an explosive charge.
levy (a tax/fine/charge, etc.) on: The state government has levied a new tax on gasoline.
lie down: He was told to lie down for the doctor to examine him.

lie on: Joe likes to lie on a bench in the park.
liken to: I can never forgive him for likening me to an old turkey.
limit to: Each customer is limited to two packets.
listen for: John must listen for the right signal before he can respond.
listen in: He listened in to their whispering.

listen to: We listened in silence to his cock-and-bull stories.
live at: As far as I know, he still lives at the same address.
live in: I would like to live in an igloo one day.
live off: They were a weird bunch who lived off welfare
live on: I live on a street where there are many stray dogs.

lock out: This is the second time I've locked myself out.
long for: Bob longed for an exciting experience at Antarctic.
long to: He longed desperately to be with her.
look after: Who is going to look after our parrots when we go on vacation?
look ahead: Let's forget the past and look ahead.

look around: We were looking around for a public toilet.
look at: The officer looked at my passport and waved me through.
look away: When I smiled at her again, she looked away again.
look back on: When I look back on those moments, I realize how foolish I was.
look down: She often looks down to avoid meeting her eyes.

look down on: He looks down on anyone whom he thinks is not successful.
look for: Police are looking for a man with a heavily tattooed face.
look forward to: I look forward to seeing that clown again.
look in: Every other day we look in on grandpa and see if he needs anything.
look into: We had better look into the high turnover of staff.

look like: It looks like she is going to demand an explanation from him.
look on: Only one person helped him, the others just looked on.
look out for: Look out for pickpocket while we are at the airport.
look over: I looked the shorts over and found they had no pockets.
look through: I looked through your drawers but I couldn't find your bunch of keys.

look to: They are looking to the last runner to win the relay.
look up: I enjoy enormously looking words up in the dictionary.
look up to: He is the kind of man most people look up to.
lure away: The company tried to lure the salesman away from their competitor.
lurk around: They called the police when they saw a man lurking around outside their house.

make (a fool) of: Whenever he is drunk, he is certain to make a fool of himself.
make (a fuss) about/over: She made a big fuss about not being offered a drink.
make away with: When no one was looking, I made away with a bar of chocolate.
make for: We quickly made for the river bank when our boat started to leak.
make (fun) of: The kids always make fun of Mick's big ears.

make (love) to: He tried to make love to every girl he met.
make of: His last word before he died was about poison; what do you make of that?
make off: He made off when the alarm sounded.
make off with: A pickpocket made off with my wallet.
make out: She whispered angrily in my ear, but I could not make it out.

make over: He made over his entire estate to his children.
make towards: She made towards the exit when she had made all her purchases.
make up: It's pretty obvious she made that story up.
make up: An indecisive leader, he often finds it hard to make up his mind.
make up to: Jill made up to Jack in hopes of getting him to help her.

mark down: The store attracts a big crowd as most items on sale have been marked down.
mark off: She marked off all the items she has bought.
mark out: They have marked out the area for vehicles to park.
marvel at: I marvel at his ability to maintain composure in any given situation.
matter to: I'll buy it, the colour does not matter to me.

meditate on/upon: He meditated on the different solutions to the problem.
mention to: She didn't mention it to me when I met her last night.
migrate between: Some whales migrate between one part of the ocean and another.
migrate from: Some species of birds migrate from Europe to Africa.
make up: Can't you make up your mind to buy the blue or red one?

mingle with: Participants from various nations mingled freely with each other after the events.
minister to: Volunteers minister to the injured.
mix up: I called the wrong number when I mixed your telephone number up with another.
mix with: He does not mix well with other members.
model on: This system is modeled on the one that originated in the United States.

move out: We decided to move out when the landlord increased the rent again.
mull over: We mulled over the procedure for possible adoption.
multiply by: Two multiplied by two is four.
muse on/over: He sat musing over the sudden change of attitude of his girlfriend.
muster up: He failed to muster up the minimum support required to stand for election.

name after: The street is named after the Prime Minister's son.
narrow down: The judges have narrowed the finalists down to the last five.
news – break (the news) to: The doctor had to break the news to his family.
nibble away at: She likes to nibble away at something when she watches television.
nod off: He often nods off while watching television.

object to: I object to your casual comments about my hair.
obtain from: All this false information was obtained from the Internet.
occur to: It never occurred to me that you really believe the world is flat.
operate on: The doctors had to operate on him immediately to save his life.
oppress by: Ethnic minorities had been oppressed by the occupying forces for years.

originate in: This crazy idea could only originate in your head.
outrage by: Women nationwide were outraged by his sexist remarks.
overcome by: His stammering was eventually overcome by speech therapy.
overrun by: The wasteland was overrun by rodents.
overwhelm by: He was overwhelmed by the enthusiastic response.

