"Section V: Prepositional Phrases" (pp137-156) from Fifteen Thousand Useful Phrases (New York and London: Funk & Wagnalls, 1917) by Grenville Kleiser (1868-1953).
Skip to preposition section: OF, BY, IN, INTO, TO, WITH. Alphabetical links below apply only to OF, by far the longest of these lists.
Preposition "of"
A - abandon of spontaneity
- abatement of misery
- aberrations of judgment
- abhorrence of meanness
- absence of vainglory
- abyss of ignominy
- accent of conviction
- accretions of time
- accumulation of ages
- accuracy of aim
- acquisition of knowledge
- activity of attention
- acuteness of sensibility
- admixture of fear
- affectation of content
- affinity of events
- age of ignorance
- agility of brain
- agony of despair
- air of assumption
- ambitious of success
- amiability of disposition
- amplitude of space
- anachronisms of thought
- anchor of moderation
- angle of vision
- annulment of influence
- aping of manners
- apostle of culture
- ardor of life
- arrogance of opinion
- aspect of grandeur
- assumption of sternness
- atmosphere of obscurity
- attitude of mind
- attribute of weakness
- austerities of fanaticism
- authority of manner
- avalanche of scorn
- avenues of dissemination
B - babel of tongues
- ban of exclusion
- barren of enthusiasm
- barriers of reticence
- bars of sunlight
- basis of fact
- beam of moonlight
- beast of prey
- beauty of imagery
- beggared of faith
- bent of mind
- betrayal of trust
- bevy of maidens
- bewilderment of feeling
- birds of prey
- bit of portraiture
- bitterness of anguish
- blackness of spirit
- blandishments of society
- blast of adversity
- blaze of fury
- blend of dignity
- bliss of solitude
- bloom of earth
- blow of fate
- boldness of conception
- bond of alliance
- bone of contention
- bouts of civility
- breach of law
- breath of life
- breeze of anxiety
- brilliancy of wit
- brimful of fun
- broil of politics
- brood of emotions
- brow of expectation
- brunt of disgrace
- bulk of mankind
- bundle of conceptions
- buoyancy of youth
- burden of proof
- burst of confidence
- business of life
C - cadences of delirium
- calmness of manner
- calumny of passion
- caprice of inclination
- careless of opinion
- catholicity of spirit
- cause of solicitude
- celerity of movement
- chain of evidence
- change of habitude
- chaos of confusion
- chill of indifference
- chimera of superstition
- chorus of approbation
- circle of hills
- clamor of envy
- clap of thunder
- clarity of thinking
- clash of arms
- cloak of ecclesiasticism
- code of morals
- cogency of argument
- combination of calamities
- command of wit
- community of interest
- compass of imagination
- complexity of life
- confidence of genius
- conflict of will
- conquest of difficulty
- consciousness of peril
- constellation of luminaries
- contagion of conflict
- continuity of life
- contradiction of terms
- contrariety of opinion
- convulsion of laughter
- copiousness of diction
- cord of sympathy
- countenance of authority
- courage of conviction
- course of existence
- courtliness of manner
- cover of hospitality
- crash of thunder
- creature of circumstance
- criteria of feeling
- crown of civilization
- crudity of thought
- cry of despair
- curl of contempt
- current of thought
D - darkness of calamity
- dash of eccentricity
- dawning of recognition
- day of reckoning
- daylight of faith
- decay of authority
- declaration of indifference
- deeds of prowess
- defects of temper
- degree of hostility
- delicacy of thought
- delirium of wonder
- depth of despair
- dereliction of duty
- derogation of character
- despoiled of riches
- destitute of power
- desultoriness of detail
- device of secrecy
- devoid of merit
- devoutness of faith
- dexterity of phrase
- diapason of motives
- dictates of conscience
- difference of opinion
- difficult of attainment
- dignity of thought
- dilapidations of time
- diminution of brutality
- disabilities of age
- display of prowess
- distinctness of vision
- distortion of symmetry
- diversity of aspect
- divinity of tradition
- domain of imagination
- drama of action
- dream of vengeance
- drop of comfort
