Verb + Preposition 4 — of / for / from / on
accuse of · pay for · suffer from · depend on — Complete Guide
Verbe + Préposition 4 — of / for / from / on
accuse of · pay for · suffer from · depend on — Guide Complet
Master the key verbs that take of, for, from and on: accuse/suspect, pay/blame, suffer/protect, depend/rely and more.
Maîtrisez les verbes clés qui se construisent avec of, for, from et on : accuse/suspect, pay/blame, suffer/protect, depend/rely et bien d’autres.
Many English verbs are followed by a fixed preposition before the next object or gerund. There is no single logic — of, for, from and on each attach to specific verbs. The best approach is to learn each verb with its preposition as a unit: accuse somebody of, pay for, suffer from, depend on.
De nombreux verbes anglais sont suivis d’une préposition fixe avant le complément ou le gérondif. Il n’existe pas de logique unique — of, for, from et on se rattachent chacun à des verbes spécifiques. La meilleure approche est d’apprendre chaque verbe avec sa préposition comme une unité : accuse somebody of, pay for, suffer from, depend on.
Verb + of
Verbe + of
| Verb | Preposition | Example | Verbe | Préposition | Exemple |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| accuse / suspect somebody | of | Tina accused me of being selfish. · Some students were suspected of cheating. | Tina accused me of being selfish. · Some students were suspected of cheating. | ||
| approve / disapprove | of | His parents don’t approve of what he does. | His parents don’t approve of what he does. | ||
| die | of or from | ‘What did he die of?’ ‘A heart attack.’ | ‘What did he die of?’ ‘A heart attack.’ | ||
| consist | of | The meal consisted of seven courses. | The meal consisted of seven courses. |
I don’t approve of violence. (NOT approve with)
He died of / died from a heart attack. (both are possible)
The committee consists of ten members. (NOT consists from) She was accused of stealing. (PAS accused for)
I don’t approve of violence. (PAS approve with)
He died of / died from a heart attack. (les deux sont possibles)
The committee consists of ten members. (PAS consists from)
Verb + for
Verbe + for
| Verb | Preposition | Notes / Example | Verbe | Préposition | Notes / Exemple |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| pay (somebody) | for | We didn’t have enough money to pay for the meal. BUT: pay a bill/fine/rent (no preposition) | We didn’t have enough money to pay for the meal. | ||
| thank / forgive somebody | for | I’ll never forgive them for what they did. | I’ll never forgive them for what they did. | ||
| apologise (to sb) | for | I apologised (to them) for my mistake. | I apologised (to them) for my mistake. | ||
| blame somebody/something | for | Everybody blamed me for the accident. / I was to blame for it. | Everybody blamed me for the accident. | ||
| blame (a problem) | on | Don’t blame it on me. | Don’t blame it on me. |
She thanked me for the gift. · I apologised for being late.
Blame for (person is blamed): They blamed him for the fire.
Blame on (problem is blamed on): They blamed the fire on him. We paid for the tickets. (PAS paid the tickets)
She thanked me for the gift. · I apologised for being late.
Blame for (la personne est blâmée) : They blamed him for the fire.
Blame on (le problème est imputé) : They blamed the fire on him.
Verb + from
Verbe + from
suffer from
suffer from
protect from / against
protect from / against
Sun cream protects the skin from the sun. (also: protect against)
die of / die from — both are used: He died of cancer. / He died from his injuries. Il y a eu une hausse du nombre de personnes souffrant de maladies cardiaques.
La crème solaire protège la peau du soleil. (aussi : protect against)
die of / die from — les deux s’utilisent : He died of cancer. / He died from his injuries.
Verb + on
Verbe + on
| Verb | Preposition | Example | Verbe | Préposition | Exemple |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| depend / rely | on | I depend on you. You can rely on Anna — she keeps her promises. | I depend on you. You can rely on Anna. | ||
| live | on | Michael lives on a very low salary. | Michael lives on a very low salary. | ||
| congratulate / compliment | on | I congratulated her on passing her exam. | I congratulated her on passing her exam. |
‘Are you going to buy it?’ ‘It depends how much it is.’ (‘on’ is optional with how/when/where)
Michael’s salary is very low. It isn’t enough to live on.
I congratulated her on doing so well in her exams.
The meal was really good. I complimented Mark on his cooking. I don’t know what time we’ll arrive. It depends on the traffic.
‘Are you going to buy it?’ ‘It depends how much it is.’ (‘on’ est facultatif avec how/when/where)
Michael’s salary is very low. It isn’t enough to live on.
I congratulated her on doing so well in her exams.
The meal was really good. I complimented Mark on his cooking.
Put in the correct preposition (of / for / from / on). If no preposition is needed, write —.
Mettez la bonne préposition (of / for / from / on). Si aucune n’est nécessaire, écrivez —.
Complete with the correct verb + preposition from the box.
Complétez avec le bon verbe + préposition du cadre.
accuse of · apologise for · approve of · congratulate on · depend on · live on · rely on · suffer from
Complete the second sentence so it means the same as the first.
Complétez la deuxième phrase pour qu’elle ait le même sens que la première.
Put in the correct preposition. If no preposition is needed, write —.
Mettez la bonne préposition. Si aucune n’est nécessaire, écrivez —.
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions Fréquentes
Both take of, but the degree of certainty differs. Accuse = openly state that someone did something wrong (more direct). Suspect = think (without being certain) that someone did something wrong: I suspect him of lying. (I’m not sure yet.)
Les deux se construisent avec of, mais le degré de certitude diffère. Accuse = affirmer ouvertement qu’on a mal agi (plus direct). Suspect = penser (sans certitude) qu’on a mal agi : I suspect him of lying.
Use pay for when the object is a thing/service you are buying: pay for coffee, pay for a ticket. Do NOT use for when the object is already a financial instrument (a sum of money, a document representing money): pay the bill, pay the rent, pay a fine, pay a fee, pay a tax.
On utilise pay for quand le complément est une chose ou un service qu’on achète : pay for coffee, pay for a ticket. On n’utilise PAS for quand le complément est déjà un instrument financier : pay the bill, pay the rent, pay a fine, pay a fee, pay a tax.
Both are acceptable and widely used interchangeably. Traditionally, die of is more common with illnesses (die of cancer, die of a heart attack), while die from is preferred for external causes or injuries (die from a gunshot wound, die from injuries). In practice, many speakers use both freely.
Les deux sont acceptables et souvent interchangeables. Traditionnellement, die of est plus courant pour les maladies (die of cancer), tandis que die from est préféré pour les causes externes ou les blessures (die from injuries). En pratique, les deux s’utilisent librement.
Yes. Before question words (how/when/where/what/whether), you can use depend on or just depend: ✓ It depends on how much it costs. ✓ It depends how much it costs. Both are correct. Before a noun/pronoun, on is always needed: ✓ It depends on the weather. ✗ It depends the weather.
Oui. Devant les mots interrogatifs (how/when/where/what/whether), on peut dire depend on ou simplement depend : ✓ It depends on how much it costs. ✓ It depends how much it costs. Devant un nom/pronom, on est obligatoire : ✓ It depends on the weather.
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