English for Today by Ganiu Abisoye Bamgbose (Dr GAB)

VERB THAT DO NOT ATTRACT PREPOSITIONS

The country ~comprises of~ 36 states (nonstandard).
The country comprises 36 states (standard).
Do not mistaken “comprise” for “consist” which should attract the preposition “of”.
The country consists of 36 states (standard).
Again, “comprise” can attract the preposition “of” if used in the passive sentence:
Nigeria is comprised of 36 states.

I ~demand for~ an explanation immediately (nonstandard).
I demand an explanation immediately (standard).
I make a demand for an explanation immediately (standard).

The man ~emphasised on~ the point before leaving (nonstandard).
The man emphasised the point before leaving (standard).
The man laid ~emphacy~ on the point before leaving (nonstandard).
The man laid emphasis on the point before leaving (standard).
Note that “emphacy” is not a word in English. It is the wrong form of “emphasis”.
GAB