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 (434 votes)

Submitted by Maahir on Tue, 09/03/2021 - 20:38

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Hi British Council, This is really helpful and I appreciated your amazing free lessons. I am looking forward to boost my English skills with your help.
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Submitted by Ashiq Sourov on Tue, 09/03/2021 - 06:32

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It's a great experience to exercise on this website. Thanks to the British council for the nice free contents.

Submitted by Ahmed Yahia on Thu, 18/02/2021 - 12:15

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hello every one why I can't print the explanation of the lesson and tests

Hi Ahmed Yahia,

We don't have pdfs of the grammar section available, at the moment. You can still print them, though, using the 'print' option in your web browser.

Best wishes,

Jonathan

The LearnEnglish Team

Submitted by camiloj18 on Thu, 11/02/2021 - 04:00

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Thank you for great content, I like learn every day my improve english My facebook account is ***************** to make friends and learn more this amazing language

Hi camiloj18,

Unfortunately, sharing personal contact details is not allowed in our House Rules. But you can practise conversation by writing comments and replies here on this site :)

Best wishes,

Jonathan

The LearnEnglish Team

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Submitted by geofreymwagike on Fri, 05/02/2021 - 23:44

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Hi. Teacher I have completed level 1 for beginner. Where can i get the certificate of comletion for level 1
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Submitted by Kirk Moore on Sat, 06/02/2021 - 14:38

In reply to by geofreymwagike

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Hello geofreymwagike,

I'm afraid that we don't offer certificates for completion of our content.

All the best,

Kirk

The LearnEnglish Team