Grammar
Prepositions after adjectives: use natural adjective patterns
The adjective may be clear, but the small word after it can make a sentence sound natural or unusual. Learn both words together.
Choose common prepositions after adjectives by learning the adjective and preposition as one useful phrase.
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
Our tutor is good at explaining difficult ideas. /aʊə ˈtjuːtə ɪz ɡʊd ət ɪkˈspleɪnɪŋ ˈdɪfɪkəlt aɪˈdɪəz/
The short answer
Learn an adjective and its usual preposition as one phrase, then practise it in a complete sentence. For example, say good at drawing, not good in drawing.
Our tutor is good at explaining difficult ideas.
Why it works: Good at is a fixed adjective pattern. The preposition is followed here by an -ing form.
4 more examples
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Maya is proud of her finished portfolio.
Use proud of for the person, achievement, or thing that gives someone a feeling of pride.
Not this:Maya is
proud forher finished portfolio. What changes: Proud for is not the usual pattern when the portfolio is Maya's own work. -
I am worried about the late train.
Use worried about for the issue that causes concern.
Not this:I am
worried ofthe late train. What changes: Worried about is the usual phrase for concern about a situation. -
They were surprised by the sudden applause.
Use surprised by for the event, action, or thing that caused the surprise.
Not this:They were
surprised fromthe sudden applause. What changes: Surprised from does not normally introduce the cause of surprise. -
The team is responsible for updating the timetable.
Use responsible for to name a duty. An -ing form can name the work involved.
Not this:The team is
responsible ofupdating the timetable. What changes: Responsible for is the established pattern for a duty or task.
Read the full guide
Do not choose these prepositions by translating one word at a time. Instead, keep a small phrase in your notes: interested in, proud of, worried about. When you meet the phrase again, notice what comes after it and what the whole sentence means.
Learn the whole pattern
A preposition after an adjective is often part of a familiar pattern. The adjective and preposition work together, so writing only proud in your notebook is less useful than writing proud of.
Nora is interested in local history.
Interested in names the subject that catches Nora's attention.
We are ready for the meeting.
Ready for connects readiness to the event that is coming.
What two words should you learn together in Omar is afraid of heights?
Learn afraid of as one pattern.
Use of for feelings and reactions
Several common adjectives use of to connect a feeling or judgement to its source. You can be proud of an achievement, afraid of a danger, aware of a fact, or tired of a repeated problem.
He is aware of the deadline.
The deadline is the fact he knows about.
I am tired of waiting in queues.
Waiting is an activity, so it appears as an -ing form after of.
Which phrase fits a person who feels pride because of a team result?
Use proud of the team result.
Use at for skills and performance
Use at after adjectives such as good, bad, brilliant, and hopeless when you describe a skill or performance. The thing after at can be a noun or an activity ending in -ing.
Ravi is brilliant at solving puzzles.
Solving puzzles names the skill Ravi performs well.
I have never been very good at names.
Names is a noun, so no -ing form is needed.
Complete the pattern: She is excellent ___ organising events.
Use at: She is excellent at organising events.
Use about for topics and concerns
About often introduces a topic, concern, or opinion. Common patterns include worried about, excited about, serious about, and nervous about. The noun or activity after about tells you the subject of the feeling.
The children are excited about visiting the museum.
Visiting the museum is the planned activity that creates excitement.
She is serious about learning Spanish.
Learning Spanish is the goal she treats seriously.
Which preposition follows worried when you mean concern about an exam?
Use worried about the exam.
Use for, with, and to for different links
Other patterns show a duty, a relationship, or a reaction towards someone. Responsible for names a duty. Familiar with names knowledge gained through experience. Polite to describes behaviour towards a person.
This guide is useful for new volunteers.
For introduces the people who benefit from the guide.
Are you familiar with this software?
With introduces the thing the speaker asks about.
Which phrase describes respectful behaviour towards a guest?
Use polite to the guest.
Choose the form after the preposition
A preposition cannot normally be followed directly by an infinitive verb. Use a noun, a pronoun, or an -ing form instead. This is why we say interested in learning, not interested in learn.
We are capable of finishing the project today.
Finishing is an -ing form after of.
I am grateful for your advice.
Your advice is a noun phrase after for.
Choose the natural ending: They are keen on learn more or They are keen on learning more.
Use They are keen on learning more. The verb takes -ing after on.
Before you go
Remember this
Treat an adjective and its following preposition as a single unit. Learn proud of, good at, worried about, surprised by, and responsible for in full sentences. After the preposition, choose a noun, pronoun, or -ing form that completes the meaning.
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 "Prepositions after adjectives: use natural adjective patterns"
Why do adjectives need different prepositions?
The preposition is often part of the adjective's established English pattern. For example, Maya is proud of her finished portfolio uses proud of, so learn the two words together rather than choosing a preposition by translation.
Maya is proud of her finished portfolio.
When do I use good at?
Use good at to describe an ability or skill. Our tutor is good at explaining difficult ideas uses an -ing form because explaining names the skill. You can also use a noun, as in good at names.
Maya is proud for her finished portfolio.
What follows worried about?
Use worried about before the issue that causes concern. I am worried about the late train names the situation clearly. The phrase can also be followed by an -ing form, such as worried about missing the train.
Our tutor is good at explaining difficult ideas.
Can an adjective pattern use an -ing verb?
Yes. After a preposition, use an -ing form when you mean an activity. The team is responsible for updating the timetable shows responsible for followed by updating, which names the team's duty.
Our tutor is good in explaining difficult ideas.
How can I remember adjective and preposition patterns?
Keep each pattern in a short sentence and review it as a unit. They were surprised by the sudden applause is easier to remember than a separate list of surprised and by because the sentence shows the cause of the reaction.
I am worried about the late train.