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
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
Hello muratt,
It's not the case that there are no rules, but rather that there is often a choice of preposition when we are talking about location or movement, and the speaker can choose according to the meaning they want to express.
With dependent prepositions like on in depend on, the preposition is generally fixed and required. There is no other preposition you can use after depend; it is the only correct option.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Lal
We don't normally use a possessive before 'home'. It's not necessarily wrong to use it, but we tend to use 'house' instead. This is because if we're talking about whose place it is, we're generally talking about the physical location we're in rather than our feelings about it.
For the second example, B could say 'at my house', but people generally say 'at home' since it's a little shorter and the idea of a personal feeling about where they live is generally appropriate in a response like this. But if B wanted to insist that she was at her home (and not at the different house where A think she is), she could say 'at my house' as a kind of contrast to, for example, 'at Indira's house'.
I hope this helps you make sense of it.
All the best
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team