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 (469 votes)

Submitted by Tvisha Shukla on Thu, 15/10/2020 - 05:23

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Good afternoon, I had a question about "at" and "in". For example: (1)I am good at math (2) I am good in math I read here "at" is used with good/ bad etc to talk about skills and abilities. In the second sentence I mean the subject math. Which one is correct? Thank you

Hello Tvisha Shukla,

We use 'at' when we are talking about skills and abilities, including academic subjects, so we would say 'at math' rather than 'in math'.

 

You can use 'in' if you are talking about 'math lessons', but then we would not say 'good' but rather something more specific like 'I work hard' or 'I get good grades' etc.

 

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Submitted by Wai Myo Aung on Tue, 13/10/2020 - 05:27

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Thanks, a lot BC.

Submitted by Sheikh MD Sazi… on Mon, 12/10/2020 - 15:25

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May I get any pdf file for this lesson?

Hi Sheikh MD Sazidul Islam,

Sorry :( We don't have a pdf of this page at the moment. 

Best wishes,

Jonathan

The LearnEnglish Team

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Submitted by Aung Ko Latt on Thu, 08/10/2020 - 15:52

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Hello BC! I'm new here from Myanmar. BC website is very useful for me. I'm really interested in English. I want to learn with 5.99 $ / mth payment. But, I don't have any credit/payment card to pay. How can I pay any other methods?
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Submitted by Kirk Moore on Fri, 09/10/2020 - 08:41

In reply to by Aung Ko Latt

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Hello Aung Ko Latt,

Welcome and thanks for getting in touch with us. I believe that a credit card is required to subscribe to LearnEnglish, but could you please ask this question on our Contact page? The team that will get your message might be able to help you more than I can.

Best wishes,

Kirk

The LearnEnglish Team

Submitted by Thu San on Sun, 11/10/2020 - 15:13

In reply to by Aung Ko Latt

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Hi Ko AKL, You can use KBZ / Aya / CB visa card. They accept it.

Submitted by Nurieta on Wed, 07/10/2020 - 21:27

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Hi! I want to say thanks! I´m so happy to learn English with you. It´s really enjoy. Thanks for all this information :)
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Submitted by saeidehabdolvand on Mon, 05/10/2020 - 13:39

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Hello I'm new here, Thank you(LearnEnglish Team). You are the best