5. P - R
pan out: At this moment, no one can tell how the enterprise will pan out.
parallel to: There's never been any close parallel elsewhere to China's rate of economic growth.
part from: I had to part from Jill before the game ended.
part with: Our dog has given birth to six puppies; we're not going to part with any of them.
partake of: The guests partook of the ample food available at the gathering.

participate in: Everyone present was encouraged to participate in the discussions.
pass away: Grandpa passed away in his sleep.
pass by: The small child watched open-mouthed the parade passing by.
pass down: The centuries-old tradition still passes down from generation to generation.
pass for: My mother-in-law in mini-skirt could easily pass for a young girl.

pass in: He passes in his authorization card before leaving the office for the day.
pass off: There is no reason for me to pass myself off as anyone else.
pass on: You passed your cough on to me; see, I'm coughing now.
pass out: During a heavy drinking session, he suddenly passed out.
pass over: Jane threatened to resign when she was passed over for promotion.

pass up: I regret passing up the opportunity for promotion.
patch up: He's going to die so you had better patch up your quarrel with him.
pattern after: An ardent fan of Elvis Presley, he patterned his behaviour after him.
pay back: I'll pay him back for the highly critical comments he made about me.
pay for: Let's hope he will pay for the evil deed he committed.

pay off: I had to pay him off substantially to keep quiet about something I did.
pay out: A huge sum of money was paid out to the winner of the football pools jackpot.
pay up: I was told to pay up by Monday or have my car repossessed.
pep up: A brief round of aerobics pepped the participants up before the discussion.
perk up: They did some singing to perk up the atmosphere before they started the discussion.

perpetrate about: They perpetrated all sorts of malicious rumours about him
persevere in: She persevered in her studies to achieve the result she had hoped for.
persist in: Why do many people persist in believing mistakenly that UFOs are alien spaceships?
pertain to: Documents pertaining to the illegal transactions have been seized by police.
petition for: Local residents petitioned for better bus services.

pick off: The captive soldiers were picked off one by one for interrogation.
pick on: I don't think she likes me; she's always picking on me.
pick out: It's easy to pick out Rose's father in a crowd because he is exceptionally tall.
pick up: Andy picked up a number at random and won the first prize.
piece together: Investigators are piecing together evidence to uncover what caused the accident.

pile up: His debts piled up but he made no attempt to settle any of them.
pin down: He hints at his resignation but no one can pin him down on the exact date yet.
pin on: They pinned the blame on me although I didn't do anything wrong.
pine away: After his grandmother died, his grandfather pined away and died shortly after.
pine for: Months after their separation, Jill still pines for Jack.

pit against: Dean is ready to pit his skills against any serious competitors.
pitch in: Bob pitched in to help complete the project before the deadline.
pitch into: He would pitch into anyone who commented that he was uncooperative.
plan for: She plans for the future by saving considerably.
plan on: He planned on becoming the first athlete to win a gold medal for his school.

play along: He played along with her so as to gain a special favour.
play at: Children love to play at being Cowboys and Red Indians.
play back: I played back the tape-recorder to listen to my voice with a view to improving it.
play on: He's always playing on his friends' generosity to get free treats.
play up: A pro-government newspaper played up the resignation of an opposition's active member.

play up to: Many politicians are expert at playing up to voters' sentiments to gain their votes.
play with: Every day he spends at least an hour playing with his dog.
plead with: Jack pleaded with Jill not to leave her.
plunge into: A sudden blackout plunged the whole place into total darkness.
ply with: Our host plied us with excess food and drinks.

point at: It is not respectable to point at someone.
point out: The leader pointed out the things we should or shouldn't do while jungle trekking.
point to: The government pointed to the measures taken to lift the living standards of the people.
poke fun at: The kids at school poked fun at Adam's clothes.
polish off: David could easily polish off five sandwiches at one sitting.

polish up: I had better polish up my English before I visit London.
pore over: He spends hours poring over his vast collection of stamps.
pounce on/upon: The teacher was ever ready to pounce on any little mistake anyone of us made.
pray to: Every night the family prayed to God for good health and happiness.
predicate on: His success in his exams is predicated on his determination to succeed.

