132 : Verb + preposition 1 to and at

   A   

Verb + to

 

 

talk / speak TO somebody (with is also possible but less usual)

• Who was that man you were talking to?

 

 

listen TO ...

• We spent the evening listening to music. (not listening music)

 

 

apologise TO somebody (for ... )

• They apologised to me for what happened. (not They apologised me)

 

 

explain something TO somebody

• Can you explain this word to me? (not explain me this word)

 

 

explain / describe (to somebody) what/how/why ...

• I explained to them why I was worried. (not I explained them)
• Let me describe to you what I saw. (not Let me describe you)

 

 

   B   

We do not use to with these verbs:

 

 

phone / call / email / text somebody

• I called the airline to cancel my flight. (not called to the airline)

 

but  write (a letter) to somebody

 

 

answer somebody/something

• He refused to answer my question. (not answer to my question)

 

but  reply to an email / a letter etc.

 

 

ask somebody

• Can I ask you a question? (not ask to you)

 

 

thank somebody (for something)

• He thanked me for helping him. (not He thanked to me)

 

 

   C   

Verb + at

 

 

look / stare / glance AT ... , have a look / take a look AT ...

• Why are you looking at me like that ?

 

 

laugh AT ...

• I look stupid with this haircut. Everybody will laugh at me.

 

 

aim / point (something) AT ... , shoot / fire (a gun) AT ...

• Don't point that knife at me. It's dangerous.
• We saw someone with a gun shooting at birds, but he didn't hit any.

 

 

   D   

Some verbs can be followed by at or to, with a difference in meaning. For example:

 

 

shout AT somebody (when you are angry)

• He got very angry and started shouting at me.

 

 

shout TO somebody (so that they can hear you)

• He shouted to me from the other side of the street.

 

 

throw something AT somebody/something (in order to hit them)

• Somebody threw an egg at the minister.

 

 

throw something TO somebody (for somebody to catch)

• Lisa shouted 'Catch!' and threw the keys to me from the window.

 

 

 

 

※ glance :

 

 

 

He glanced down her body.

 

She glanced at him.

 

 

 

 

glance : 힐끗보다, 훑어보다

 

1. to look quickly at something/somebody

• She glanced at her watch.
• He glanced around the room.
• I glanced up quickly to see who had come in.

 

2. to read something quickly and not carefully or completely (= scan)

glance at/down/over/through something

• I only had time to glance at my emails.
• He glanced briefly down the list of names.
• She glanced through the report.

 

 

 

※ peer, stare, gaze, glare