Many adjectives lock onto one fixed preposition, so learn each pair as a unit: a near-synonym often takes a different one.
Adjectives + preposition
Not "The lead engineer is responsible of the whole rollout." — say "The lead engineer is responsible for the whole rollout.". The task takes for; only the person you answer to takes to.
Try it: Lars: What do applicants need to know before the lab session? Camila: They must be fully ___ the safety requirements. Choose the words for the blank. (responsible for / aware of / depend on) Answer: aware of — Before a noun, aware takes of: applicants must know the requirements.
Word
Pronunciation
Example
aware of
/əˈwɛr ʌv/
The board was aware of the financial risk before approving the expansion.
responsible for
/rɪˈspɑnsəbəl fɔr/
The contractor is responsible for repairing any damage caused during installation.
capable of
/ˈkeɪpəbəl ʌv/
A shortlisted candidate must be capable of managing a budget unsupervised.
concerned about
/kənˈsɜrnd əˈbaʊt/
Residents are concerned about the noise from the new depot.
consistent with
/kənˈsɪstənt wɪð/
The findings are consistent with the results of the earlier trial.
entitled to
/ɪnˈtaɪtəld tu/
Part-time staff are entitled to the same training as everyone else.
Verbs + preposition
Many verbs also take one fixed preposition before their object: you depend on, focus on, contribute to, refer to and result from something.
Not "The flooding resulted in heavy rain." — say "The flooding resulted from heavy rain.". Result from names the cause; result in names the effect.
Try it: Mateo: How can people help the library this month? Sofia: Neighbors can ___ the book drive by dropping off old novels. Choose the words for the blank. (contribute to / depend on / result from) Answer: contribute to — Contribute to means giving something to a shared effort, such as books to a book drive.
Word
Pronunciation
Example
depend on
/dɪˈpɛnd ɑn/
Several small charities still depend on volunteer translators to reach new communities.
focus on
/ˈfoʊkəs ɑn/
This chapter will focus on the ethical objections rather than the technical ones.
contribute to
/kənˈtrɪbjut tu/
Every department was asked to contribute to the revised proposal.
refer to
/rɪˈfɜr tu/
The guidelines refer to the 2019 standard throughout.
result from
/rɪˈzʌlt frʌm/
Most of the delays result from a shortage of qualified inspectors.
What are the common mistakes?
Incorrect
Correct
Why
The lead engineer is responsible of the whole rollout.
The lead engineer is responsible for the whole rollout.
The task takes for; only the person you answer to takes to.
The flooding resulted in heavy rain.
The flooding resulted from heavy rain.
Result from names the cause; result in names the effect.