prefer to: I prefer red colour to any of the other colours for my car.
prepare for: How many of us prepare ourselves for every eventuality in life?
present to: They presented the best actress award to her before a live audience.
present with: They presented him with an outstanding achievement award.
preserve for: The large number of historical records is preserved for posterity.

preserve from: The tribe preserved corpses from decomposition by wrapping them in cloth.
preside over: A clergyman friend of the family presided over the funeral gathering.
press for: The opposition pressed the government for the release of the political detainees.
press on: Reporters pressed him further on the issue.
prevail on/upon: Jill finally prevailed on Jack to attend the dog show.

prevent from: The new legislation was to prevent whistleblowers from being publicly identified.
prey on/upon: It was so moving to watch on television a lion preying on a deer.
price out: The dentist has priced himself out of business by charging too heavily for his services.
pride (oneself) on: The parents prided themselves on their child's achievement.
proceed with: The protesters were not allowed to proceed with their political speeches.

produce from: They produce wine from grapes.
profit from: I profit immensely from reading biographies of famous people.
prohibit from: Nowadays people are prohibited from smoking in many areas.
propose to: At the meeting, he proposed measures to enlarge the club membership.
protect from: The legislation is to protect public property from vandalism.

protest against: The demonstration was organized to protest against police brutality.
prove to: Prove to me what you said that you can make a rabbit disappear.
provide for: Many people have not taken measures to provide for their old age.
provide with: The evacuees were provided with tents, blankets, and other necessities.
provoke to: What he did is certain to provoke them to retaliate.

pry into: Continual prying into other people's private affairs will get him into trouble soon.
pull ahead: He was leading all the way until a fellow competitor pulled ahead of him.
pull apart: They pulled the two fighting cocks apart to end the cockfighting contest..
pull at: She pulled at her mother's coat sleeve.
pull away: He pulled away from the car park and sped down the highway.

pull down: They had to pull down the old disused crumbling building.
pull in: The train pulled in just as we arrived at the station.
pull off: Three men pulled off the biggest bank robbery in town.
pull out: They pulled out of the business deal when they sensed something amiss.
pull over: The policeman waved me to pull my car over.

pull through: He was badly injured in a road accident but he finally pulled through.
pull up: He pulled up at the side of the road to park.
punish for: The serial killer will be severely punished for his crimes.
purchase from: We purchased some statuettes from a souvenir shop at the tourist resort.
purge from: All dissidents were purged from the party.

put across: The leader put his proposals across to the grass roots members.
put aside: Every month she puts aside a little money for future use.
put away: The boys rushed to put away the scattered toys when they heard their mummy is home.
put by: I'm putting some money by each month for a new camera.
put down: The public demonstration was brutally put down by troops.

put in: Every day I have to put in extra time to complete it before the deadline.
put off: Don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
put on: Despite her hurt feelings she put on a smiling face.
put out: The firemen took hours to put out the huge fire.
put through: John's parents managed to put him and his siblings through university.

put to: After the speeches were delivered, we were allowed to put questions to the speakers.
put up: Despite being an underdog, the team put up an outstanding performance.
put up with: I think I'm not going to put up with my nagging wife any longer.
puzzle about/over: We were puzzled about her enigmatic remark.
puzzle out: We can't puzzle out why she left suddenly and has not called.

qualify for: So far, only three teams have qualified for the finals.
quarrel about: No one knows what the twins are quarrelling about.
quarrel with: These twins can never stop quarrelling with each other.
query about: The auditors queried the company's accountants about their financial statement.
question about: The police questioned him about his whereabouts on the night of the murder.

rage about/against: Joe raged against the bureaucratic and corrupt system.
rail against/at: Mary has been railing against the unjust system.
range from: The bookstore is selling books at prices ranging from about $5 to $500.
rank as/with: His performances rank him as one of the top five players in the country.
rate as: He is generally rated as one of the best writers of this century.

reach for: He was shot dead by the police before he could reach for his gun.
react to: Her boss reacted favourably to her decision to resign.
read about/of: Have you read the latest news about a man with three eyes?
read in: I read that rags-to-riches story in a magazine.
read to: I used to read to you when you were a child.

read for: She's reading for a degree in economics at one of the universities.
read out: He read out the speech on behalf of the Prime Minister who is overseas.
read through/over: I read through the passage for him and discovered some mistakes.
read up: I have to read up on the subject before the discussion tomorrow.
reason with: I tried to reason with her but she wouldn't listen.

