This is an incomplete list of container and contents indicators; in general, they can be mixed and matched by careful use of 'by' (e.g. "X eating Y" = "Y eaten by X"). Not all possible forms are listed here, and you may encounter other verb conjugations and variants (such as "is eaten by" instead of "eaten by").
Many of these indicators double as hidden word indicators.
Containment indicators[]
These words may be used as "X <word> Y" to mean "Y inside X".
- about
- absorbing
- accepting
- accommodating
- acquiring
- admitting
- adopting
- around
- assimilating
- assuming
- astride
- bagging
- blocking
- boxing
- bracketing
- bringing in
- brought round
- capturing
- carrying
- catching
- circling
- clasping
- clutching
- collecting
- coming to grips with
- concealing
- consuming
- containing
- covering
- devouring
- drawing in
- eating
- embodying
- embracing
- encircling
- enclosing
- encompassing
- engulfing
- entertaining
- enthralling
- enveloping
- fencing
- flanking
- framing
- gathering
- getting around
- getting hold of
- getting round
- getting to grips with
- going about
- going around
- going round
- gobbling
- grabbing
- grasping
- gripping
- gulping
- harbouring
- hedging
- hiding
- holding
- hosting
- housing
- hugging
- imbibing
- imprisoning
- including
- incorporating
- in possession of
- keeping
- limiting
- locking up
- netting
- outside
- outside of
- over
- overshadowing
- penning
- pinching
- pocketing
- possessing
- protecting
- receiving
- restraining
- restricting
- retaining
- round
- sandwiching
- securing
- seen around
- seizing
- sheltering
- squeezing
- stowing
- stuffed with
- surrounding
- swallowing
- taking in
- touring
- transfixed by
- transporting
- trapping
- welcoming
- without
- wrapping
Insertion indicators[]
These words may be used as "X <word> Y" to mean "X inside Y".
- aboard
- amid
- amidst
- among
- amongst
- between
- bisecting
- breaking
- cleaving
- collected by
- cutting
- dividing
- during
- engaged in
- entering
- filling
- found in
- getting into
- going into
- held by
- held in
- imprisoned by
- in
- in between
- infiltrating
- inside
- intercepted by
- interrupting
- invested in
- involved in
- lining
- occupying
- parting
- penetrating
- piercing
- puncturing
- set in
- splitting
- tucking into
- wearing
- within