ESL Grammar: Prepositions - Prepositions after Verbs, Depend on, Belong to, Wait for

What It Is

Prepositions after verbs are words that show the relationship between actions or states. They can be tricky because they often depend on the verb and the context. For example, "I depend on my family for support" is correct, but "I depend my family for support" is not. This topic causes difficulty for ESL learners because they may not understand the rules for choosing the right preposition.

Key Rules

• Depend on: Use with verbs like depend, rely, and trust. Example: "I depend on my salary for living."
• Belong to: Use with verbs like belong, own, and possess. Example: "This book belongs to my sister."
• Wait for: Use with verbs like wait, expect, and anticipate. Example: "I wait for my friend at the airport."
• Use on after verbs like depend, rely, and trust. Example: "I depend on my family."
• Use to after verbs like belong, own, and possess. Example: "This book belongs to my sister."
• Use for after verbs like wait, expect, and anticipate. Example: "I wait for my friend."
• In and on can be used interchangeably with some verbs, but in is more common. Example: "I wait in my car" or "I wait on my friend."
• To and for can be used interchangeably with some verbs, but for is more common. Example: "I wait to see my friend" or "I wait for my friend."
• Prepositions can change the meaning of a sentence. Example: "I wait on my friend" (serve food) vs. "I wait for my friend" (expect their arrival).
• Use the correct preposition with phrasal verbs. Example: "I depend on my family" (rely on) vs. "I depend my family" (no meaning).
• Use the correct preposition with idiomatic expressions. Example: "I wait for my friend at the airport" (expect their arrival) vs. "I wait in my car" (stay in the car).

Common ESL Errors

• Error: "I depend my family for support." Why it happens: Interference from L1 ( learners may use the verb "depend" without a preposition). Correction: "I depend on my family for support."
• Error: "This book belong to my sister." Why it happens: Overgeneralization (learners may use the verb "belong" without a preposition). Correction: "This book belongs to my sister."
• Error: "I wait in my car for my friend." Why it happens: Lack of understanding of preposition usage. Correction: "I wait for my friend at the airport."

Practice Exercises

1. Fill in the blank: "I depend ______ my family for support." Answer: on Reason: Use the preposition "on" after the verb "depend".
2. Fill in the blank: "This book belongs ______ my sister." Answer: to Reason: Use the preposition "to" after the verb "belong".
3. Fill in the blank: "I wait ______ my friend at the airport." Answer: for Reason: Use the preposition "for" after the verb "wait".

Last-Minute Revision

Depend on vs. depend my family (no meaning)
Belong to vs. belong my sister (no meaning)
Wait for vs. wait in (different meanings)
In and on can be used interchangeably with some verbs
To and for can be used interchangeably with some verbs Use the correct preposition with phrasal verbs Use the correct preposition with idiomatic expressions
Prepositions can change the meaning of a sentence
Use the correct preposition with verbs like depend, rely, and trust Use the correct preposition with verbs like belong, own, and possess
Use the correct preposition with verbs like wait, expect, and anticipate