rebel against: Those who rebelled against the government were captured and executed.
reckon on: We didn't reckon on the shop charging handling charges.
reckon with: They didn't reckon with a puncture when they went for a drive.
recommend to: I definitely recommend this book to those of you interested in raising hamsters.
reconcile to: You must reconcile yourself to the death of your daughter.

recover from: Mrs. Dean has yet to recover fully from her husband's death.
recuperate from: She went to stay with her daughter to recuperate from her operation.
reduce to: Modern medical treatment has reduced death from tuberculosis to a minimum.
reel off: May reels off a list of things to buy.
refer to: We had to refer to our map when we lost our way in the city.

reflect on: A series of burglaries at the building reflects on its lax security against break-ins.
refrain from: The nurse asked me to refrain from using my cell phone.
regard as: The team's last performance was regarded as the best ever .
reign over: The king reigned over the country for many years.
relate to: Can we relate an aging population to a low economic growth?

release from: He was released unconditionally from police detention.
relieve of: The officer was relieved of his command on disciplinary grounds.
rely on/upon: Landlocked countries rely on other countries for their export and import of goods.
remark on: Friends at the party remarked on her new hairstyle.
remind of: The song reminds him of his former girlfriend.

remove from: He was removed from office for sexual misconduct.
reply to: Why should I reply to those baseless allegations?
report back: He reported back that the violence had escalated.
report on: His newspaper sent him to Africa to report on the situation in Zimbabwe.
report to: We were told to report to the new manager tomorrow.

reprimand for: He was reprimanded for his negligence in duty.
reproach for: The teacher reproached them for not completing their homework.
request for: She likes to request for songs to be played on some radio programs
rescue from: Dogs and cats were also rescued from the burning building.
reserve for: They reserved the three front rows of seats for VIPs.

reside in: The family resides in the suburb.
resort to: Ben became desperate and resorted to begging for money.
respond to: His illness failed to respond to the treatment.
rest on: The success in selling rests solely on the marketing manager.
restrain from: Many times I had to restrain myself from arguing with her.

result from: The accident resulted from his own carelessness.
result in: The new policy will result in the high turnover of staff.
result of: The tragedy was the result of failure to plan carefully.
retire from: He retired from his job for health reason.
return to: She never returned to me or to anybody any of the books she borrowed.

reveal to: Jan never revealed her origins to anybody.
revenge on: Jane seems intent on revenging herself on her husband for his disloyalty.
revert to: Now we are talking about something else; let's revert to the original subject.
revolt against: A revolt against the leadership in the party has broken out.
reward for: He was rewarded for providing information that led to the arrest of the culprit.

reward with: She rewarded me with a kiss.
rid of: She made a police report, hoping to rid herself of the stalker.
ring back: I've called her ten times and she has yet to ring back.
ring in: He rang in to inform that he had broken his leg.
ring off: After a long conversation, we agreed to ring off.

ring up: I ring her up at least twice a week.
rise against: The people rose in rebellion against the dictatorial government.
rise from: From a distance, we could see smoke rising from chimneys.
rival in: Our best players simply cannot rival our opponents in stamina.
rob of: The bus was hijacked and the passengers were robbed of all their possessions.

root in: The plants were rooted firmly in the hard earth and it wasn't easy to just pull them out.
rope in: We roped in a few more guys to help with the campaign.
round out: We rounded out the drinking session by having supper at a restaurant.
round up: Police rounded up the remaining troublemakers.
rub in: I know I've made an embarrassing mistake, so why has he to keep rubbing it in?

rule on: The judge will shortly rule on who will get custody of the child.
rule out: The government has ruled out the abolition or even revision of the Act.
rule over: The absolute ruler ruled over a large empire.
run across: Unfortunately, I ran across my ex this morning.
run after: She is so attractive that I can't help wanting to run after her.

run against: He intends to run against his father in the by-election.
run along: I've something to do; I'd better run along.
run away: We decide to run away together to get married.
run down: He habitually runs you down - probably out of jealousy.
run for: The villagers ran for their lives when there was a sudden volcanic eruption.

run into: I ran into my former wife last night.
run off: Her husband ran off with a younger woman.
run on: The practice session was supposed to end at 10 o'clock, but ran on until 11 o'clock.
run out: I felt like screaming at him when my patience ran out.
run out of: I can't post my letters now; I've run out of stamps.

run out on: She deeply regrets running out on her parents a few months ago.
run over: My dog was run over by a taxi and died shortly after.
run through: Let's run through the solutions to the exercises again.
run to: The mechanic is overcharging me; how could my car repair bill run to a hundred dollars?
run up: Have to get rid of the phone; they have run up the phone bill to such a huge amount.

run up against: They have to stop work as they ran up against some unforeseen problems.
rush around: We rushed around informing all the members of the last-minute cancellation.
rush into: John regrets rushing into that venture without careful thought.
rush out: The manufacturer is rushing out the novelties for the festive season.
rush through: The staff rushed through the paper work to meet the deadline.

