Let’s go over the different ways that we can use the preposition “with”.
1. “With” can have the same meaning as “together” but the sentence pattern is different.
- I study with Mark.
(=Mark and I study together.) - Mary came with her boyfriend.
(=Mary and her boyfriend came together.) - He eats dinner with his family.
- He had a fight with his father.
“With” has the same meaning as “together with”.
- She watched a movie with her friend.
(=She watched a movie together with her friend.)
2. We can use “with” to mean having, wearing, or carrying something.
- The woman with the pink bag is my wife.
- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a great book.
- He looked at her with an angry expression.
- The man with the red tie is my father.
3. We can use “with” when we are talking about using something.
- Write your essay with a pen.
- Cut it with a knife.
- I am good with computers.
4. “With” can be used to describe what fills or covers something.
- My boots were covered with dirt.
- His face was covered with chocolate.
- The bag is filled with money.
5. “With” can have a similar meaning as “concerning” or “about”.
- Please be careful with the vase. It is fragile.
- Are you angry with her?
- Are you pleased with the results?
6. “With” can mean something is included together with something else.
- The hamburger comes with French fries.
- If you buy this shirt, it comes with a free bag.
- The computer came with this program.
7. We can use “with” to show in what manner or how something was done.
- She sleeps with the lights on.
- He acted with great bravery.
- They acted with contempt.
8. “With” can mean because of something or as it happens.
- Wisdom comes with time.
- You will get better with time.
- Skill comes with practice.
9. “With” can mean in the same direction. This is similar to the word “together”.
- The log floated down the river with the current.
- I always go with the flow.
- I didn’t know where to go. So, I went with the crowd.
Now, let’s look at some common verbs and adjectives that are used with “with”. (Yes, I know…with “with”.) These are all used a lot in English, so you should memorize all of these and practice using them.
Verb + with
| collide with | fill with | cover with |
| provide (somebody) with | supply (somebody) with | pair with |
- The car collided with a bus.
- She filled the bag with sand.
- My clothes were covered in mud.
- The government provided the students with free textbooks.
- We will supply you with everything you need to succeed.
Adjective + with
| angry with | furious with | upset with |
| delighted with | pleased with | satisfied with |
| impressed with | fed up with | bored with |
| happy with | disappointed with | crowded with |
Note: We use words like “happy, delighted, pleased, satisfied, disappointed + with” when we are talking about something we receive or the results of something.
- The teacher was angry with the students.
- I was furious with her.
- We were upset with the results.
- My mother was delighted with her present.
- We were pleased with the first quarter sales numbers.
- My wife is satisfied with our relationship. I think.
- I was impressed with their effort.
- She is fed up with her lazy coworkers.
- He is bored with school.
- I am happy with my test results.
- We are disappointed with your recent performance.
- The street was crowded with people.
Prepositions are one of the hardest things for people who are learning English to master. But you should not worry about prepositions too much. Most times, if you make a mistake with a presentation, the other person can still understand what you are saying. However, if you want to be an excellent or fluent English speaker, then you must know when you use the correct English preposition. It will take time to master English prepositions, but if you study these lessons and come back to review them often, then you will gain a better understanding of how and when to use each English preposition.
It is also important to remember that sometimes multiple prepositions can be used in the same place and the sentence or question has the same meaning. But sometimes, changing just the preposition can completely change the meaning of the sentence or question.