- ductility of expression
- dull of comprehension
- duplicities of might
- dust of defeat
E - earnestness of enthusiasm
- easy of access
- ebullitions of anger
- eccentricity of judgment
- ecstasy of despair
- effect of loveliness
- efficacy of change
- effusion of sentiment
- elasticity of mind
- element of compulsion
- elevation of sentiment
- eloquence of passion
- emotions of joy
- emulous of truth
- encroachments of time
- encumbrance of mystery
- energy of youth
- enigma of life
- equanimity of mind
- era of fads
- error of judgment
- essence of eloquence
- excellence of vision
- excess of candor
- excitation of purpose
- excursiveness of thought
- exhibition of joy
- exhilaration of spirits
- expenditure of energy
- explosion of rage
- expression of sternness
- extension of experience
- extravagance of eulogy
- extremity of fortune
- exuberance of wit
F - fabric of fact
- facility of expression
- faculty of perception
- failure of coordination
- feast of reason
- feats of strength
- feebleness of purpose
- feeling of uneasiness
- felicities of expression
- fertility of invention
- fervor of devotion
- fickleness of fortune
- field of activity
- fierceness of jealousy
- fineness of vision
- fire of imagination
- firmament of literature
- firmness of purpose
- fit of laughter
- fitness of circumstance
- fixity of purpose
- flag of truce
- flash of humor
- flashlight of introspection
- fleetness of foot
- flexibility of spirit
- flicker of recognition
- flight of fancy
- flood of hatred
- flourish of manner
- flower of life
- fluctuation of fortune
- flush of youth
- flutter of expectation
- fog of sentimentalism
- force of conviction
- forest of faces
- form of captiousness
- fountain of learning
- fragment of conversation
- frame of mind
- frankness of manner
- freak of fancy
- freedom of enterprise
- frenzy of pursuit
- freshness of feeling
- frigidity of address
- frivolity of tone
- frown of meditation
- fulfilment of purpose
- fulness of time
- fury of resentment
- futility of pride
G - gaiety of spirit
- gales of laughter
- garb of thought
- garlands of roses
- gateway of fancy
- gem of truth
- genuineness of sentiment
- gesture of despair
- gift of repartee
- glamor of sensationalism
- glare of scrutiny
- gleam of light
- glib of speech
- glimmer of suspicion
- glory of salvation
- glow of enthusiasm
- gorgeousness of coloring
- grace of simplicity
- gradations of outrage
- grandeur of outline
- grasp of comprehension
- gravity of manner
- greatness of nature
- greed of office
- grimace of disappointment
- grimness of spirit
- grip of attention
- groundwork of melancholy
- growth of experience
- guide of aspiration
- gulf of incongruity
- gust of laughter
H - harbor of refuge
- harvest of regrets
- haven of rest
- haze of distance
- heat of enthusiasm
- height of absurdity
- hint of bitterness
- hopeful of success
- horizon of life
- horror of solitude
- hubbub of talk
- hue of divinity
- hum of pleasure
- hush of suspense
I - ideals of excellence
- idol of society
- illusion of youth
- immensity of extent
- immolation of genius
- impatient of restraint
- impetuosity of youth
- implacability of resentment
- impotent of ideas
- impress of individuality
- impulse of enthusiasm
- imputation of eccentricity
- incapable of veracity
- independence of mind
- index of character
- indolence of temperament
- indulgence of vanity
- inequality of treatment
- infinity of height
- infirmity of temper
- infusion of hatred
- inheritance of honor
- insensibility of danger
- insolence of office
- inspiration of genius
- instability of purpose
- instrument of expression
- integrity of mind
- intensity of faith
- interchange of ideas
- interval of leisure
- intoxication of vanity
- intrepidity of youth
- intuition of immortality
- invasion of thought
- irony of life
J - jangle of sounds
- jargon of philosophy
- jumble of facts
- justness of decision
K - keenness of intellect
- kernel of truth
- key of knowledge
- keynote of success
- king of finance
- kinship of humanity
L - lack of restraint
- languor of nature
- lapse of time
- laws of decorum
- laxity of mind