6. S - T
saddle up: We have to saddle up and ride out of here now.
saddle with: I'm not even an assistant manager, but I'm saddled with his duties while he's away.
sail from: We'll be sailing from this harbour to Calais next week.
sail into: Mary sailed into the hall where a party was going on.
satisfy with: Anne is still not satisfied with his explanation.

save for: Pam saved a piece of pizza for my supper.
save from: Firemen saved the occupants of the building from being burnt to death.
say about: She wasn't pleased when she overheard what I said about her.
say to: What do you want to say to her now that she has left you?
scare of: Those crows are not really scared of the large scarecrow.

scare off: That big human-like scarecrow failed to scare off the crows.
scare up: See if I can scare up enough money to buy you a nice Christmas present.
scoff at: He scoffed at my suggestion that we renovate the clubhouse.
scrape up: She scraped up whatever money she has to pay off the car.
screw up: The negotiation failed because you really screwed it up.

search for: The police searched the whole woodland for the escaped convict.
secede from: Why did the state secede from the Union in 1816?
see about: I asked if she would join me for dinner tonight, she said she would see about it.
see after: We chose him to see after the organization of the party.
see into: The accountant will see into the discrepancies in the books.

see off: Of course, I would be most grateful to see my mother-in-law off at the airport.
see through: He is determined to see the whole project through.
see to: When I was staying with them, Mary saw to all my needs.
sell for: Jack has been selling tickets for the concert at a higher price.
sell out: Their new batch of Hawaiian shirts is completely sold out

send for: An accident has occurred and someone has already sent for an ambulance.
separate from: Her father is separated from her mother.
serve as: This spare room will serve as a bedroom while they are staying with us.
serve under: He is serving under his father-in-law as an assistant manager.
set about: We set about clearing up the whole garage.

set against: The increases in our salaries have to be set against the rising cost of living.
set aside: Every month we set aside a portion of our salaries for the purchase of a car.
set back: The raining season will set back the completion of the building project.
set down: I woke up and set down in detail the dream I just had.
set forth: Together, they set forth for an unknown destination.

set off: Someone set the bomb off with remote control.
set in: Global warming has set in and with it more problems will arise.
set on: The farmer threatened to set his dogs on the trespassers.
set out: They set out on a journey to the Far East.
set up: Jack and Jill have set up a retail business.

settle down: She felt she would settle down only when she was ready to.
settle for: John felt his compensation claim was justified and would not settle for anything less.
settle on: They have settled on the date for the next meeting.
settle up: We decided to settle up and leave this bar for home.
sever from: He severed branches from the tree with a chainsaw.

shake with: At the reunion we shook hands warmly with each other.
share in: The wife does not share in her husband's enthusiasm for jogging.
shell out: I had to shell out three dollars just for one parking place.
shield from: New import tariffs will be introduced to shield local firms from foreign competition.
shoot up: Prices of most kinds of food for small children have shot up.

shop for: I have been shopping for a Mexican hat, but haven't found anything I like.
shout at: Please don't shout at the dogs; it will not stop them from barking.
shout for: Why do you shout for help when you are not in danger?
show off: Tim showed off his new toys to his friends.
show up: He has just shown up when he was supposed to have done so two hours ago.

shrink from: Bob shrank from the first sight of blood.
shudder at: I shudder at the thought of the child dying from injuries in the crash.
shut off: Mum always remembered to shut off the stove when she finished cooking.
shut up: She's done all the talking since we started; she should shut up and give others a chance.
side against/with: The two sisters always side with each other against their mother.

sin against: I feel I've sinned against my religion by raising doubts and querying about it.
sit around: He would sit around quietly for hours and watch was happening.
sit at: He would sit at the table without eating but watch other people eating.
sit in: As the show has to go on, Joe agreed to sit in for Bozo the clown who is absent.
sit on: Sometimes we would sit on a long bench in the park and chatted away to each other.

