Lesson 97 · Stage 8: Adjectives, adverbs & prepositions
Adjective + preposition
IntermediateForm & use
good at, interested in, afraid of, worried about — adjectives with a fixed preposition
1.The pattern
Many adjectives take a fixed preposition when something follows them: adjective + preposition + noun / pronoun / -ing. You usually can't guess the preposition, so learn the whole chunk: learn afraid of, not just afraid.
| After the preposition | Example |
|---|---|
| a noun | My brother is interested in history. |
| a pronoun | We're really proud of you. |
| an -ing form | Lan is good at cooking. |
| question: preposition at the end | What are you worried about? |
After a preposition, a verb is always in the -ing form: interested in learning, good at drawing, tired of waiting (not in learn / at draw). See the lesson “Preposition + -ing”.
2.Common adjectives by preposition
| Preposition | Adjectives | Example |
|---|---|---|
| at | good / bad / great / brilliant / terrible at | Minh is good at maths. |
| in | interested in · involved in | Are you interested in art? |
| of | afraid / scared / frightened / terrified of · proud / ashamed / jealous of · tired / sick of · full / aware / capable / fond of | My little sister is afraid of dogs. |
| about | worried / nervous / excited / upset / sure about | She's nervous about the interview. |
| for | famous / responsible / ready / late for | Hoi An is famous for its lanterns. |
| to | married / engaged to · similar to · kind / polite / rude to (someone) | Hoa is married to a doctor. |
| with | angry / annoyed with (someone) · bored / fed up with · happy / satisfied with · crowded with | The beach was crowded with tourists. |
| on | keen on (British) · dependent on | My dad is keen on fishing. |
| from | different from · absent from | My job is different from my father's. |
Minh is good at maths, but he's bad at remembering names.
Are you ready for the trip?
I'm tired of eating instant noodles every day.
Your phone is similar to mine.
I'm so excited about the holiday!
3.One adjective, different prepositions
Some adjectives change their preposition depending on whether a person or a thing follows — or the meaning changes.
| Pattern | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| kind / nice / good / silly of sb (to do) | a comment on what someone did | It was kind of you to help me. |
| kind / nice / polite / rude to sb | how you treat someone | She's always kind to her students. |
| angry / annoyed / upset with sb | angry with a person | My parents are angry with me. |
| angry / annoyed / upset about sth | angry because of a situation | He's angry about the delay. |
| sorry about / for sth | apologising for or regretting something | Sorry about the mess. / Sorry for the delay. |
| feel sorry for sb | feeling pity for someone | I feel sorry for him. |
| good at / good for / good with | skilled at · healthy for · able to handle (people, numbers…) | good at maths · good for your health · good with children |
It was really nice of you to call.
Please be polite to the customers.
Swimming is good for your back.
4.British / American and informal variations
- different from is fine everywhere; British speakers also say different to, and Americans often say different than.
- angry with someone is the standard British form; angry at someone is very common in American English.
- surprised / shocked / amazed at or by are both correct.
- bored with is the standard form; bored of is very common in everyday speech.
- married to goes with be / get: She got married to a man from Hue. But the verb marry has no preposition: She married him.
Don't translate the preposition from your own language — it is often different in English: married to (not with), good at, similar to, afraid of. Learn each adjective with its preposition as one unit.
5.Common mistakes
I'm not interested about football.I'm not interested in football.
interested always takes in.
She is married with an engineer from Hue.She is married to an engineer from Hue.
be married to + person.
My parents are angry on me.My parents are angry with me.
Angry with a person (American: angry at).
Your phone is similar with mine.Your phone is similar to mine.
similar to.
He's good in playing the guitar.He's good at playing the guitar.
Skill: good at + -ing.
I'm interested in learn Chinese.I'm interested in learning Chinese.
After a preposition, use -ing.
Examples
- Lan is really good at cooking.
- My brother is very interested in history.
- My little sister is afraid of dogs.
- I'm worried about my exam tomorrow.
