In English, an adjective often needs a preposition before its object. The pair is fixed. We say good at, interested in and afraid of, and no logic explains which preposition each adjective chooses.
Because the pair is fixed, the unit to learn is "adjective + preposition", not the preposition by itself. The same preposition can follow different adjectives with different meanings: angry with a person, angry about a thing, and good at a skill.
This page collects the common pairs, shows the -ing pattern that follows them, and finishes with a 20-question drill. Every answer names the adjective and its preposition.
The rule
The adjective and preposition are a pair
- English fixes one preposition to each adjective: interested in, good at, afraid of.
- A different preposition changes the meaning or breaks the phrase.
- Learn the pair together as if it were one word.
- The preposition does not follow the noun that comes before the adjective.
Common pairs with in, at and of
- Interested in: "She is interested in art."
- Good at and bad at: "He is good at maths."
- Afraid of and scared of: "I am afraid of heights."
- Proud of, fond of and tired of: "I am proud of you."
Common pairs with about, with and for
- Excited about and worried about: "We are excited about the trip."
- Angry with a person, angry about a thing: "She is angry with me about the delay."
- Pleased with and satisfied with: "The teacher was pleased with the result."
- Famous for and responsible for: "He is responsible for the booking."
Pairs that surprise learners
- Married to, not married with: "She is married to a teacher."
- Similar to and different from: "This is similar to your idea."
- Keen on and addicted to: "He is keen on cycling."
- Nice to and kind to people: "She is kind to everyone."
Position and word order
- The adjective comes first, then the preposition: "good at sport".
- With a verb, the pattern is adjective, preposition and then -ing: "good at drawing".
- In statements, keep the pair together: "I am afraid of dogs."
- The question form can end with the preposition: "What are you afraid of?"
Examples
- She is interested in learning Spanish.Interested in, then the -ing form.
- He is good at solving puzzles.Good at takes a skill.
- I am afraid of flying.Afraid of takes the thing that frightens you.
- We are proud of our students.Proud of takes the reason for pride.
- They are excited about the holiday.Excited about takes the event.
- She is angry with her brother.Angry with takes the person.
- The city is famous for its bridges.Famous for takes the reason for fame.
- He is responsible for the tickets.Responsible for takes the duty.
- She is married to a doctor.Married to takes the partner.
- This painting is similar to that one.Similar to takes the comparison.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: I am interested about art. Right: I am interested in art.
- Interested always takes the preposition in.
- Wrong: He is good in maths. Right: He is good at maths.
- Good takes at when it describes a skill or a subject.
- Wrong: She is afraid from dogs. Right: She is afraid of dogs.
- Afraid takes of, never from.
- Wrong: He is married with a teacher. Right: He is married to a teacher.
- The adjective married takes the preposition to.
- Wrong: We are excited for the trip. Right: We are excited about the trip.
- Excited about takes the event or the news.
Practice drill
Answer all 20 questions. Each answer is marked at once, and the rule is explained under the question.
She is interested ___ art.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. in Interested is a fixed pair with the preposition in.
He is good ___ maths.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. at Good at describes a skill or a school subject.
I am afraid ___ heights.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. of Afraid always takes the preposition of.
We are proud ___ your work.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. of Proud takes of before the reason for pride.
They are excited ___ the holiday.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. about Excited about takes the event that causes the feeling.
She is angry ___ her brother.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. with Angry with takes the person, while angry about takes a situation.
The city is famous ___ its bridges.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. for Famous for takes the reason for the fame.
He is responsible ___ the tickets.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. for Responsible for takes the duty or the task.
She is married ___ a doctor.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. to Married is followed by the preposition to, not with.
This painting is similar ___ that one.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. to Similar takes the preposition to before the comparison.
He is keen ___ cycling.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. on Keen on takes the activity you enjoy.
She is kind ___ animals.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. to Kind to takes the person or animal that receives the kindness.
I am tired ___ waiting for the bus.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. of Tired of takes the thing that has gone on too long.
The teacher was pleased ___ our results.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. with Pleased with takes the thing that caused the satisfaction.
She is worried ___ the exam.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. about Worried about takes the event that causes the worry.
He is addicted ___ his phone.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. to Addicted takes the preposition to.
This is different ___ what I expected.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. from Different from compares two things and takes the preposition from.
Are you afraid ___ dogs?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. of Afraid keeps the preposition of even in a question.
She is very good ___ drawing.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. at Good at takes the skill, and a following verb takes -ing.
We were surprised ___ the news.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. by Surprised by takes the event that caused the surprise.
Drill complete
You answered every question.
Next topic: Verb + preposition: depend on, listen to, wait forTake the level test
Questions learners ask
Why is there no rule for the preposition?
The preposition is part of the adjective's history, not part of its meaning. Good at, interested in and afraid of each came into English as a fixed unit. The practical answer is to store the pair in memory with one example sentence, the way you store a phrasal verb.
Is it "angry with" or "angry at"?
Both appear, with a small difference. Angry with a person is the common choice: "I am angry with my brother." Angry at or angry about a thing: "I am angry about the decision." When in doubt, use with for people and about for situations.
Do I need -ing after adjective + preposition?
Yes, when the next word is a verb. A preposition is followed by a noun or a gerund, so "good at drawing" and "interested in learning" use -ing. The infinitive after the preposition is wrong: "good at to draw" does not work.
More grammar topics
Verb + preposition: depend on, listen to, wait for
A verb and its preposition form a fixed pair: depend on, listen to, wait for, agree with. Learn the pair with one example and use it as a single unit.
Have something done: the causative explained
Have something done puts the focus on the service and the result, not on who did the work: "I had my hair cut" means a professional cut it.
Mustn't vs don't have to: ban or choice
Mustn't means you cannot do it. Don't have to means you can, but nobody requires it. The two negatives sit almost opposite each other.
Take the free A1 to C2 level test to find your starting point.