- legacy of thought
- liberty of conscience
- light of experience
- limit of endurance
- link of sequence
- loftiness of spirit
- look of dominance
- loophole of escape
- love of approbation
- lust of conquest
- lustihood of youth
- luxuriance of expression
M - magnanimity of mind
- majesty of despair
- man of iron
- mantle of verdure
- martyrdom of ambition
- marvel of competency
- mask of flippancy
- mass of mediocrity
- master of phrasing
- maze of words
- measure of absurdity
- minister of vengeance
- minuteness of description
- miracle of miracles
- mists of criticism
- modesty of reserve
- moment of lassitude
- monster of ingratitude
- monstrosities of character
- mood of tranquillity
- muddle of motives
- multitude of details
- mummery of words
- murmur of satisfaction
- mutations of time
- myriads of stars
- mysteries of taste
N - narrowness of range
- nebulae of romance
- nectar of enjoyment
- neglect of duty
- niceties of difference
- nightingale of affection
- nobility of purpose
- note of triumph
O - obduracy of mind
- object of contempt
- obligation of loyalty
- obliquity of vision
- obscurity of twilight
- ocean of eloquence
- omission of fact
- onrush of life
- onsets of temptation
- openness of mind
- opulence of detail
- orgy of lying
- ornaments of eloquence
- outbreak of hostilities
- outburst of tears
- outflow of sympathy
- outposts of morality
- overflow of vitality
P - page of desolation
- pageant of life
- pang of regret
- parade of erudition
- passion of patriotism
- passivity of mind
- pattern of virtue
- peals of laughter
- pendulum of opinion
- pensiveness of feeling
- perils of fortune
- period of lassitude
- perturbation of mind
- perversity of chance
- pests of society
- petrifaction of egoism
- phantom of delight
- phase of belief
- physiognomy of nature
- piece of pedantry
- pinions of eloquence
- pinnacle of favor
- pit of oblivion
- plainness of speech
- play of fancy
- plea of urgency
- plenitude of power
- point of view
- poise of mind
- policy of severity
- portent of danger
- power of imagination
- precipice of stupefaction
- precision of phrase
- prerogative of age
- presence of mind
- pressure of expediency
- presumption of doubt
- prey of fancy
- pride of life
- process of effacement
- profundity of thought
- profusion of argument
- progress of events
- promptings of reason
- propriety of action
- provocative of scorn
- puff of applause
- pulse of life
- purity of diction
- pursuit of knowledge
- puzzledom of life
Q - quagmire of distrust
- qualities of leadership
- qualm of conscience
- question of honor
- quickness of apprehension
- quivering of pain
R - radiance of morning
- range of experience
- rashness of intention
- ravages of time
- ray of hope
- reaches of achievement
- realities of life
- realm of peace
- rebound of fascination
- rectitude of soul
- redress of grievances
- redundance of words
- refinement of style
- reins of life
- relish of beauty
- remorse of guilt
- residue of truth
- resoluteness of conviction
- resource of expression
- restraint of speech
- revel of imagination
- revulsion of feeling
- richness of outline
- riddle of existence
- ridicule of ignorance
- riot of words
- ripeness of wisdom
- roars of exultation
- robe of humility
- robustness of mind
- root of individuality
- round of platitudes
- rush of agony
- rust of neglect
- ruts of conventionality
S - sadness of soul
- sanguine of success
- sanity of judgment
- savoring of quackery
- scantiness of resources
- scarves of smoke
- school of adversity
- scrap of knowledge
- scruple of conscience
- searchlight of truth
- semblance of composure
- sensation of pity
- sense of urgency
- sentiment of disapprobation
- sequence of events
- serenity of mind
- severity of style
- shackles of civilization
- shade of doubt
- shadow of truth
- shallowness of thought
- shock of apprehension
- shouts of approval
- shower of abuse
- shriek of wrath
- shuttle of life
- sigh of wind
- singleness of purpose
- slave of malice
- slough of ignorance
- slumber of death
- smile of raillery
- solace of adversity
- soul of generosity
- source of renown
