TOEIC prepositions and collocations: win the last points

Why these details are worth points

In Part 5 (Incomplete Sentences) and Part 6 (Text Completion), some questions test neither meaning nor tense, but natural word combinations: which preposition follows a verb, which verb goes with a noun. All four options are often "grammatically possible"; only one is idiomatic.

These questions take seconds when you know the answer and cannot be worked out when you don't: exactly what separates 850 from 950. The good news: the list is short, and it comes back from one test to the next.

The method that works: learn each expression as a chunk, with an example (comply with the rules), never the verb alone. Your memory has to recognise the whole chunk in a second.

The lists, by type

Four lists, each with its trap: that is often the real exam question.

Verb + preposition

The most frequent ones at work. The last column gives the related trap, which is often the real exam question.

Expression	Meaning	Example	Watch out
agree on	reach agreement on (a point)	The partners finally agreed on a price.	agree with a person or opinion; agree to a proposal or + verb
decide on	choose, settle on	We decided on the Lyon venue.	+ noun; but decide to + verb
insist on	demand firmly	The client insisted on meeting the director.	on + -ing, never "insist to"
focus on	concentrate on	This quarter we will focus on retention.	same as concentrate on
rely on / depend on	count on, be determined by	Prices depend on the volume ordered.	not "depend of"
comment on	give an opinion about	He declined to comment on the merger.	avoid "comment about" in formal English
apply for	request formally	She applied for the sales manager position.	apply to a company / be relevant to
account for	explain; make up (a share)	Online sales account for 40% of revenue.	the "make up" meaning is very common in the TOEIC
search for	look for	We are searching for a new supplier.	search + place, no preposition: search the database
strive for	try hard to achieve	Our team strives for excellence.	strive to + verb
advocate (for)	publicly support	She advocates flexible working hours.	"for" is mostly American; without it, always correct
qualify for	be eligible for	Orders over €50 qualify for free delivery.
compensate for	make up for	Higher volume compensated for lower margins.
benefit from	gain from	Small firms benefit from the new tax credit.	noun: a benefit of / to
suffer from	be affected by	The region suffers from a shortage of engineers.
differ from	be unlike	The final design differs from the prototype.	adjective: different from
refrain from	avoid doing	Please refrain from using phones during the session.	from + -ing
result in / result from	cause (effect) / be caused by	The delay resulted in extra costs. The costs resulted from the delay.	top trap: in = the effect, from = the cause
comply with	obey (a rule)	All suppliers must comply with the new standards.	noun: in compliance with
deal with	handle	Ms. Okafor deals with all customer complaints.
provide sb with sth	supply someone with something	We provide new staff with a laptop.	thing first: provide sth to / for sb
align with	match, be consistent with	The budget must align with our priorities.	not a phrasal verb: "with" introduces the object
cope with	manage (a difficulty)	The warehouse could not cope with the demand.
coincide with	happen at the same time as	The launch coincides with the trade fair.
consist of	be made up of	The panel consists of five experts.	never passive, rarely continuous
respond to / reply to	answer	Please reply to this e-mail by Friday.	but answer takes no preposition
contribute to	help cause	Several factors contributed to the drop in sales.
object to + -ing	oppose	Staff objected to working on Sundays.	"to" is a preposition here: + -ing
look forward to + -ing	anticipate with pleasure	We look forward to hearing from you.	"to hear" is the most frequent mistake

Adjective + preposition

Expression	Meaning	Example	Watch out
aware of	informed about	Are you aware of the new policy?
capable of + -ing	able to	The machine is capable of printing 60 pages a minute.	but able to + verb
responsible for	in charge of	Mr. Lee is responsible for the budget.	responsible to = accountable to someone
eligible for	qualified for	Part-time staff are eligible for the bonus.	eligible to + verb
interested in	wanting to know or do	We are interested in your proposal.	interesting = arousing interest (adjective trap)
involved in	taking part in	She was involved in the negotiations.
focused on	concentrated on	The firm is focused on growth.
committed to + -ing	dedicated to	We are committed to reducing our emissions.	"to" is a preposition: + -ing, not "to reduce"
dedicated to	devoted to	A team dedicated to customer service.
related to	connected with	Expenses related to travel are refunded.
familiar with	knowing well	Are you familiar with this software?	familiar to sb = known to someone
satisfied with	pleased with	Clients were satisfied with the service.
concerned about	worried about	Investors are concerned about rising costs.	concerned with = dealing with, about (a topic)
subject to	dependent on	Prices are subject to change.	very common in Part 7 documents
compatible with	able to work with	The app is compatible with all browsers.
consistent with	in agreement with	The results are consistent with our forecast.
entitled to	having a right to	Employees are entitled to 25 days of leave.
exempt from	free from (an obligation)	Small businesses are exempt from the fee.
similar to / different from	alike / unlike	This model is similar to last year's.	"different than" exists (US), but the TOEIC prefers from
accustomed to + -ing	used to	She is accustomed to working under pressure.	same as be used to + -ing

Verb + noun collocations

Here the verb is tested: the noun is given and you choose between make, do, take, conduct… Your first language often misleads you.

