Adjective + Preposition
B1 · IntermediateAdjectivesMany English adjectives are always followed by one particular preposition — interested in, good at, afraid of — and there's rarely a logical reason for which one.
What you'll learn
- Adjective + preposition combinations are largely fixed and must be memorized
- Common patterns: + of (afraid, proud, tired, fond), + in (interested), + at (good, bad)
- + to (married, similar, related), + for (famous, responsible), + about (worried, excited)
- The same idea can use a different preposition in your own language — don't translate word for word
Fixed pairs you have to learn
Certain adjectives are almost always followed by a specific preposition when they introduce what the feeling or quality relates to. There's rarely a rule that predicts which preposition — 'interested in' and 'good at' just have to be learned as fixed pairs, the same way you'd learn a new vocabulary word.
Some common groups
+ of: afraid of, proud of, tired of, fond of, capable of, ashamed of. + in: interested in. + at: good at, bad at, terrible at. + to: married to, similar to, related to, kind to. + for: famous for, responsible for, ready for, grateful for. + about: worried about, excited about, nervous about, happy about.
Watch for near-miss adjectives
A few pairs are especially easy to mix up because they look similar but take different prepositions: good at (not good in) for a skill; married to (not married with) a person; different from (the standard form; different than is common in American speech, different to in British) rather than different of.
Real English
Watch out
Afraid always pairs with of, never from.
Married pairs with to when it names the person — 'married with children' is a different, fixed phrase meaning she has children.
Good and bad pair with at for skills and activities, not in.
Satisfied pairs with with, not of.
Real life — Talking about a new hobby
"I heard you started painting — how's that going?"
"Honestly, I'm not very good at it yet, but I'm really interested in it."
"That's great — are you satisfied with your progress so far?"
"Not really, but I'm proud of myself for actually sticking with it."
Practice
Exercise 1 · Choose the correct preposition
I'm interested ___ learning Spanish.
Exercise 2 · Choose the correct preposition
She's really good ___ math.
Exercise 3 · Choose the correct preposition
This is different ___ what I expected.
Exercise 4 · Choose the correct preposition
He's married ___ a doctor.
Exercise 5 · Choose the correct preposition
I'm proud ___ you.
Exercise 6 · Choose the correct preposition
We're responsible ___ the whole project.
Exercise 7 · Fix the mistake
Fix the mistake:
Exercise 8 · Complete the sentence
Complete: She's famous ___ her paintings. (one word)
Exercise 9 · Complete the sentence
Complete: I'm a bit worried ___ the exam tomorrow. (one word)
Exercise 10 · Sort the adjectives into groups
0 / 6 sorted
Exercise 11 · Choose the correct sentence
Which is correct?
Quick challenge
Five quick questions to check what stuck.
Question 1 / 5
Score: 0/0
I'm not very good ___ cooking.
You learned
- Adjective + preposition pairs are largely fixed and need to be memorized like vocabulary.
- Common groups: + of (afraid, proud, tired), + in (interested), + at (good, bad), + to (married, similar), + for (famous, responsible), + about (worried, excited).
- Watch the near-misses: good at (not in), married to (not with), satisfied with (not of).
- Don't translate the preposition from your own language — learn each pair as a fixed unit.
Related grammar lessons
Dependent Prepositions
Understand what a 'dependent preposition' is — a fixed preposition that a particular verb, adjective, or noun always takes, with no logical rule to predict it.
Verb + Preposition
Learn the fixed prepositions that go with common verbs like listen to, wait for, depend on, and apologize for — each verb has its own required partner.
Preposition + -ing
Learn one of English's most reliable grammar rules: a verb that comes directly after a preposition always takes the -ing form, never the infinitive.
Prepositions of Movement
Learn prepositions that describe direction and movement — into, onto, through, across, along, over, and towards — and how each one shows a different path.