ABSTRACT
13.0. A great many verbs can be constructed either with an object or with a preposition (plus its object). In the latter case we may say that the object is governed by the whole composite phrase consisting of the verb and the preposition. The meaning of the two constructions is sometimes identical or nearly so, but in some cases there is a marked difference, and not infrequently the preposition serves to make the whole expression more graphic. A complete treatment of this subject would fill a whole volume, and the reader must be referred to the big dictionaries to supplement the following remarks.
