Adjectives and prepositions

Adjectives and prepositions

Do you know how to use adjectives with prepositions like interested in or similar to? Test what you know with interactive exercises and read the explanation to help you.

Look at these examples to see how adjectives are used with prepositions.

I'm interested in the idea.
My jacket is similar to yours.
She's brilliant at maths.
My neighbour is angry about the party.

Try this exercise to test your grammar.

Grammar test 1

Grammar test 1: Adjectives and prepositions

Read the explanation to learn more.

Grammar explanation

Some adjectives go with certain prepositions. There are no grammatical rules for which preposition is used with which adjective, so it's a good idea to try to learn them together. To help you do this, write new vocabulary in your notebook in a sentence or phrase.

However, there are some patterns that can help you. Let's look at them first. Remember that a preposition is followed by a noun or a gerund (-ing form).

With at

We use at with adjectives like good/bad/amazing/brilliant/terrible, etc. to talk about skills and abilities.

He's really good at English.
She's amazing at the piano.
They're terrible at organising anything.
I'm not very good at drawing.

With about

We often use about with adjectives of feelings like angry/excited/happy/nervous/sad/stressed/worried, etc. to explain what is causing that feeling.

I'm angry about the decision.
He's nervous about the presentation.
She's excited about the new job.
They were worried about the exam.

With of

However, sometimes we use of with feelings.

She was afraid of telling her mum.
I'm frightened of having an accident.
He's scared of flying.
You should be proud of your progress.

With to

We can use to to show the connection between people or things.

He's married to the director.
I'm addicted to my phone.
I'm allergic to nuts.
It's similar to the old one.

We can also use to to talk about someone's behaviour towards someone else.

They were really friendly to me.
Was he nice to you?
He is always polite to everyone.
She was very rude to the waitress.

Here are some other useful adjectives with prepositions.

With for

Exercise is good for you.
Stress is bad for you.
The town is famous for its cheese.
I'm responsible for the financial side of the business.

With in

She's interested in the project.
They want someone who's experienced in design.
I didn't want to get involved in the argument.

Do this exercise to test your grammar again.

Grammar test 2

Grammar test 2: Adjectives and prepositions

Average: 4.5 (451 votes)

Submitted by Alexandre Goh on Mon, 20/04/2020 - 08:43

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Good way to brush up my rusty grammar, thank you!

Submitted by Sawsana237 on Thu, 16/04/2020 - 22:25

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thank you , but i think you should clarify the mistakes in the test

Hello Sawsana237,

I'm not sure what you mean here. If you mean that there are errors in the test then please let us know. If you mean that you would like to have your answers corrected then you can check your answers by clicking 'Finish' and then 'Show answers' at the bottom of the tast.

 

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Submitted by Ahmed shady on Thu, 16/04/2020 - 20:40

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Very good activities However, i have a question . at which level may i start the Ielts 4 parts practice .

Hello Ahmed shady,

There is no level requirement. I suggest you try the material we have in our IELTS section and see how accessible and helpful it is for you.

Please also vist the British Council's dedicated IELTS site, which has practice materials (in the section on preparation) and advice. I'm sure you'll find it useful.

https://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/

 

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

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Submitted by Phyu Phyu San on Wed, 15/04/2020 - 07:28

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After finished this lesson I recognize I need to study more regarding grammar..Thank you.

Submitted by Tvisha Shukla on Wed, 15/04/2020 - 02:58

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Are you a beginner (CEFR A1) or pre-intermediate (CEFR A2) learner of English? My question is why ''a'' is used infront of beginner and not infront of pre-intermediate. Thank you.

Hello Tvisha Shukla,

The article is missed out to avoid repetition:

Are you a beginner or a pre-intermediate student of English?

 

In fact, if you think about that sentence you'll see that more words are omitted to avoid repetition:

Are you a beginner student of English or a pre-intermediate student of English?

 

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team