ELPS

Pattern

There exists a group of verbs which are naturally followed by a preposition. Those prepositions are called dependent prepositions. One of such common dependent prepositions is the to preposition. This article is about verb + to pattern in which the to preposition stands as a dependent preposition.

Verbs followed by the to preposition

The most common verbs followed by the to preposition are ( pronouns in brackets complement the expression ): .

add to (something)

adhere to (something)

attend to (something)

belong to (something)

consent to (something)

face up to (something)

listen to (something)

object to (something)

refer to (something)

sentence (somebody) to (something)

talk to (somebody) about (something)

volunteer to do something

Examples

New staff will add to reliability of provided service.

If you are in a new place, you should adhere to its laws.

At the very latest tomorrow one has to attend to complaints received over the last week.

Tom belongs to a couple of powerful political pressure groups.

If you had consented to our request for information you would not have lost your job.

Margaret will have to face up to the challenge of bringing up her children alone.

This week I listen to only classical music.

Lots of our pilots have openly objected to new responsibilities we have just imposed.

The article refers to the current economic situation in Europe.

For his anti-social behaviour John has been sentenced to 40 hours of community work.

You have to talk to the head teacher about your absences this week.

Many people have volunteered to help collect rubbish left after the parade.