Verb	Goes with	Watch out
make	a decision, progress, an effort, a difference, a profit, an appointment, a reservation, a payment	"do a decision", "make research" (say do / conduct research)
take	responsibility for, action, advantage of, time, place, part in, notes	"take a decision" is British usage; make is the safe answer
conduct	research, a survey, a meeting, an interview, an inspection, an audit	formal register: the expected answer in an official e-mail
carry out	a task, a plan, an inspection, repairs, instructions
implement	changes, a policy, a strategy, a system, measures
achieve	success, a goal, results, an objective	"reach a goal" is also correct; "realize a goal" is rare
meet	expectations, deadlines, requirements, demand, standards, needs	"respect a deadline" is a French calque
place / submit	an order / a proposal, an application, a report	place an order (not "pass an order")
reach	an agreement, a decision, a consensus, a target
raise	funds, prices, concerns, awareness, a question	raise (transitive) ≠ rise (intransitive): prices rose

Phrasal verbs

They appear mostly in Listening (Parts 3 and 4) and in Part 7 e-mails, where synonym questions often ask for the formal equivalent: put off = postpone, call off = cancel. Learn them together.

Verb	Formal equivalent	Example
turn out	prove to be	The new supplier turned out to be cheaper.
come across	find by chance; seem	I came across your résumé online.
bring about	cause to happen	The merger brought about major changes.
point out	draw attention to	She pointed out an error in the invoice.
look into	investigate	We will look into your complaint.
rule out	eliminate (a possibility)	The CEO did not rule out further cuts.
carry out	perform	The audit was carried out in May.
set up	establish	They set up a branch in Lisbon.
put off	postpone	The meeting has been put off until Monday.
call off	cancel	The strike was called off.
fill out / fill in	complete (a form)	Please fill out the attached form.
follow up on	take further action on	I am following up on my e-mail of June 3.
run out of	have no more of	We have run out of brochures.
take over	take control of	Ms. Diaz will take over the project.
draw up	prepare (a document)	Legal is drawing up the contract.
turn down	refuse	He turned down the job offer.
go over	review	Let's go over the figures again.
phase out	remove gradually	Paper invoices will be phased out.

The "to + -ing" trap

This is the mistake that costs good candidates the most points, because it goes against the "to + verb" reflex. In these expressions, to is a preposition: it is followed by a noun… or a verb in -ing.

look forward to meeting you
be committed to improving
object to working late
be used to / accustomed to travelling
in addition to managing the team
be dedicated to helping clients
when it comes to negotiating

Quick test: if you can put a noun after "to" (I look forward to the meeting), it is a preposition, and a verb after it takes -ing.

Quiz: 10 questions in Part 5 format

Click a question to see the answer and the explanation.

The new safety rules will result ___ fewer accidents on site. (in / from / to / of)

in — fewer accidents are the effect of the rules.

We look forward to ___ you at the conference. (see / seeing / have seen / be seen)

seeing — "to" is a preposition: + -ing.

All contractors must comply ___ local building codes. (to / for / with / by)

with — comply with, in compliance with.

Online bookings now account ___ more than half of our sales. (of / for / to / on)

for — account for = make up (a share).

The board finally agreed ___ a date for the annual meeting. (on / with / at / to)

on — you agree on a point; with = with a person.

The company provides every new employee ___ a mentor. (to / for / with / of)

with — the person comes first: provide sb with sth.

Prices listed in the catalog are subject ___ change without notice. (of / to / for / at)

to — "subject to change" is a fixed phrase.

We are committed to ___ our carbon footprint by 2030. (reduce / reducing / reduced / be reducing)

reducing — committed to + -ing.

Due to the storm, the outdoor reception has been called ___. (off / out / up / over)

off — call off = cancel.

Mr. Tanaka is responsible ___ approving all travel expenses. (to / of / for / on)

for — responsible for a task; to = accountable to someone.

How to remember them for good

One chunk, one example. Write down comply with the regulations, not just "comply".
Learn the trap next to it. Learn result in and result from together, with the difference in one sentence.
Review right before you forget. Seeing an expression again the next day, then after 2, 4, 7 and 14 days, is enough to fix it: that is spaced repetition, which the LexiLoop app applies automatically.
Check under real conditions with the free TOEIC test: Parts 5 and 6 include them.

Now put it into practice

Estimate your score in 20 minutes with our free TOEIC test, then review vocabulary at the right time with the LexiLoop app.

Take the free TOEIC test Try LexiLoop for free

Frequently asked questions

How many TOEIC questions are about prepositions?

ETS does not publish a breakdown by question type. Prepositions and collocations appear mainly in Parts 5 and 6 (46 of the 200 questions): a few per test, but among those that separate the top scores.

"Take a decision" or "make a decision"?

Both exist: "take a decision" is British, "make a decision" is universal. If both appear in the TOEIC options (rare), choose make.

"Different from" or "different than"?

"Different from" is correct everywhere; "different than" is common in American English but considered less formal. Choose from.

Should I learn phrasal verbs for the TOEIC?

Yes, especially for Listening and Part 7 e-mails: synonym questions often ask for the formal equivalent (postpone for put off).

Sources

TOEIC is a registered trademark of ETS. This guide is provided by LexiLoop; it is not produced, endorsed by, or affiliated with ETS.

Prepositions and collocations: winning the last TOEIC points