Adjectives with prepositions
The rule in short
Which preposition comes after common adjectives (good at, afraid of, interested in, famous for, similar to, different from…), why a verb after the preposition takes -ing, and how the preposition can change the meaning.
| Preposition | Common adjectives | Example |
|---|---|---|
| at | good at, bad at (skills) | She's good at volleyball. |
| of | afraid of, scared of, proud of, tired of, fond of, jealous of, full of | The bag was full of apples. |
| in | interested in | Are you interested in old films? |
| about | worried about, excited about, nervous about (BrE also nervous of), crazy about, angry about (a thing), sorry about | He's nervous about his driving test. |
| for | famous for, responsible for, ready for, late for, sorry for (a person; something you did) | The driver is responsible for the passengers. |
| to | similar to, married to, kind to, nice to, rude to | Be nice to the new students. |
| with | angry with (a person), pleased with, bored with, good with (people, your hands) | My boss is pleased with the report. |
| on | keen on (mainly British) | I'm not keen on cold weather. |
After the preposition, use -ing. A verb after a preposition takes the -ing form: good at swimming, afraid of flying, interested in learning. Not good at draw. Some of these adjectives can also take to + infinitive, with no preposition: ready to go, afraid to ask, sorry to hear that.
The preposition can change the meaning. Good at is about a skill (good at maths), good for means healthy or useful (Swimming is good for your back), and good with means able to deal with someone or something (good with children). Angry with or angry at goes with a person, angry about with a situation (angry at is also used for situations, especially in American English). Sorry for a person means you feel pity: I feel sorry for Anna's grandmother.
Different. Different from is correct everywhere. British English also uses different to, and American English also uses different than.
Bored and tired. Bored with and bored of (more informal) are both used. Tired of means bored with something that has gone on too long (tired of this rain); tired from means physically tired after doing something (tired from the long walk).
Some of these pairs are also in the lesson on prepositions that differ, which compares them with other languages; adjectives like bored and interested have their own lesson on -ed and -ing adjectives.
Examples
- Tom is good at geography but bad at spelling.
- Anna has been interested in photography since she was a child.
- I'm a bit worried about the weather tomorrow.
- This valley is famous for its apples.
- After the fire, the kitchen was full of smoke.
- Are you ready for the trip?
- My jacket is very similar to yours.
- Tom is very different from his brother.
- She's always very kind to animals.
- I'm tired of waiting for this bus.
Lesson: “Adjectives with prepositions” (B1), Krumeto · https://krumeto.com/grammar/adjectives-with-prepositions · written for Krumeto with the help of AI tools · Worksheet: krumeto.com
Exercises
A. Choose the right preposition.
Are you good ___ tennis? → at
- Tom is very good ________ chess. (at / in / on)
- Anna's little brother is afraid ________ thunder. (of / from / before)
- This city is famous ________ its old bridges. (for / with / of)
- I'm interested ________ learning to paint. (in / on / for)
- Tom's new bike is very similar ________ mine. (to / with / as)
- Who is responsible ________ the keys to the office? (for / of / about)
B. Write the preposition.
Tom is proud ___ his garden. → of
- Anna is worried ________ tomorrow's exam.
- Tom is tired ________ eating pasta every day.
- When we came back, the box was full ________ old letters.
- Please be kind ________ your little sister.
- I'm not very keen ________ horror films.
- Tom's cousin is jealous ________ Anna's new job.
C. Write the preposition and the -ing form of the verb in brackets.
I'm tired ___ (wait). → of waiting
- Tom is really good ________ (fix) bikes.
- Anna is afraid ________ (drive) at night, so she always takes the train.
- I'm not interested ________ (watch) the game tonight.
- Anna is nervous ________ (speak) in front of the class.
- I'm so sorry ________ (be) late again.
- Tom is bad ________ (remember) people's names.
D. Choose the right preposition. The meaning changes with it.
- Fresh fruit is good ________ you. (at / for)
- Anna is good ________ singing. She sings in a band. (at / for)
- I'm angry ________ Tom because he didn't tell me the truth. (with / about)
- The neighbours were angry ________ the noise from our party. (with / about)
- I feel sorry ________ Tom. He has lost his job. (for / about)
- Anna is good ________ animals. Every dog in the street loves her. (with / at)
E. Rewrite each sentence with the word in brackets. Keep the meaning.
- Tom can cook very well. (good)
- Snakes frighten Anna. (afraid)
- Tom's bag looks almost the same as mine. (similar)
- People all over the world know Paris because of its museums. (famous)
- Anna likes jazz very much. (keen)
F. Correct the mistakes. Change only what is wrong. Two of the sentences are already right: keep them as they are.
- Tom is responsible of the music at the party.
- Anna is very good in drawing.
- My brother is interested on history.
- Your idea is quite different from mine.
- Are you ready to the test on Friday?
- We were all very excited about the concert.
G. Match the beginnings and the endings.
- Tom is really fond ____
- Who is responsible ____
- My dad is very keen ____
- Anna is married ____
- My sister is crazy ____
- a) on spicy food.
- b) about horses.
- c) of his old car.
- d) for this mess?
- e) to a musician.
Answer key
A. Good at, afraid of, famous for, interested in, similar to, responsible for. Learn each adjective with its preposition.
- at
- of
- for
- in
- to
- for
B. Worried about, tired of, full of, kind to, keen on, jealous of.
- about
- of
- of
- to / towards
- on
- of
C. Adjective + preposition + -ing: good at fixing, afraid of flying, interested in watching.
- at fixing
- of driving
- in watching
- about speaking / of speaking
- for being / about being
- at remembering
D. Good at = skilled; good for = healthy or useful; good with = able to deal with someone or something. Angry with a person, angry about a situation. Feel sorry for = feel pity.
- for
- at
- with
- about
- for
- with
E. Adjective + its preposition + noun or -ing: good at cooking, afraid of snakes, similar to mine, famous for, keen on.
- Tom is very good at cooking. / Tom is good at cooking.
- Anna is afraid of snakes. / Anna's afraid of snakes.
- Tom's bag is very similar to mine. / Tom's bag looks very similar to mine.
- Paris is famous for its museums. / Paris is famous all over the world for its museums.
- Anna is very keen on jazz. / Anna is keen on jazz.
F. Responsible for, good at, interested in, ready for, excited about, different from (BrE also to, AmE also than). After a preposition, a verb takes -ing.
- Tom is responsible for the music at the party. — Responsible takes for.
- Anna is very good at drawing. — For a skill, good takes at.
- My brother is interested in history. — Interested takes in.
- Your idea is quite different from mine. (✓) — This sentence is right: different from is correct everywhere.
- Are you ready for the test on Friday? / Are you ready for Friday's test? — Before a noun, ready takes for.
- We were all very excited about the concert. (✓) — This sentence is right: excited about.
G. Fond of, responsible for, keen on, married to, crazy about.
- 1 c · 2 d · 3 a · 4 e · 5 b
Lesson: “Adjectives with prepositions” (B1), Krumeto · https://krumeto.com/grammar/adjectives-with-prepositions · written for Krumeto with the help of AI tools · Worksheet: krumeto.com