sit through: Our boss delivered a lengthy boring speech and we had to sit through it.
sit up: Whenever there's a late football match on television, we would sit up and watch.
slack off: Tourism business at the resort slacks off during the winter.
slide on: The kids enjoyed themselves sliding on the ice.
slip up: The police slipped up when the wrong person was arrested.

slow down: The police roadblock had slowed down traffic to a big snarl-up.
smile at: I mistakenly smiled at her, thinking I knew her, but she looked away.
snap at: I don't understand why she often snapped at me for no good reason.
snap off: She stopped reading, snapped off the light and closed her eyes to sleep.
snap on: She snapped on the light when she entered the bedroom.

sneer at: They sneered at his ludicrous suggestion.
sound off: Mike is always sounding off about every current issue.
speak about: His grandfather would speak to you about anything under the sun.
speak of: He had his reason for never ever speaking of his ex.
speak on: George loved to speak to women on women's issues.

speak to: Frankly, if I could help it I wouldn't want to speak to her.
specialize in: The store specialized in coffins for dogs and cats.
spring at: The showman touched the head of a cobra with a stick and it sprung at him.
spur on: His initial success spurred him on.
stamp out: The government is determined to stamp out corruption.

stand against: Her daughter will be standing against her in the parliamentary election.
stand around: The crowd just stood around waiting for the ambulance to arrive.
stand by: Two calls were received for ambulance, but only one ambulance is standing by.
stand for: He is not going to stand for her personal insult much longer.
stand on: She stood on tiptoe to pluck a pear.

stand out: Your dyed red hair will certainly make you stand out in any crowd.
stand up: He looks taller if he stands up straight.
stand up for: We have to stand up for our rights.
stand up to: He wouldn't dare stand up to his boss when he knew he's right.
star in: She will star in a new movie whose title is yet to be announced.

stare at: They just stared at each other not believing they had not seen each other for forty years.
start for: The weather turned bad and we had no choice but to start for home.
start off: He started off as a postman and now he's postmaster.
start on: I've finished reading the first chapter, so now I can start on the second chapter.
start with: Let's start our training session with doing some warm-up exercises.

stay at: His wife resents his staying late at the office almost every night.
stay up: Sometimes I stay up late to watch television.
stay with: I prefer staying at home with my dog to going out.
steal from: Two policemen were arrested for stealing from the police station.
stem from: The high volume of sales of ice cream stemmed from the exceptionally hot weather.

step up: The police are stepping up their regular patrols of the area.
stick around: Stick around until he arrives, then we will go for a meal.
stick to: Stick to the point, otherwise our meeting will never end.
stick up: A stranger tried to stick him up, but he fought him off.
stick up for: Will you stick up for me? There are too many of them.

stir up: You like to stir up her emotions. Look how excited she is now.
stoop to: You don't have to stoop to his level and quarrel with him.
stop from: His parents tried to stop him from smoking excessively.
straighten out: We managed finally to straighten out our differences before he passed away.
straighten up: You'd better straighten yourself up if you want to gain respect.

stricken with: One wonders how long he will live now that he's stricken with a fatal disease.
strike against: The ship sank after its side struck against an iceberg.
strike for: The workers unanimously decided to strike for higher wages.
strike up: I have struck up a friendship with her after meeting her a few times in the library.
strip from: Some members of a tribe stripped the bark from the trees to use as medicine.

strip of: The president had been completely stripped of his power in a military coup.
strive after: Artists continuously strive after artistic beauty.
strive against: Man has to constantly strive against the elements.
strive for: We must always strive for perfection in whatever we do.
struggle with: Alone, he had to struggle furiously with his attackers till help arrived.

study for: She knows she has only two weeks left to study hard for her A level exam.
submit to: Both parties agreed to submit their dispute to arbitration.
subscribe to: There are still people who subscribe to the flat-earth theory.
subsist on: They subsisted on canned food during the winter.
subtract from: He thought he could subtract his personal expenses from his gross profit.

succeed in: The escaped prisoner succeeded in evading capture for several months.
sue for: The minister threatened to sue the opposition member for slander.
suffer from: Millions of children in the world today suffer from malnutrition.
suggest to: She suggested to me that I should buy her more fresh flowers.
suit to: I think you did not suit your dress to the occasion.

sum up: He finally summed up his speech to the relief of the audience.
supplement by: Jack supplemented his income by training parrots to sing.
supply with: Only two companies supply the hospital with medical equipment.
surpass in: Mary surpasses her sister in beauty.
surround by: He emerged from the conference centre and was surrounded by noisy reporters.

