Practice
English practice: adjective and preposition pairs
Sign in to saveMina is good at drawing, but she is nervous about showing her work. The small words after good and nervous are part of the patterns that make both sentences sound natural.
Choose the usual preposition after common B1 adjectives and use the full adjective phrase accurately in a sentence.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
She is interested in learning more. /ʃiː ɪz ˈɪn.trəs.tɪd ɪn ˈlɜː.nɪŋ mɔː/
The short answer
Learn adjective and preposition pairs as one unit. Common examples include good at, interested in, proud of, responsible for, and worried about.
I am interested in local history.
Why it works: Interested is normally followed by in before a noun or an -ing form.
5 more examples
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Ravi is good at solving practical problems.
Use good at for skill or ability. The next verb takes the -ing form.
Not this:Ravi is
good withyoung children. What changes: Good with describes the way someone handles people, animals, or objects. -
Our class is interested in climate science.
Interested in introduces a subject, activity, or person that attracts attention.
Not this:The class is
interesting tovisitors. What changes: Interesting describes the thing that creates interest, rather than the people who feel it. -
Lena was proud of her careful preparation.
Use proud of for an achievement, quality, or person that gives someone satisfaction.
Not this:Lena was
pleased withher presentation. What changes: Pleased with is useful for satisfaction with a particular result. -
The manager is responsible for the final decision.
Responsible for identifies a duty or an area under someone's care.
Not this:The manager is
responsible tothe board. What changes: Responsible to can identify the person or group someone answers to. -
We were worried about the late train.
Use worried about for the situation that causes concern.
Not this:Her parents were
worried forher safety. What changes: Worried for can focus on concern for a person's welfare.
Read the full guide
Start with the adjective, then add its usual preposition. After the preposition, use a noun phrase, a pronoun, or an -ing form. For example, She is excited about the trip and He is afraid of making a mistake. A bare verb does not usually follow the preposition.
Learn the adjective with its partner
Treat the adjective and preposition as a small phrase. If you learn interested by itself, you still need to decide what follows it. Learning interested in gives you a ready pattern for a topic, person, or activity.
I am interested in learning Italian.
In is part of the usual pattern after interested. Learning is an -ing form because it follows a preposition.
Which preposition completes They are interested ___ joining the club?
Use in: They are interested in joining the club.
Use at for skills and activities
Good at is one of the most common adjective and preposition pairs. Use it to describe ability in a subject, task, sport, or activity. You can follow at with a noun or an -ing form.
My brother is good at chess.
Chess is the activity in which he has skill, so at follows good.
She is not very good at remembering names.
Remembering is an -ing form after the preposition at.
Use in for interests and involvement
Interested in shows that someone wants to know more about something or enjoys an activity. You can also meet involved in for active participation in a project or event. Both pairs often introduce a topic or an -ing form.
Are you interested in photography?
Photography is the subject that interests the listener.
Complete this sentence: Several neighbours are involved ___ planning the festival.
Use in: Several neighbours are involved in planning the festival.
Use of for reactions and connections
Proud of, afraid of, and tired of are common pairs with of. Proud of names a person or achievement that gives satisfaction. Afraid of names a thing or action that causes fear. Tired of means that someone has had too much of something.
The parents were proud of their daughter's effort.
The effort is the reason for their pride, so proud of is the natural phrase.
I am tired of waiting for replies.
Waiting follows of in the -ing form.
Use for and about for duties and concerns
Responsible for points to a job, outcome, or duty. Worried about and excited about point to a situation, event, or future plan. These pairs help you say exactly what someone must deal with or how they feel about it.
Who is responsible for opening the hall?
Opening follows for because the task is the person's responsibility.
The children are excited about the school trip.
The school trip is the event that causes their excitement.
Check the word after the preposition
After a preposition, use a noun phrase, pronoun, or -ing form. Do not normally put to plus the base verb after these pairs. Compare keen on hiking with keen to hike. The first uses a preposition pair. The second uses an adjective followed by an infinitive, which is a different grammar pattern.
They are worried about missing the last bus.
Missing is correct after about. Worried about miss would be incomplete grammar.
Which form completes He is proud of ___ the course?
Use completing: He is proud of completing the course.
Before you go
Remember this
Keep the adjective and preposition together when you learn them. Use at for a skill, in for an interest, of for pride or fear, for for a duty, and about for a concern in the patterns in this lesson. After the preposition, choose a noun, pronoun, or -ing form.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "English practice: adjective and preposition pairs"
What is an adjective and preposition pair?
It is an adjective that regularly uses a particular preposition before the next idea. Good at, interested in, proud of, and worried about are common examples. Learning both words together makes the pattern easier to use accurately.
Ravi is good at solving practical problems.
Which preposition follows interested?
Interested is normally followed by in. You can say interested in art, interested in this idea, or interested in learning more. After in, use a noun, pronoun, or an -ing form.
Ravi is good with young children.
Can I use a verb after an adjective and preposition pair?
Yes, but use the -ing form after the preposition. Say good at cooking, afraid of flying, or excited about meeting the team. A bare base verb does not normally follow a preposition in these patterns.
Our class is interested in climate science.
What is the difference between good at and good with?
Good at usually describes skill in an activity or subject, such as good at maths or good at repairing bikes. Good with often describes a person's skill in dealing with people, animals, or objects, such as good with children.
The class is interesting to visitors.
How can I remember adjective and preposition pairs?
Keep each pair with a short sentence that has a clear meaning. For example, write responsible for the keys or worried about the journey. Review the complete phrase and use it in a new sentence about your own situation.
Lena was proud of her careful preparation.