3.11 intransitive verbs followed by prepositional phrases

Many intransitive verbs always or typically have an adjunct after them. With some, the adjunct must be a prepositional phrase beginning with a particular preposition. This use of a preposition allows something affected by the action to be mentioned, as the object of the preposition.

• Everything you see here belongs to me.
• Landlords often resorted to violence.
• I sympathized with them.
• I'm relying on Bill.
• He yearned for academic recognition.

3.12

Here is a list of verbs which always or typically have a particular preposition after them when they are used with a particular meaning:

• rave about, --- , insure against, plot against, react against, --- , hint at, --- , alternate between, differentiate between, oscillate between, --- , appeal for, atone for, care for, clamour for, hope for, long for, opt for, pay for, qualify for, strive for, yearn for, --- , detract from, emanate from, emerge from, radiate from, shrink from, stem from, suffer from, --- , believe in, consist in, culminate in, dabble in, indulge in, invest in, result in, wallow in, --- , lapse into, --- , complain of, conceive of, consist of, despair of, learn of, smack of, think of, tire of, --- , bet on, feed on, insist on, spy on, trample on, --- , adhere to, allude to, amount to, appeal to, aspire to, assent to, attend to, belong to, bow to, cling to, defer to, dictate to, lead to, listen to, object to, refer to, relate to, resort to, revert to, stoop to, --- , alternate with, associate with, consort with, contend with, flirt with, grapple with, sympathize with, teem with

Here is a list of verbs which can have either of two prepositions after them:

• abound in, abound with, cater for, cater to, conform to, conform with, contribute to, contribute towards, depend on, depend upon, dote on, dote upon, embark on, embark upon, end in, end with, engage in, engage on, enthuse about, enthuse over, gravitate to, gravitate towards, hunger after, hunger for, improve on, improve upon, liaise between, liaise with, lust after, lust for, prevail on, prevail upon, profit by, profit from, rely on, rely upon, revolve around, revolve round, spring from, spring out of

Note that some intransitive verbs can be used in the passive when they are followed by a preposition. See paragraph 10.23.