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

Try another grammar lesson

Language level

A1 Elementary

A2 Pre-intermediate

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Great course.

Hi! In the book "English file-pre intermediate", there is a text called "Gossip might be good for you." "We all enjoy gossiping about people we know, although sometimes we MIGHT feel guilty about it afterwards" In the exercise, true or false, the first sentence says"We sometimes feel bad when we gossip' the teacher book says it's TRUE. But in the text, the word "might" suggests a POSSIBILITY in the present but in the sentence of the exercise it doesn't appear. Is there a difference in meaning? The word MIGHT (possibility in the present),"We sometimes feel bad when we gossip" (A fact) I would appreciate your answer. Thank you in advance

Hello riverolorena67,

What the Teacher's book says sounds correct to me. 'might' does indeed mean possibility, and that seems to be the idea here -- that sometimes we do (or sometimes we might) feel guilty (bad) when we gossip.

Does that make sense?

All the best

Kirk

The LearnEnglish Team

Thank you!

I'm a little confused when to use 'concern about' and just 'concern'. Can anyone teach me?

Hello Rafaela1,

Concerned about is followed by a direct object:

I'm concerned about John's work. He's lazy and it's just not good enough.

I'm concerned about meeting him tomorrow. It's going to be an awkward conversation.

Concerned is followed by a clause, often beginning with that:

I'm concerned (that) John is not working hard enough.

I'm concerned (that) the meeting tomorrow will be awkward.

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Hello, Peter Thank you very much for your clear explanation. My talk always pauses when I try to use 'concern'....eh... but now I'm free from the stress! :)

Can we use (-ing form of verb) after "addicted to" proposition?? Ex- I am addicted to watching web series.

Hello Anujd,

Yes, you can. You can use a noun or a gerund as the object of a preposition:

I'm addicted to web series. [a noun object]

I'm addicted to watching web series. [a noun object]