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 Yasmit
I think you can solve this confusing by saying that ( of ) is with ( feelings of fear and one feeling of pride )
I hope this help you
I'm excited about learning the English language. I'm proud of myself. Well, today I learned about the correct uses of adjectives. And I'm trying to improve it. Dramatically I do a lot of grammar mistakes. I'll be learning about it.
I got all answers . I think I improve more and more in my English because I learn English from British Council steadily.
So confuse to use prepositions because of my grammer skill is very low. But it is pleasure to study english.
i always get one or two answers wrong on some questions but that is because when i read the sentence, there is almost like the sentence is missing a word that should be in the sentence before you pick your answer.
why is it like this?
Hello Huesh Long,
I'm afraid I don't understand exactly what you mean. Could you please give an example from one of the exercises on this page?
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
thank you
but now i'm confused between feeling +at, feeling + about & feeling + with
ex: angry at, angry about and angry with
Hello kanzy,
Each adjective collocates with specific prepositions in different ways. In other words, while we can say 'angry at', we can't necessarily say 'happy at', 'sad at', etc.
Speaking specifically of 'angry', generally we are angry with a person, and we are angry at or about a situation.
It can be quite difficult to choose a preposition sometimes! The best thing to do is check the example sentences in a dictionary to discover how different prepositions are used. For example: https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/angry
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
thanks a lot
thanks