Adjective + Preposition 2
Common adjective + preposition combinations with of, at, to, from, in, on, with, and for
Adjective + of
Many adjectives pair with of. These often describe feelings or qualities directed at a person, thing, or situation.
| Adjective | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| afraid / scared / frightened / terrified | of something | She’s terrified of flying, so she always takes the train for business trips. |
| fond / proud / ashamed / jealous / envious | of somebody/something | The whole team is proud of the product they shipped last quarter. |
| suspicious / critical / tolerant | of something | The auditor was suspicious of the unusual transactions. |
| aware / conscious | of something | I wasn’t aware of the policy change until the meeting. |
| capable / incapable | of something | She’s capable of managing the entire project on her own. |
| full / short | of something | We’re a bit short of staff this week because of the holiday. |
| typical | of somebody | He missed the deadline again. It’s typical of him. |
| certain / sure | of or about something | I’m not sure of that. Let me double-check the numbers. |
Notice that sure and certain can take either of or about with no change in meaning.
Adjective + at
Use at after adjectives that describe skill or ability level.
| Adjective | Example |
|---|---|
| good / bad / brilliant / better / hopeless | He’s good at handling difficult clients. |
A common mistake is to say good in doing something. The correct preposition is at.
- I’m not very good at public speaking, but I’m getting better. (not
good in public speaking) - She’s hopeless at keeping track of expenses.
Adjective + to
Several adjectives take to. Pay attention to these fixed combinations:
| Adjective | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| married / engaged | to somebody | Laura is married to an engineer. (not |
| similar | to something | Their new branding is similar to ours. |
| different | from or to something | The final version was quite different from what we discussed. |
Be careful with married. When you talk about who a person is married to, use to. But you can say married with children, meaning the person is married and has children.
- He’s married to a colleague from the finance team.
- She’s married with two kids. (= she is married and has two children)
Adjective + from
Different takes from (or to in British English).
- Working from home is different from working in an office.
- The results were different from what we expected.
Both different from and different to are correct. You will hear different from more often in formal writing.
Adjective + in / on / with / for
Here are more combinations that come up regularly in professional settings:
| Adjective + preposition | Example |
|---|---|
| interested in | Are you interested in joining the new project? |
| keen on | The manager isn’t keen on changing the schedule. |
| dependent on (but independent of) | The timeline is dependent on when we receive the budget approval. |
| crowded with | The conference hall was crowded with attendees. (but: full of attendees) |
| famous for | That consulting firm is famous for its leadership training. |
| responsible for | Who is responsible for maintaining the client database? |
Notice the contrast between dependent on and independent of — they use different prepositions.
- She wants to be independent of her parents financially.
- The project deadline is dependent on vendor delivery.
Also note: crowded with and full of mean similar things, but the prepositions are different.
- The office kitchen was crowded with people. / The kitchen was full of people.
Quick Self-Check
We're a bit _____ staff this month. We need to hire two more people.
Select your answer:
He's not very _____ remembering passwords. He resets his every week.
Select your answer:
Lisa is married _____ a software developer from our London office.
Select your answer:
The team leader is _____ updating the weekly report every Friday.
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I wasn't _____ the new dress code until someone pointed it out.
Select your answer: