Adjective + Preposition.

1.What are adjective + preposition combinations?

Some adjectives are commonly followed by a specific preposition.
We use them to add more information about feelings, opinions, or situations.

Structure: subject + (be / feel / seem) + adjective + preposition + noun/pronoun/-ing

After the preposition, the object can be a noun, a pronoun, or a verb in the -ing form:

• She is good at tennis. (noun)
• I’m angry about it. (pronoun)
• He is interested in learning English. (-ing form)

1.1-ing form or to-infinitive?

After a preposition, use the -ing form, not to + verb:

• She is afraid of flying.
• I’m sorry for shouting.
• He is interested in learning Spanish.

This pattern is also common when the adjective describes an activity:

• She is good at explaining things.
• He is responsible for closing the shop.

Some adjectives are followed by to + infinitive instead. Compare the meaning and structure:

• She is afraid to fly. (She is too frightened to take a particular flight.)
• I’m sorry to hear the news. (I feel sad about the news.)
• We’re keen to start. (We are eager to start.)

Afraid of + -ing usually names a general fear of an activity or what may happen: She is afraid of flying, so she avoids planes. Afraid to + infinitive usually means that someone is too frightened to do a specific act: She was afraid to fly home that night.

1.2-ed and -ing participial adjectives

Many adjectives in this lesson are -ed participial adjectives. They describe how a person feels, and they often take a fixed preposition:

• I’m interested in photography. (Photography interests me.)
• We’re bored with this game. (The game makes us feel bored.)
• She’s annoyed about the delay. (The delay has annoyed her.)

The related -ing adjective describes the thing or situation that causes the feeling. Its complement may be different:

• Photography is interesting to me.
• This game is boring.
• The delay is annoying.

Do not copy the preposition automatically: say I’m bored with the game. Do not use I’m boring about the game to mean that the game makes you feel bored; boring describes something that makes people feel bored.

2.Common adjective + preposition combinations

2.1Very common (learn these first)

• interested in → I’m interested in art.
• good at → She’s good at maths.
• bad at → He’s bad at cooking.
• afraid of → They’re afraid of spiders.
• happy about → I’m happy about the result.
• proud of → She’s proud of her work.

2.2Also very useful

• excited about → We’re excited about the trip.
• worried about → He’s worried about the exam.
• angry about → She’s angry about the mistake. (the cause)
• angry with → She’s angry with her brother. (the person)
• famous for → The city is famous for its food.
• tired of → I’m tired of this noise.
• different from → My new school is different from my old one.
• similar to → Your jacket is similar to mine.
• keen on → She’s keen on photography. (mainly British English)
• married to → He’s married to a doctor.
• satisfied with → We’re satisfied with the result.
• ashamed of → She was ashamed of her behaviour. (Behaviour is the British spelling; American English uses behavior.)
• capable of → They’re capable of doing the work.

2.3More useful B1 combinations

Adjective	Preposition	Example
aware	of	I’m aware of the problem.
full	of	The bag is full of books.
fond	of	She’s fond of her old teacher.
responsible	for	He’s responsible for the project.
sorry	for	I’m sorry for being late. (apology)
dependent	on	The result is dependent on the weather.
sorry	about	I’m sorry about the noise. (regret about a thing)
annoyed	about	She’s annoyed about the delay. (the cause)
bored	with	We’re bored with this game.
annoyed	with	He’s annoyed with his colleague. (the person)
disappointed	with	I’m disappointed with the service. (a result or service)
disappointed	in	Her parents were disappointed in her. (a person who let them down)
disappointed	by	I was disappointed by the ending. (an event or experience)

For pity, use feel sorry for: I feel sorry for him.

3.Questions and relative clauses

In everyday questions and relative clauses, the preposition often comes at the end. It is separated from the adjective, but it is still part of the combination:

• What are you interested in?
• Who is she angry with?
• That is the thing I’m worried about.
• The colleague he was annoyed with has apologised.

In very formal English, the preposition can come before whom: With whom is she angry? In ordinary conversation, Who is she angry with? is more natural.

4.Common mistakes

5.Key takeaway

Learn the adjective and preposition together. Grouping them by preposition can make them easier to remember:

• of: afraid of, proud of, aware of, full of, fond of, capable of, ashamed of — She is proud of her work.
• about: happy about, worried about, excited about, angry about, sorry about, annoyed about — We’re excited about the trip.
• with: satisfied with, bored with, annoyed with, disappointed with — I’m satisfied with the result.
• at: good at, bad at — He’s good at cooking.