Preposition ‘of’
Noun
| Example
|
advantage
| Can you tell us about the advantages of living in a small town?
|
art
| He is a good a therapist trained in the art of healing.
|
chance
| Is there any chance of getting tickets for tonight?
|
habit
| He has the irritating habit of biting his nails.
|
idea
| I like the idea of living on a boat.
|
impression
| She gives the impression of being very busy
|
opportunity
| At least give him the opportunity of explaining what happened.
|
pleasure
| She had the pleasure of seeing him look surprised.
|
pretext
| He left the party early on the pretext of having work to do.
|
satisfaction
| He had the satisfaction of seeing his book become a best-seller.
|
way
| I’m not happy with this way of working.
|
Preposition ‘at’
Noun
| Example
|
amazement
| The old lady couldn’t hide her amazement at seeing the boy’s delight.
|
astonishment
| His astonishment at seeing me alive was genuine.
|
attempt
| The couple made several unsuccessful attempts at achieving a compromise.
|
delight
| The students’ delight at hearing the announced exam results was overwhelming.
|
dismay
| She could not hide her dismay at finding her husband at home.
|
genius
| He’s a genius at organizing people.
|
irritation
| She couldn’t but show her irritation at learning that the letter had not been sent.
|
pleasure
| The mother’s pleasure at finding her children safe and sound was immense.
|
satisfaction
| The teacher’s satisfaction at giving his students good marks was clearly seen on his face.
|
shyness
| The girl’s shyness at being introduced to the great scientist amazed everybody present.
|
surprise
| They couldn’t conceal their surprise at seeing us together.
|
Preposition ‘for’
Noun
| Example
|
cause
| I had no cause for complaining.
|
excuse
| His excuse for forgetting her birthday was that he had lost his diary.
|
genius
| He had a genius for making people feel at home.
|
gift
| He has the gift of making friends easily.
|
ground
| What were his grounds for wanting a divorce?
|
motive
| There seemed to be no motive for murdering that old man.
|
opportunity
| There’ll be plenty of opportunity for relaxing once the work is done.
|
passion
| The English have a passion for gardening.
|
pretext
| His pretext for being late was lame.
|
reason
| I have no particular reason for doubting him.
|
reputation
| I’m aware of Mark’s reputation for being late.
|
talent
| She showed considerable talent for getting what she wanted.
|
obsession
| Rose Bower had an obsession for recording details about all the employees.
|
Preposition ‘in’
Noun + preposition
| Example
|
advantage
| Is there any advantage in getting there early?
|
delight
| He takes great delight in proving others wrong.
|
difficulty
| I had no difficulty (in) making myself understood.
|
experience
| He is a doctor with experience in dealing with patients suffering from stress.
|
harm
| There is no harm in window shopping, is there?
|
hesitation
|
|
pleasure
| She took pleasure in shocking her parents.
|
point
| There is no point in waiting for him.
|
sense
| There’s no sense in worrying about it now.
|
skill
| What made him remarkable as a photographer was his skill in capturing the moment.
|
Miscellaneous Prepositions
Noun
| Example
|
fantasy about
| His childhood fantasies about becoming a famous football player came true.
|
objection to
| I have no objection to him coming to stay.
|
obsession with
| Her obsession with flying frightens her parents.
|
XII. Gerunds after prepositions
Preposition
| Example
|
about
| How about going for a walk?
|
after
| After kissing the child good-bye, the mother went to work.
|
against
| Do you have anything against our going to the mountains in July?
|
before
| You should check the oil before starting your car.
|
by
| We’ll do the job before the deadline by working 16 hours a day.
|
despite
| Despite being very young he did the job very well.
|
for
| She was punished for staying up late.
|
in spite of
| In spite of being very young he did the job very well.
|
instead of
| Why are you watching TV instead of doing your homework?
|
without
| She used to sit in front of the window for hours without paying attention to anyone.
|