‘Some verbs are frequently followed by particular prepositions: about | _—_ for of on with agree f v if argue 7 wv v ask | v 7 YY [. | care v v | know v F | - [team | al talk v v | v rd about usually means ‘concerning a particular thing’: © They began to learn about nutrition when they were at primary school We use care about to talk about something we are (not) concerned about: ©. He doesn't seem to care about the effect a poor diet has on him, for is used with ask to talk about what people want: © He finished the drink quickly and asked for another. with argue when we talk about giving reasons why something is true or right: Many people are arguing for a big tax cut. ‘and with care to talk about doing the necessary things for someone or something in order to keep them in good health or condition: ")_ Jo cared for her disabled mother until her death last year. (or Jo took care of ..) cor to mean ‘like’, particularly in negative sentences, and to mean ‘want' in offers. Both of these uses of care for are rather formal: ©) I don’t care for the theatre much. ©. Would you care for a cup of coffee? of is used with talk, know, and learn to talk about discussing, having or getting information: ©) Mira went recently to Laos and can talk of nothing else. (or less formally ... talk about ...) The whole country knew of Churchill's love of cigars. (or less formally... knew about ...) > Thave just learnt of the death of Dr Ramirez. (or less formally ... learnt about ...) We use ask of when we make or talk about requests: © Ihave a favour to ask of you and your sister. on is used with talk and agree to mean ‘concerned with a particular topic’ © Iwas asked to talk on my research. (or ... to talk about ...) We agreed on a time to meet. (usually there has been previous discussion or disagreement.) Note that we use agree to to say that someone allows something to happen: ‘Once the government agreed to the scheme it went ahead without delay. with is used with argue and tatk when we go on to mention the person involved: © used to argue / talk with Pedro for hours. We use agree with to say that two people have the same opinion: ‘Adam thinks we should accept the offer, and | agree with him. and to say that we approve of a particular idea or action: agree with letting children choose the clothes they wear. (or | agree about / on ...) or to say that two descriptions are the same: © ‘Stefan’s story agreed with that of his son.Unit Exercises 92 GB < 1055 out any incorrect prepositions. 1 only advertised the car for sale on Wednesday, but by the end of the week ten people had phoned to ask of /for / about it. 2 We can lear a great deal after / about / for the oceans by studying even a small piece of coral. 3 I didn’t agree about / for / with a word of what she said, 4 Professor Owen is giving a talk of /with /on the Romans in Lecture Hall 1 5 I had to care for / after / about my elderly parents when they both became ill 6 For many years we have been arguing for / on / with changes in the way the college is managed. 7 She didn’t know of / about / on her stepbrother's existence until her mother died. ]©™BD complete the sentences using the correct or most appropriate preposition from section A. ‘Sometimes two answers are possibl On the website they ask your email address. I first learnt his decision to resign on the radio last night. We're going to talk the council about planting some new trees in the park. I don’t care Pop music at all. | much prefer classical music. ‘The teacher says we've got to do the test, so there's no point in arguing it. Scientists do not agree the origin of the universe. Ifyou know any reasons why you should not be given medical insurance, you must declare them here. ‘; Josh can be really stupid sometimes. 8: You shouldn't talk your brother like that. 9 She's always arguing her parents about what to watch on television. 10 I know it's lot to ask you, but would you look after the children while I'm in Japan on. business? 11 The course was brilliant. We learnt using the Internet in teaching writing, 12 & Dan said he'll try to fix my car. 8: What does he know cars? 13 I don't think the government cares enough nursery education to fund it properly. 14 After days of discussion, the committee agreed the amount of money to donate. Nouwawna © ©} Teese pairs of sentences include more verbs that are commonly followed by the preposi in A. Can you explain the difference in meaning? Use a dictionary if necessary. 1 a The police acted on the information very quickly. | couldn't be at the meeting, so my solicitor acted for me. I've been thinking a lot about your idea, and I've decided I'd like to support you. ‘What do you think of the colour in the bedroom? Doctors have calledon the Health Minister to resign. ‘Campaigners have called for a referendum on the issue. They say he worked for the CIA in the 1980s. ‘She works with computers. We're counting on Julia to supply the food for the party. Playing exciting basketball counts for little if the team isn’t winning. 