§ The tall man in the red shirt
is a friend of mine.
§ We drove along a quiet road until
reaching a small town.
§ I’m reading an interesting book.
Prepositions are words used to connect
two ideas, or to
demonstrate the relationship between two concepts. Examples of
prepositions in English include at, in, on, for, to, with, and from.
Adjective + Preposition Combinations
There are many cases in which
adjectives are combined with prepositions – but there is no rule stating when
to use which combination. As you read and listen to more English, you
will become more and more familiar with how these adjective-prepositions
combinations are used.
Here are a few of the most
common combinations of adjectives and prepositions in English:
at – surprised at,
angry at, good at, terrible at
§ I’m surprised at how fast my
students are learning.
§ My mother is angry at me because I
forgot her birthday.
§ Jamila is good at songwriting
and painting.
§ He’s terrible at math – he failed the
class twice!
of - proud of,
afraid of, fond of, full of
§ You practiced a lot and gave a great performance
– I’m proud of you!
§ Jewell is afraid of swimming in the
ocean.
§ The kids are very fond of the puppy.
§ The mall is always full of teenagers
on the weekend.
with – satisfied with,
busy with, fed up with, associated with
§ I wasn’t satisfied with the customer
service at the bank.
§ We’ve been working overtime lately because we’ve been busy
with a new project.
§ I was fed up with my boyfriend’s
lies, so I ended the relationship.
§ There are many health risks associated
with smoking.
in - disappointed
in, skilled in, interested in, involved in
§ The teacher was disappointed in the
behavior of the class.
§ She was highly skilled in physics and
chemistry.
§ Giovanni is interested in classic English
literature.
§ Marlene is very involved in volunteer
work.
*Notice that in can
have a similar function to at. Ex) She’s skilled at soccer.
She’s skilled in playing soccer.
for – known for, good for,
terrible for, excellent for
§ Brazil is known for its wonderful
music and friendly people.
§ Chocolate and red wine are actually good for your
heart!
§ Looking at screens all day is bad for your
eyesight.
§ Playing memory games is excellent for
improving your brain function.
to - married to, friendly to, similar to, rude to
§ He’s married to an Australian
woman.
§ Everyone I met on the trip was friendly to me.
§ The movie is very similar to the
book.
§ The little boy was punished after being rude
to his grandfather.