Prepositions with adjectives in English
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Sign up for freeThis chapter discusses the adjectives and prepositions in English. Some adjectives need to follow a preposition to make the English sentence grammatically correct.
Some English adjectives are followed by certain prepositions. The use of these prepositions combined with the specific adjective is essential to the meaning of the adjective. However, there is no exact rule that can be applied, you will have to learn them by heart.
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The most common adjectives that need prepositions before the object are in presented in the tables below.
Adjective + about | Example |
---|---|
Angry about | She was angry about the results of her exams. |
Annoyed about | They were annoyed about having to wait again. |
Anxious about | New teachers are anxious about their teaching skills. |
Certain about | She is certain about having passed the exam. |
Embarrassed about | He was embarrassed about crying during the movie. |
Excited about | She is excited about going to university next year. |
Happy about | They are not happy about the results of the report. |
Nervous about | I am nervous about my daughter. |
Pleased about | He is really pleased about my new job. |
Sorry about | We are sorry about yesterday. |
Worried about | They are worried about their children. |
Upset about | She is upset about going home. |
Adjective + from | Example |
---|---|
Derived from | The idea is derived from the researches. |
Different from | Today is different from yesterday. |
Exhausted from | I am exhausted from exercising. |
Safe from | They are safe from the hurricane. |
Missing from | The answer was missing from the answer key. |
Adjective + on | Example |
---|---|
Dependent on | My sister is becoming more dependent on her boyfriend. |
Keen on | They were not keen on the idea of getting a dog. |
Adjective + at | Example |
---|---|
Amazed at | The singer was amazed at the size of the crowd. |
Amused at | He was amused at my stories. |
Angry at | I am angry at my friend, because she was late again. |
Annoyed at | He was annoyed at the failure of his group. |
Disappointed at | She was disappointed at not finding a specific word anywhere in the research plan. |
Shocked at | They are shocked at how much work the assignment is going to be. |
Surprised at | I was looking surprised at her reaction. |
Adjectives + in | Examples |
---|---|
Deficient in | The guy had never been deficient in courage. |
Disappointed in | My mother was disappointed in my brother. |
Experienced in | She is experienced in program development. |
Interested in | They are interested in finding a job with the company. |
Implicated in | My neighbour was implicated in a crime. |
Adjective + to | Example |
---|---|
Addicted to | My mother is addicted to chocolate. |
Attentive to | My cousin is very attentive to him. |
Grateful to | I am grateful to hear that you had a pleasant time. |
Immune to | She is immune to some medication. |
Indifferent to | The student has been indifferent to the teacher's class. |
Kind to | The teacher is always kind to the students. |
Liable to | Those robbers are liable to getting arrested. |
Opposed to | They are opposed to nuclear energy. |
Married to | Their teacher is married to my uncle. |
Polite to | You have to be polite to elderly people. |
Rude to | The little boy is rude to his parents. |
Prone to | That family is less prone to mental illnesses. |
Used to | I am used to working 9 hours a day. |
Adjective + for | Example |
---|---|
Early for | They were early for their appointment with the manager. |
Eligible for | We were eligible for funding the event. |
Famous for | The singer is famous for being two hours late. |
Late for | The group was late for their own presentation. |
Liable for | The school is liable for all damages. |
Ready for | He is ready for his checkup at the hospital. |
Responsible for | They are responsible for the budget of the party. |
Sorry for | She is sorry for being late again. |
Adjective + of | Example |
---|---|
Afraid of | My sister is afraid of flying. |
Ashamed of | The mother is ashamed of her son's dirty shirt. |
Aware of | You have to be aware of the hazards. |
Capable of | She is capable of cooking a meal. |
Certain of | Be certain of your answers before handing in your exam. |
Conscious of | You have to be conscious of the environment. |
Fond of | The grandmother is fond of babysitting her grandchildren. |
Frightened of | He is frightened of driving on the motorway. |
Full of | He is full of himself. |
Independent of | Independent of how her mother felt, she was sure she was right. |
Jealous of | They are jealous of the singer's house. |
Sick of | She is sick of fighting with her brother. |
Tired of | I am tired of listening to her fake stories. |
Adjective + with | Example |
---|---|
Angry with | I am angry with my brother. |
Annoyed with | She was annoyed with her sister. |
Bored with | We are bored with eating at home all the time. |
Connected with | The company is connected with their target audience. |
Happy with | They are happy with the results. |
Incompatible with | Working late is incompatible with family life. |
Preoccupied with | The teacher was preoccupied with correcting the exams. |
Pleased with | He looked pleased with himself after making the deal. |
Packed with | The room is packed with boxes for the move tomorrow. |
Do the adjectives and prepositions exercises to train your skills.