Nouns and prepositions
Many nouns have particular prepositions which normally follow them. Here are some common examples:
| nouns | preposition | examples |
| age, attempt, point | at | 18 is the age at which you are allowed to vote.Fisk is making his third attempt at the world record. |
| need, reason, responsibility | for | What’s the reason for your unhappiness?Nobody seems to have responsibility for the budget. |
| changes, differences, increase | in | Changes in society have meant that young people leave home earlier.There’s been a steady increase in the value of the euro. |
| inquiry, investigation, research | into | The police inquiry into the theft continues.She did some research into the causes of back pain. |
| cause, example, way | of | This is an example of international collaboration.We need to find another way of doing things. |
| approach, reaction, response | to | My reaction to it all was to try to forget it.Her response to the criticism was very strong. |
Typical errors
These are some of the most typical errors with nouns. A good learner’s dictionary will tell you which prepositions to use after nouns.
| address | Go to our website to get the address of your nearest branch.Not: … |
| advertisement | I saw an advertisement for a teaching job in Malawi which looked interesting.Not: … |
| awareness | There is a growing awareness of the impact of climate change among the young.Not: … |
| change | Changes in our diet have meant that more and more people suffer heart disease. (changes that happen)Not: The director of studies must be informed of any changes to the timetable. (changes that people purposely make)Not: … |
| congratulations | Congratulations on your new job!Not: |
| course | I’d like to do a course in computer programming if I could find a good one.Not: … |
| exhibition | We went to see an exhibition of Viking jewellery.Not: … |
| experience | Do you have any previous experience of working with children?(usually followed by the -ing form of a verb)Not: … She has ten years’ experience in television and radio. (usually followed by a noun)Not: … |
| increasedecreasegrowth | There has been an increase of 200,000 in the city’s population in the last ten years.(Of is used before numbers and quantities after increase/decrease/growth; in is used before the thing affected by the change.)Not: … |
| information | Can you give us some information on/about bus tours, please?Not: … |
| interest | He seems to have less interest in everything these days.Not: … |
| invitation | The invitation to the reception at the embassy arrived the next day.Not: |
| knowledge | For this job you need some knowledge of Portuguese.Not: He has an amazing knowledge of European history.Not: … |
| lesson | I need some lessons in how to set up a website.Not: |
| member | Can anyone become a member of your book club?Not: … |
| method | Questionnaires are not necessarily the best method of collecting sociological data.Not: … |
| need | We understand the need for change but we should move slowly.Not: … |
| newcomer | I was a newcomer to windsurfing so I was very nervous.Not: |
| place | I’d love to show you some of the nice places in my hometown.Not: … |
| possibility | The possibility of making contact with other intelligent beings in the universe is very small.Not: |
| problem | The problem of finding a good babysitter is one that many parents have faced.Not: |
| reason | I’ve never understood the reason for all these different forms we have to fill in.Not: … |
| risk | We all know the risks of getting a virus if we don’t protect our computer.Not: … |
| translation | She did a translation into English of some ancient Chinese poems.Not: … |
| visit | The visit to the temple was the high point of the holiday.Not: |