IELTS & PTE lesson · Vocabulary

IELTS & PTE Dependent Prepositions Vocabulary notesPrepositions that stick to their words

Learn the whole pair, never the small word. This IELTS & PTE lesson is a deck of 9 visual cards from BandLadder's own study library, written and fact-checked by our team.
  • 9 cards
  • Free to read online
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  • Updated 30 September 2026

Original BandLadder material

What's inside

Along the way you get worked examples with the key words marked, before-and-after fixes that show why the first version loses marks, a one-page visual summary, word cards with meanings and examples (depend on, contribute to, benefit from and result in / result from), a quick check to test yourself and a recap of the rules to remember. Each card holds one idea, so you can read it on a phone between practice sessions.

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The first 3 of 9 cards

Preview

  1. IELTS · PTEVocabulary · Dependent prepositions

    Right word, wrong little word

    the preposition belongs to the word

    The big word is right. The small word after it isn't. Meaning doesn't choose it: the word before does.

    The town depends ofdepends on tourism, the council is responsible ofresponsible for the harbour, and owners are afraid fromafraid of a fall in visitors.

    Three right words, three wrong partners.

    © 2026 BandLadder · original material1 / 9
  2. IELTS · PTEVocabulary · Dependent prepositions

    One word, one fixed partner

    verbs, adjectives and nouns all do it

    KindFixed pairTry it with
    verbdepend onthe weather
    verblead tocomplaints
    adjectiveaware ofthe risk
    adjectiveinterested incycling
    nouna reason forthe delay
    nouna solution tothe queues

    The word before picks the preposition, not the meaning. Learn each pair whole.

    © 2026 BandLadder · original material2 / 9
  3. IELTS · PTEVocabulary · Dependent prepositions

    Verbs that trip people up

    say the pair, never the verb alone

    • depend onbe decided by

      Crop yields depend on the weather.

      rely oncount on
    • contribute tohelp to cause

      Cheap flights contribute to rising emissions.

      lead toadd to
    • benefit fromgain something good

      Small shops benefit from lower rents.

      profit from
    © 2026 BandLadder · original material3 / 9
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9 cards

Contents

  1. 1Right word, wrong little wordthe preposition belongs to the wordIn the preview
  2. 2One word, one fixed partnerverbs, adjectives and nouns all do itIn the preview
  3. 3Verbs that trip people upsay the pair, never the verb aloneIn the preview
  4. 4One verb, two little wordsboth are correct: the context decidesFree account
  5. 5In a Task 2 paragraphfive pairs, all fixedFree account
  6. 6In a PTE gap-fillread the word before the gapFree account
  7. 7Two wrong partnerskeep the word, change the little wordFree account
  8. 8Your turnonly one set of partners is rightFree account
  9. 9Save thisthe preposition checklistFree account

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Is the Prepositions that stick to their words lesson free?+

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The PDF download comes with any BandLadder plan. Free accounts read the lesson online in the study reader, on the web and in the app.

Who wrote this lesson?+

The BandLadder team wrote and checked it. It is original BandLadder material, not copied from books or other websites, and its exam facts are checked against the official IELTS and PTE pages.

Is it for IELTS or PTE?+

Both. The lesson is in the IELTS and the PTE study library, so it opens whichever exam you prepare for.

IELTS is a registered trademark of the University of Cambridge, the British Council and IDP Education Australia. PTE is a trademark of Pearson. BandLadder is not affiliated with either.

© 2026 BandLadder. Written and checked by the BandLadder team. You may quote or cite this page with credit to BandLadder and a link to it; republishing it in full needs our written permission. Content use policy

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