TOEIC Link Part 5: Verb + Preposition Collocations

A specific slice of Part 5 questions gives you a verb already in place and asks you to choose the preposition that follows it: _The results depend __ several factors. There is no grammar rule that derives the answer — depend on is simply the fixed partnership English uses. These are collocations, and the test recycles the same business-context pairings over and over. This guide gives you the rule of the game, the highest-frequency pairs, and a method for the ones you cannot reason your way to.

Why these questions feel different

Most Part 5 grammar items reward analysis: find the subject, check the tense, match the number. Collocation questions punish over-analysis. There is no logical reason consist takes of rather than from — it just does. The preposition is locked to the verb by convention, so the skill being tested is recognition, not reasoning.

That changes your strategy. When you spot a verb followed by a blank with four prepositions beneath it, stop looking for a rule and ask instead: which preposition have I seen glued to this verb before? If the answer comes instantly, trust it. If it does not, you are in memorization territory, covered at the end of this guide.

High-frequency pairs the test loves

These collocations appear constantly in TOEIC Link business contexts. Group them by their preposition so the patterns stick.

With on: depend on, rely on, focus on, base on, comment on, insist on, congratulate on.

The launch date depends on the vendor's confirmation. Management chose to focus on core markets this year.

With of: consist of, approve of, accuse of, remind of, dispose of.

The committee consists of five regional directors. Please dispose of outdated files by Friday.

With to: refer to, respond to, contribute to, object to, adhere to, subscribe to.

The figures refer to last quarter's revenue. All staff must adhere to the safety protocol.

With for: apply for, account for, compensate for, search for, allow for.

Shipping delays account for the lower numbers. The budget should allow for unexpected costs.

With with: comply with, cope with, deal with, interfere with, cooperate with, provide with.

Suppliers must comply with the new regulations. The team will cooperate with the auditors.

With in: result in, succeed in, specialize in, invest in, participate in.

The merger resulted in significant savings. The firm specializes in corporate law.

With from: benefit from, suffer from, refrain from, recover from, differ from.

Small businesses benefit from the tax credit. Please refrain from using the elevator during the drill.

The trap: a verb that takes different prepositions

Some verbs change meaning with the preposition, and the test exploits this. Apply for a job is not apply to a school is not apply oneself to a task. The distractors are all real collocations — they are just wrong for this sentence's meaning.

She will apply for the manager position. (seek a job) The discount applies to all members. (be relevant to)

When two of the four options form valid pairs with the verb, the meaning of the sentence breaks the tie. Read the full clause and ask which partnership matches the situation.

When it overlaps with phrasal verbs

A verb-plus-preposition pairing can look like a phrasal verb, and sometimes the line blurs. The practical difference for Part 5: in a true collocation the verb keeps its plain meaning (rely on = trust), while a phrasal verb often takes on an idiomatic meaning you cannot predict from the parts (call off = cancel). If the answer seems to depend on an idiomatic shift in meaning, treat it with the strategy in our guide on phrasal verbs instead.

A method for the ones you don't know

You will eventually meet a verb whose preposition you have not memorized. Use these fallbacks in order:

1. Say it aloud in your head. Native-like collocations often sound right because you have absorbed them from reading. Trust a strong instinct.
2. Eliminate by meaning. Cross out any preposition that produces an impossible reading, even if you are unsure of the rest.
3. Recall a sentence, not a rule. Try to remember any sentence you have read that used this verb. The preposition usually comes with it.
4. Build a personal list. Every collocation you miss in practice goes on a running list. These pairings are finite and high-frequency, so a list of even forty verbs covers most of what the test asks.

Because these questions reward exposure rather than logic, the fastest way to improve is volume: read business English, notice the preposition that travels with each verb, and the partnerships start to feel automatic. For the broader logic of which preposition signals time versus place when no verb is forcing the choice, see prepositions of time and place.

Quick checklist

When a Part 5 blank sits between a verb and its object:

1. Recognize it as a collocation question — stop hunting for a grammar rule.
2. Recall the preposition glued to that verb from prior reading.
3. If two options both fit the verb, let the sentence's meaning decide.
4. Log any miss to a personal collocation list and review it weekly.

These items are pure recognition, so they are the easiest points to bank once you have built the exposure — and the easiest to lose if you try to reason them out.