- spark of perception
- species of despotism
- spell of emotion
- sphere of influence
- spice of caricature
- splendor of imagination
- spur of necessity
- start of uneasiness
- stateliness of movement
- sting of satire
- stolidity of sensation
- storehouse of facts
- storm of criticism
- stream of humanity
- stress of life
- string of episodes
- stroke of fate
- substratum of belief
- subtlety of intellect
- succession of events
- suggestion of fancy
- sum of happiness
- summit of misery
- sunshine of life
- supremacy of good
- surface of events
- surfeit of verbiage
- surge of pathos
- suspense of judgment
- suspicion of flattery
- sweep of landscape
- symbol of admiration
- system of aspersion
T - taint of megalomania
- tardiness of speech
- task of conciliation
- tempest of passion
- tenacity of execution
- tenderness of sentiment
- term of reproach
- threshold of consciousness
- thrift of time
- thrill of delight
- throb of compunction
- throng of sensations
- tide of humanitarianism
- timid of innovation
- tincture of depreciation
- tinge of mockery
- tissue of misrepresentations
- tolerant of folly
- tone of severity
- top of ambition
- torrent of fervor
- totality of effect
- touch of severity
- touchstone of genius
- trace of bitterness
- tradition of mankind
- train of disasters
- trait of cynicism
- trance of delight
- transport of enthusiasm
- trappings of wisdom
- trend of consciousness
- tribute of admiration
- trick of fancy
- tumult of applause
- turmoil of controversy
- turn of events
- twilight of elderliness
- twinge of envy
U - unity of purpose
- universality of experience
V - vagrancy of thought
- valley of misfortune
- vanguard of progress
- vehemence of manner
- vehicle of intercourse
- veil of futurity
- vein of snobbishness
- velocity of movement
- vestige of regard
- vicissitudes of life
- vision of splendor
- vividness of memory
- voice of ambition
- void of authority
- volume of trade
- vow of allegiance
W - warmth of temperament
- waste of opportunity
- wave of depression
- wealth of meaning
- weariness of sorrow
- web of villainy
- weight of argument
- whiff of irritation
- whirl of delight
- whirligig of life
- whirlwind of words
- wilderness of perplexities
- wiles of innocence
- word of opprobrium
- work of supererogation
- world of fantasy
- worthy of mention
- y
- yoke of convention
Z - zest of enjoyment
- zone of delusion
Preposition "by"
A - affected by externals
- allayed by sympathy
- animated by victory
- appraised by fashion
- assailed by conscience
- attained by effort
- avert by prayer
B - ballasted by brains
- beset by difficulties
- bound by opinion
- branded by defeat
C - characterized by discretion
- chastened by sorrow
- cheek by jowl
- circulated by malice
- clogged by insincerity
- colored by environment
- condemned by posterity
- confirmed by habit
- consoled by prayer
- convinced by argument
- convulsed by divisions
D - darkened by shadows
- dazzled by fame
- depraved by pain
- devoured by curiosity
- disgusted by servility
- driven by remorse
E - embarrassed by timidity
- encouraged by success
- enfeebled by age
- enforced by action
- enjoined by religion
- enriched by gifts
- established by convention
- evoked by shame
F - fascinated, by mystery
- favored by fortune
- fettered by systems
- fired by wrath
- forbid by authority
- fortified by faith
G - governed by precedent
- guided by instinct
H - haunted by visions
- hushed by denial
I - impelled by duty
- inculcated by practise
- induced by misrepresentation
- influenced by caution
- inspired by love
L - learned by rote
M - marked by acuteness
- measured by years
N - narrowed by custom
O - occasioned by irritation
- oppressed by destiny
- p
- parched by disuse
- persuaded by appeal
- portray by words
- prescribed by custom
- prevented by chance
- prompted by coquetry
- purged by sorrow
R - racked by suffering
- refuted by reason
- repelled by censure
- restrained by violence
- rising by industry
S - sanctioned by experience
- shaped by tradition
- soured by misfortune
- stung by derision
- supplanted by others
- supported by evidence
T - thwarted by fortune