2 3 cecegecace ~ Additional exercise 15 (page 249) 185Many nouns are followed by the same prepositions as their related adjective or verb. Compare: ‘Are you satisfied with the way that the business is being run? and The shareholders have expressed satisfaction with the way the business is being run ‘A few nouns are followed by different prepositions. Compare: They became fond of each other at school. and i ©. Their fondness for each other grew and many years easceprond oF iAciaes es ened ome ashamed of / shame about / at ‘Some nouns take a preposition where their related verb does not. Compare: respect Louis enormously. and I have enormous respect for Louis. ‘Also: admiration for, ban on, discussion about / on, improvement in, influence on, interview with, lack of, respect for Note that many other nouns are commonly followed by of phrases which indicate possession, a property, or classify the noun by describing what it relates to. Compare: He described the conductor as moving his arms like a windmill. and His description of the conductor was very funny. Some nouns can be followed by of + -ing but not usually to-infinitive: He's ito the habit of biting his il ] i /rcan’ affack Fear: Uelinood ocsabiles | Hes gotintothe habit ofbitng Misra. ost, effet, fay, ikethood, possi, | probability, problem, prospect, risk, sign ‘Some nouns can be followed by a to-infinitive but not usually of + -ing: His unhappy childhood explains his reluctance to talk about his parents. Note that many of these nouns can also be used with other prepositions + -ing (eg. attempt at -ing, reason for Some nouns can sometimes be followed either by of + -ing or a to-infinitive with a similar meaning, usually after the: Do staff have the opportunity of taking unpaid leave? (or ... the opportunity to take ...) The aim of providing clean drinking water has been achieved. (or The aim to provide ...) Also: ability, attempt, concern, decision, desire, determination, failure, inability, permission, | proposal, reason, refusal, (un)willingness ing, etc) Also: ambition, idea, option, plan. However, some nouns, such as chance, sense and way, have more than one meaning and are followed either by of + ing or a to-infinitive depending on which meaning is used. Compare: (What's the chance of getting five heads when you toss a coin five times? (= likelihood; not chance to get ...) and Will you get the chance to visit Miki in Japan? (= opportunity; not ... of visiting ...) (He didn’t have the sense to move away from the puddle of water as the bus went past. (- good judgement; not ... sense of moving ...) and ©) Everyone was very friendly and she had a sense of belonging within a few days of moving to her new school. (= feeling; not ... sense to belong ...) I've got a new way to cook rice. (= method; or ... way of cooking ...) and She has a really funny way of speaking. (= manner; not ... way to speak) Note also that of + -ing usually follows no / every / the sole / the slightest / (not) any / with the + intention, but that we can use either of + -ing or a to-infinitive in most other cases. Compare: Thave no intention of lending Dan any more money. (not ... no intention to lend ...) and He announced his intention to stand in the election. (or... intention of standing ...)Wiis Exercises 93 ED Fewrite the italicised words with a similar meaning using a noun related to the underlined verb. ‘Add an appropriate preposition after the noun. €) 1 I greatly admire people who work full time and also study for a university degree. have. great, admiration for 2. Yasemin is stil in hospital but over the last couple of days her condition has improved. 3. Rashid is very proud of his cooking, and is always eager to talk about his recipes. 4 The website advises on how to lose weight. 5 I hate it when people are cruel to animals, and would support a ban on hunting. 6 We discussed the relative merits of CDs and records fora long time. 7 had to be vaccinated against typhoid before entering the country, 8 Benny Carter significantly influenced the development of British jazz. 9 The city lacks affordable housing and many people are homeless. 10 There is widespread support for fireworks to be banned. ‘Complete the sentences with a noun from (i) and either of + -ing or the to-infinitive form of a verb from ( @ (i) ability cost decision acknowledge allow buy failure fear —_ possibility fly: get protect. reason risk sign remember stop_transmit unwillingness worry 1 My mother recently overcame her ... fear of flying and had a holiday in South Africa. 2 The snow has been falling now for two days and shows no 3 The government has defended its coal mining in the national park. 4 Your blood pressure is alittle high, but there is no about it 5 She was kept in isolation to reduce the the virus to other people in the hospital. 6 The exercise tests children’s a random sequence of numbers. 7 The government has been criticised for its the region from flooding. 8 The a new car in Europe is expected to fall in the next year. 9 I knew that there was little the job with so many applicants. 10 It’s hard to work with Nik because of his that he ever makes mistakes. Complete the sentences with both forms if both are possible. 1 Although Mia said she would think about it, she never had the slightest intention of accepting ... my suggestion. 2 It’s going to be cloudy tonight so there is only a fifty-fifty chance the eclipse of the moon. or verb using either of + -ing or a to-infinitive. Give 3 It's pouring with rain. | hope David had the sense an umbrella with him 4 The head of the company repeated his intention on his 65th birthday. 5. When the History Department closed she was given the option another job. 6 Katrin had a very unusual way _ keeping her feet firmly on the floor and waving her arms around her head. Additional exercise 15 (page 249) 187