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

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Submitted by Rose Lay on Tue, 12/01/2021 - 11:10

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I am not clear the usage of "to". It says that it connects people and things. He's married to the director. He is a person and the director is a person. So it seems like person and person. And the next one is "It's similar to the old one. It seems like thing and thing. Sorry for long questions. Please kindly explaine me if you are ok.

Hello Rose Lay,

We can use 'to' to connect people with other people, people with things, things with people, and things with things. Actually, 'to' can be used in many, many other ways as well. It's one of the most common words in the English language.

All the best,

Kirk

The LearnEnglish Team

Submitted by hamza yaser ab… on Sat, 09/01/2021 - 20:36

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thank you very much for this lessons

Submitted by Joselyn15 on Tue, 05/01/2021 - 02:04

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Thank you so much!

Submitted by sonlenfq on Mon, 04/01/2021 - 13:12

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This content is useful. Thank you a lot!

Submitted by Madhushree on Tue, 22/12/2020 - 17:49

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Thank you so much for put this grammar section. I like this and I believe I can learn more in this section.

Submitted by Maria19 on Mon, 21/12/2020 - 08:36

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Thank you for this grammar part.
Profile picture for user Hlaingbobo Win

Submitted by Hlaingbobo Win on Wed, 16/12/2020 - 04:21

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It's very good exercise. Thack you! I need to more exercise how do i get it?

Hello Hlaingbobo Win,

We're glad you found it useful! If you do an internet search for 'adjectives and prepositions exercises', I'm sure you can find a lot more. There are also lots of exercises on other pages on our site that cover this, but I'm afraid it's difficult for me to point you to them because they are part of pages that don't just focus on this grammar.

As you explore our site, though, I'm sure you'll find them.

All the best,

Kirk

The LearnEnglish Team