swarm with: On weekends the zoo is swarmed with visitors.
sweat it out: The boxer is sweating it out in the gym until his next fight.
swerve off: Driving quickly on a wet road caused his car to swerve off the road into a ravine.
switch over: They are going to switch over to the new teaching method.
sympathize with: I sympathize deeply with the bereaved family.

take aback: I was taken aback by what he said.
take after: Jenny certainly takes after her mother.
take back: OK, I take back what I just said. Now, don't you curse me anymore.
take down: Please take down what I'm going to say.
take for: Now, don't you take me for a fool.

take in: Jill was taken in by the company's false claims about its products.
take off: I was late and the plane took off without me.
take on: After a new coat of paint, the old house takes on a new look.
take out: It's your turn to take out the rubbish.
take out on: It's your own fault, why take it out on the children?

take over: When you take over the driving, don't sound the horn unnecessarily.
take stock of: You should take stock of your bad habits and eliminate them.
take to: Jim took to excessive drinking when his girlfriend left him.
take up: Since my retirement, I've taken up stargazing.
take up with: He's taken up with his new neighbour's kids.

take upon: Mark took it upon himself to paint the whole house.
talk about: Will you stop talking about me behind my back?
talk around: She doesn't agree with me; do you think you can talk her around?
talk back: This kid will never hesitates to talk back to her mother.
talk down: Mike often talked down the good things Betty did for him.

talk down to: It's wrong to talk down to them like that; they are cleverer than you think.
talk into: I didn't want to get involved in the robbery, but he talked me into joining them.
talk out of: She talked me out of seeking work overseas.
talk over: I think we'd better talk it over before we decide to buy a yacht.
talk to: I talked to his parents about his throwing stones at my dogs.

talk with: I talked with her on the telephone, but she suggested we talk in person.
tally with: The two witnesses' accounts of the accident don't tally with each other.
tamper with: The defence lawyer is going to prove that the evidence had been tampered with.
tantamount to: His statement is tantamount to a confession.
taste like: The new sauce tasted exactly like sour milk.

taste of: The soup tasted strongly of water.
tear down: Several houses were torn down to make way for the new highway.
tear into: I said she might be wrong and she tore into me.
tear up: She tore up the letter after reading it.
tease about: We teased her about her many childhood fights with boys.

tell about: She never told me about the big money she won in a lottery.
tell off: John ran for a bus but bumped against a woman who told him off.
tell on: Her constant worrying is beginning to tell on her face.
tend toward: Joe tends towards obesity.
terms – come to (terms) with: He felt he had to come to terms with being a prisoner.

thank for: I thanked her warmly for not grumbling the whole day.
think about: Money is what I think about all the time.
think of: Jack thinks often of Jill.
think over: Jillian prefers to think it over for a while, before deciding on his proposal.
think through: George thought through the possible consequences of his action.

think up: It was Paul who thought up the plan to raise more money.
thirst for: A new entrant in the art world, he is already thirsting for fame.
threaten with: Many fish species are threatened with extinction due to over fishing.
thrive on: Many marine creatures still thrive on coastal mangrove swamps.
throw at: Tom threw a rotten egg at the speaker's face.

throw away: He threw away his old books and magazines.
throw in: With blood coursing down the boxer's face, they realized they'd to throw in the towel.
throw out: Jane refused to throw out the old books and magazines which cluttered the lounge.
throw to: You are supposed to throw the ball to me, not him.
throw up: Bob, as usual, threw up after he had overeaten.

tie down: She wants to get married, but she doesn't want to be tied down.
tie in: It was a disaster when the two events were supposed to tie in, but they didn't.
tie up: The accident tied traffic up for hours.
tip off: The police must have been tipped off when they made a sudden raid on the warehouse.
touch at: Our ship touched at Cape Town for a few hours.

touch down: The big crowd cheered when the spacecraft touched down safely.
touch on: In his lecture on the subject, he touched on the writer.
touch up: She touched her face up before she appeared on stage.
toy with: He was toying with his fork and knife while thinking about skiing in Colorado.
trade in: The seller allowed him to trade in his old refrigerator so that he could buy a new one.

traffic in: John was arrested by the police for trafficking in stolen goods.
trample on/upon: Despite the "keep off the grass" sign, the visitors trampled on the grass.
transfer to: We can only transfer a skill from one person to another through training.
transform into: The once sleepy fishing village has been transformed into a popular tourist centre.
translate into: Ideas remain ideas unless they are translated into action.

