Prepositional Verbs
Prepositional verbs combine a verb with a particular preposition, with an object following that preposition. They belong to the broader family of multi-word verbs but have different structural behavior from many particle phrasal verbs.
A prepositional verb is a verb-plus-preposition pattern in which the preposition takes an object, as in “listen to music” or “depend on circumstances.”
Key details
Important caveats
Scope Boundary
Prepositional verbs are one type of multi-word verb and should not be treated as identical to every phrasal verb; word order and separability differ across constructions.
Further guidance
Application
In a prepositional verb such as “listen to” or “depend on,” the preposition introduces its object. Use the dictionary/grammar pattern for the specific verb rather than freely swapping prepositions.
Core Rule
A prepositional verb combines a lexical verb with a preposition, and the preposition is followed by its object.
Practical Application
Treat a prepositional verb as a verb-plus-preposition pattern in which the preposition takes its own object, such as “depend on circumstances.” Preserve the required preposition rather than moving or deleting it as though it were a free modifier.
Reader Check
Check whether the preposition belongs to the verb pattern and introduces an object. This helps distinguish prepositional verbs from particle verbs, where the second element can behave differently.
Worked Example
“Listen to music” uses the preposition “to” with the object “music.” In editing, do not reduce it to “listen music.”
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Phrasal verbs and multi-word verbs — Cambridge Grammar (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Direct grammar-reference evidence that prepositional verbs combine a verb with a preposition and take an object after the preposition.