Common Verb–Preposition Combinations in Legal English
Discover the essential common verb–preposition combinations in Legal English with detailed explanations and interactive exercises to enhance your legal speaking, reading, and writing.
Many English verbs are conventionally followed by particular prepositions. It's usually best to learn these common verb–preposition combinations in Legal English as complete expressions.
Expression | Example |
Comply with | The company must comply with the reporting requirements. |
Object to | The defendant objected to the admission of the evidence. |
Apply for | The claimant applied for an injunction. |
Appeal against | The company appealed against the decision. |
Rely on | The attorney relied on the witness's testimony. |
Consist of | The settlement consists of three separate payments. |
Result in | The breach resulted in financial losses. |
Result from | The losses resulted from the breach. |
Belong to | The documents belong to the client. |
Refer to | The clause refers to the payment schedule. |
Provide for | The agreement provides for annual reviews. |
Agree to | The parties agreed to the proposed amendment. |
Agree on | The parties agreed on the final payment amount. |
Enter into | The parties entered into a settlement agreement. |
Attribute to | The report attributed the delay to administrative errors. |
Pay particular attention to result in and result from.
The breach resulted in financial losses. The breach caused the losses.
The financial losses resulted from the breach. The losses were caused by the breach.
The facts are the same, but the grammatical focus changes.
Also distinguish agree to from agree on. The former often introduces a proposal, term, or action accepted by the parties; the latter identifies the subject on which they reached agreement.
Training Exercise: Common Verb–Preposition Combinations in Legal English
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