- tempered by charity
- tormented by jealousy
- tortured by doubt
U - unadorned by artifice
- undaunted by failure
- undetermined by sorrow
- undone by treachery
- unfettered by fear
- urged by curiosity
V - vitalized by thought
W - won by aggression
- worn by time
- wrenched by emotions
Preposition "in"
A - absorbed in meditation
- affable in manner
- atone in measure
B - barren in intellect
- basking in sunshine
- buried in solitude
C - call in question
- clothed in truth
- cloying in sweetness
- confident in opinion
- confute in argument
- contemplative in aspect
- cumbrous in style
D - deficient in insight
- delight in learning
- deterioration in quality
- difference in detail
- diligent in application
- diminish in respect
- dwarfed in numbers
E - end in smoke
- enumerate in detail
- experienced in duplicity
F - feeble in influence
- fertile in consequence
- flourish in luxuriance
- founded in truth
G - gaze in astonishment
- go in pursuit
- graceful in proportion
- grievously in error
H - hold in bondage
I - immersed in thought
- indulge in reverie
- inferior in character
- influential in society
- ingenuity in planning
- instance in point
- involved in obscurity
K - kept in abeyance
L - landmarks in memory
- languish in obscurity
- lie in wait
- limited in scope
- linger in expectation
- listen in amazement
- lost in awe
- lower in estimation
- luxuriant in fancy
M - monstrous in dulness
- mysterious in origin
N - noble in amplitude
- nursed in luxury
O - organized in thought
P - petulant in expression
- plead in vain
- pleasing in outline
- plunged in darkness
- positive in judgment
- practical in application
- pride in success
- protest in vain
- pursued in leisure
Q - quick in suggestion
R - ready in resource
- recoiling in terror
- remote in character
- revel in danger
- rich in variety
- rooted in prejudice
S - schooled in self-restraint
- scrupulous in conduct
- set in motion
- skilled in controversy
- sound in theory
- stammer in confusion
- stricken in years
- strides in civilization
- striking in character
- stunted in growth
T - tender in sentiment
U - unique in literature
- unity in diversity
- unprecedented in kind
V - versed in knowledge
W - wallow in idolatry
- wanting in dignity
- waver in purpose
- weak in conception
Preposition "into"
A - abashed into silence
B - beguile into reading
- betray into speech
- blending into harmony
- bring into disrepute
- bullied into silence
- burn into memory
- burst into view
C - call into question
- carry into conflict
- chill into apathy
- coming into vogue
- cringe into favor
- crumbled into dust
- crystallized into action
D - dash into fragments
- deepen into confusion
- degenerate into monotony
- deluded into believing
- descent into death
- dissolve into nothingness
- dragged into pursuit
- drawn into controversy
- dribbling into words
- driven into servitude
- dulled into acquiescence
E - electrify into activity
- elevated into importance
- enquire into precedents
- enter into controversy
- expand into weakness
F - fade into insignificance
- fall into decay
- fashion into festoons
- flame into war
- flower into sympathy
- forced into action
- frozen into form
- fuse into unity
G - galvanize into life
- go into raptures
- goaded into action
H - hushed into silence
I - incursions into controversy
- insight into truth
- inveigled into dispute
K - kindle into action
L - lapse into pedantry
- lash into silence
- launch into disapproval
- lead into captivity
- leap into currency
- lulled into indifference
M - melt into space
- merge into character
- p
- pass into oblivion
- plunge into despair
- pour into print
Q - quicken into life
R - relapse into savagery
- rendered into music
- resolve into nothingness
- retreat into silence
- ripened into love
- rush into print
S - shocked into attention
- sink into insignificance
- smitten into ice
- snubbed into quiescence
- stricken into silence
- summoned into being
- swollen into torrents
T - take into account
- thrown into disorder
- transform into beauty
- translated into fact
U - usher into society
V - vanish into mystery
W - wander into digression