trespass on: As it's late now, let's leave and not trespass on their hospitality
trick into: They were tricked into investing in a dishonest scheme for making money.
trip over: He nearly tripped over the toys.
triumph over: With perseverance she would ultimately triumph over adversity.
trust in: I trust in God.

trust with: Not all the banks can be trusted with people's money.
try for: I'm going to try for that jackpot.
try on: She tried it on but it didn't fit her.
try out: They tried her out for the role.
tuck in: I forgot to tuck in my shirt when I took that photo.

tune in: He tunes in to the radio nightly.
turn against: His supporters turned against him when he defected to the opposition party.
turn around: A new general manager was appointed to turn around the ailing company.
turn away: The circus turned people away as all the seats were taken.
turn down: She turned down his proposal for the tenth time.

turn in: I lost my passport at the airport and someone turned it in to the police.
turn into: The audience applauded when the magician turned a carrot into a rabbit.
turn off: Her heavy makeup really turned me off.
turn on: Girls with long hair really turns me on.
turn out: It turned out that the butler was the one who committed the murder.

turn out for: An estimated ten thousand people turned out for the fireworks display.
turn out to be: The burglar who stole the diamond turned out to be the police inspector.
turn over: The abandoned baby was turned over to the welfare department.
turn to: She turned to taking drugs for her depression.
turn up: A woman who was reported missing a few weeks ago turned up at the press office.

7. U - Z
undertake to: The new government undertook to reduce personal income tax.
unite behind: The leader called upon the people to unite behind him to deter foreign aggression.
urge on: Urged on by his supporters, he ran the fastest race of his life.
use up: Someone has used up all my discs.
usher in: There were fireworks and people were reveling to usher in the new year.

value at: His wealthy uncle bought paintings valued at over $300,000.
vary from: As a street vendor, his takings vary from day to day.
veer off: The car veered off the road into a ravine.
verge on: Her extreme anxiety at times verges on a nervous breakdown.
vie in: John and Johnny have been vying in the same contest for the past four years.

vie for: Only three contestants vied for the top prize.
vouch for: His long-time friend vouched for him in his application for a new licence.
vote on: As the men couldn't agree on the most beautiful lady, they decided to vote on it.
vow to: She vowed to devote the rest of her life to caring for the poor.
vaccinate against: Nowadays children are vaccinated against a variety of diseases.

wager on: Bob wagered one hundred dollars on the white horse.
wait for: They waited in vain for her to turn up.
wait on: She waits on customers with utmost courtesy and patience.
wait up: Sean waits up for her every night.
warn about: I warned the kids about the danger of playing with fire.

warn against: I was warned against buying the house which was supposedly haunted.
warn of: They warned us of the risks involved in investments in stocks and bonds.
wash down: We had venison steak washed down with red wine.
wash off: Robert washed the dirt and dust off the wall before painting it.
wash out: The match was completely washed out by the unexpected weather.

wash up: The carcass of a whale was washed up the beach.
watch for: We watched the screen for the flight schdules.
weed out: Those not so physically fit were the first to be weeded out.
whisk away: The police arrested the suspect and whisked him away in the police car.
wipe out: The recent earthquake wiped out the entire village.

wish for: I wish for the luck to strike the lottery jackpot.
withdraw from: She withdrew from the beauty contest due to death threats made against her.
work for: She was told that she had been working for a crook.
work off: Janet always uses swearing words whenever she tries to work off her anxiety.
work on: Tommy spent weeks working on the sculpture.

work out: The burglars have worked out how they're going to sneak into the whisky warehouse.
work up: I certainly worked up a big appetite after a marathon jog.
work with: I find it utterly impossible to work with her unless she changes her attitude.
worry about: She worries more about me than I worry about her.
worry over: I habitually worry over the slightest thing.

write back: I've written her ten letters in the past weeks, but she has not written back.
write down: You don't have a good memory, so you'd better write down whenever you need to.
write in: Hundreds of viewers wrote in to complain after the show.
write out: He couldn't speak due to a bad sore throat, so he wrote it out instead.
write up: Each one of us had to write up a report on human rights for the meeting.

yank on: He kept yanking on the dog's tail and before long he got bitten.
yearn for: Joan yearns for Mr. Right to appear.
yearn to: He couldn't get used to life in a boarding school and every day he yearned to go home.
yell at: They yelled at him not to get into the bullring.
yield to: The victim's family agreed to yield to the kidnappers' demand for ransom.