verbprep

Verbprep, short for verb–preposition construction, is a term used in linguistics to describe sequences in which a verb subcategorizes for a specific preposition to introduce an oblique complement. The preposition often encodes a semantic relation between the verb's event and a participant or circumstance. Verbprep is closely tied to the verb’s valency and can constrain which nouns or clauses may occur with the verb.

Common examples in English include rely on, depend on, count on, account for, result in, look after, take care of, apologize for, and insist on. In these cases the verb appears with a fixed preposition that marks the relation between the event and its participants or circumstances. This contrasts with simple prepositional phrases that are not necessarily governed by the verb’s subcategorization frame. Verbprep constructions can be productive and also idiomatic, with some instances becoming lexicalized.

Syntactically, a verbprep construction typically involves a verb followed by a prepositional phrase whose preposition the verb selects. The head of the prepositional phrase (the preposition) jointly determines the semantic relation, such as source, goal, beneficiary, or manner. Some verbs allow multiple prepositions to convey related meanings, while others are restricted to a single preposition. The object of the preposition is usually an NP, though more complex complements may occur in extended constructions.

Cross-linguistically, verb–preposition patterns vary: some languages rely heavily on prepositions to express oblique arguments, while others use case marking or different subcategorization strategies. In language learning and natural language processing, verbprep frames pose challenges due to collocational idiosyncrasy and the need to recognize which prepositions are licensed by a given verb.

See also: prepositional verb, phrasal verb, subcategorization, valency.