- wheedled into acquiescence
- withdraw into solitude
Preposition "to"
A - addicted to flattery
- adherence to principle
- affect to believe
- akin to truth
- alive to opportunity
- allied to virtue
- amenable to reason
- aspire to rule
- attempt to suppress
- aversion to publicity
B - blind to demonstration
- brought to repentance
C - claim to perpetuity
- come to nothing
- committed to righteousness
- common to humanity
- conducive to happiness
- conformable to fact
- consigned to oblivion
- constrained to speak
- contribution to knowledge
D - deaf to entreaty
- dedicated to friendship
- deference to custom
- devoted to ideals
- disposed to cavil
- doomed to destruction
- driven to despair
- dwarf to unimportance
E - empowered to act
- endeared to all
- excite to pity
- exposed to derision
F - fly to platitudes
- foredoomed to failure
G - given to extravagance
- ground to atoms
H - harassed to death
- hostile to progress
I - impervious to suggestion
- impossible to reconcile
- impotent to save
- incentive to devotion
- incitement to anger
- inclined to vascillate
- indifference to truth
- intent to deceive
- intolerable to society
- inured to fatigue
- invocation to sleep
L - laugh to scorn
- left to conjecture
- lost to remembrance
O - obedience to conscience
- oblivious to criticism
- offensive to modesty
- open to reason
- opposed to innovation
- p
- pander to prejudice
- pertaining to fashion
- prone to melancholy
- propose to undertake
- provoke to laughter
- put to confusion
R - recourse to falsehood
- reduced to impotence
- related to eternity
- repeat to satiety
- repugnant to justice
- requisite to success
- resort to violence
- run to seed
S - seek to overawe
- serve to embitter
- spur to action
- stimulus to ambition
- stirred to remonstrance
- subject to scrutiny
- succumb to fascination
- superior to circumstances
- susceptible to argument
T - temptation to doubt
- tend to frustrate
- trust to chance
U - utilize to advantage
V - venture to say
- vital to success
W - wedded to antiquity
Y - yield to reason
Preposition "with"
A - abounding with plenty
- accord with nature
- act with deliberation
- adorn with beauty
- afflict with ugliness
- aflame with life
- allied with economy
- anticipate with delight
- ascertain with exactness
- attended with danger
B - beam with self-approval
- behave with servility
- big with fate
- blinded with tears
- blush with shame
- branded with cowardice
- bubbling with laughter
- burn with indignation
C - cling with tenacity
- clothe with authority
- compatible with freedom
- comply with tradition
- conceal with difficulty
- consistent with facts
- covered with ignominy
- crush with sorrow
D - deny with emphasis
- depressed with fear
- dispense with formality
- distort with passion
E - echo with merriment
- endow with intelligence
- endued with faith
- endure with fortitude
- examine with curiosity
F - face with indifference
- flushed with pride
- fraught with peril
- furious with indignation
G - glowing with delight
I - imbued with courage
- incompatible with reason
- inconsistent with beauty
- inflamed with rage
- inspired with patriotism
- intoxicated with joy
K - kindle with enthusiasm
L - laugh with glee
M - meet with rebuke
- mingled with curiosity
- move with alacrity
O - oppressed with hardship
- overcome with shyness
- overflowing with love
- overhung with gloom
P - performed with regularity
- pervaded with grandeur
- proceed with alertness
- punish with severity
Q - quicken with pride
- quiver with anxiety
R - radiant with victory
- regard with loathing
- relate with zest
- repel with indignation
S - saddle with responsibility
- scream with terror
- scrutinize with care
- seething with sedition
- sick with dread
- sob with anguish
- squirm with delight
- suffuse with spirituality
T - tainted with fraud
- teeming with life
- tense with expectancy
- thrill with excitement
- throb with vitality
- tinged with romance
- touched with feeling
- treat with contempt
- tremble with fear
U - unmixed with emotion
- utter with sarcasm
V - vibrant with feeling
- view with awe
W - wield with power
- work with zeal