Adjectives and prepositions combinations are fixed pairs such as afraid of, good at and interested in, where the preposition is part of the adjective’s usual pattern. The preposition cannot always be guessed from meaning, so each pair has to be learned. These thirty combinations show the pattern in real sentences.
Adjectives and prepositions combinations at a glance
- A combination is an adjective plus the preposition it usually takes.
- The preposition is fixed by habit, so good at never becomes good in.
- Most combinations are followed by a noun, a pronoun or an -ing verb.
- Some adjectives change meaning with the preposition, as angry with a person and angry about a thing.
- Learning the two words together is faster than learning the adjective alone.
What are adjective and preposition combinations?
An adjective and preposition combination is a pair in which the adjective selects a particular preposition as part of its normal pattern. Afraid takes of, interested takes in, and good takes at, and no rule predicts the choice from meaning alone.
Because the preposition is idiomatic, the pair behaves as one unit of meaning. That is why good at and good with both exist but mean different things: one describes a skill, the other a talent with people or tools.
| Combination | Meaning | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| afraid of | feeling fear about something | The puppy is afraid of the vacuum. |
| angry with | cross at a person | Dad was angry with me for being late. |
| angry about | cross about a situation | She was angry about the broken rule. |
| good at | skilled in a subject | Ravi is good at mental arithmetic. |
| bad at | weak in a subject | I am bad at remembering names. |
| interested in | wanting to know more | The class is interested in space. |
| keen on | very fond of an idea | She is keen on joining the choir. |
| proud of | pleased with an achievement | They are proud of their garden. |
| jealous of | wanting what another has | He felt jealous of his cousin’s bike. |
| famous for | known for a quality | The town is famous for its pies. |
| ready for | prepared for something | The team is ready for the final. |
| sorry for | feeling regret about an act | I am sorry for the mix-up. |
| responsible for | in charge of a duty | You are responsible for the keys. |
| different from | not the same as another | Her answer is different from mine. |
| similar to | almost the same as another | This tune is similar to that one. |
| married to | in a marriage with someone | My aunt is married to a teacher. |
| kind to | gentle toward someone | Be kind to the new pupil. |
| rude to | impolite toward someone | He was rude to the driver. |
| worried about | uneasy about something | We are worried about the storm. |
| excited about | eager about an event | The children are excited about the trip. |
| fond of | liking something | She is fond of old films. |
| capable of | able to do something | He is capable of better work. |
| tired of | bored with something repeated | I am tired of the same lunch. |
| full of | holding a lot of something | The box is full of buttons. |
| aware of | knowing about something | Are you aware of the deadline? |
| good with | skilled with a tool or people | She is good with young children. |
| familiar with | knowing something well | I am familiar with this software. |
| pleased with | satisfied with a result | The coach is pleased with the effort. |
| satisfied with | content with something | The buyer is satisfied with the price. |
| used to | accustomed to something | The cat is used to the noise. |
The thirty combinations above cover the most frequent pairs in everyday English. Store each one as a single two-word chunk, because a preposition learned apart from its adjective is quickly forgotten.
Writers who want sharper description rely on precise adjective and preposition phrases rather than a bare adjective. A wider survey sits in the full list of prepositions after adjectives for readers who want more pairs.
How do you use adjective and preposition combinations in a sentence?
The combination slots into the sentence as a ready-made phrase, and the item after the preposition can take several forms.
| Pattern | Example | What it signals |
|---|---|---|
| adjective + preposition + noun | She is good at chess. | The skill is named directly. |
| adjective + preposition + pronoun | I am proud of you. | A feeling is aimed at a person. |
| adjective + preposition + -ing | He is interested in learning drums. | The interest points to an activity. |
| adjective + preposition + wh-clause | I am worried about what happened. | The feeling points to an event. |
| adjective + preposition + noun phrase | They are famous for their pies. | The pair introduces a reputation. |
Adjective and preposition combinations across contexts
The same pairs recur across speaking and writing, and the context shows which combination a writer needs.
| Context | Example sentence | Why this works |
|---|---|---|
| Classroom | Nia is good at spelling long words. | The skill takes the preposition at. |
| Sports club | The captain is proud of the young team. | Pride in an achievement takes of. |
| Doctor’s note | Stay away if you are worried about your cough. | Concern points to an event. |
| Job advert | Candidates must be capable of working alone. | Ability takes of plus an -ing verb. |
| Family chat | We are excited about the new baby. | Eager feeling about an event takes about. |
| Travel desk | This flight is different from the one you booked. | Comparison uses different from. |
| School report | She is familiar with the whole syllabus. | Familiar knowledge takes with. |
| Weather warning | Drivers should be aware of icy patches. | Awareness of a risk takes of. |
| Recipe book | The loaf is full of seeds and nuts. | Containing a lot of something takes of. |
How do you know which preposition to use?
There is no single rule, but three habits reduce the guesswork, and the table below maps the common cases.
| You are describing | Choose | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| A skill or subject | at | Good at maths, bad at chess. |
| A feeling toward a person | with | Angry with my brother, pleased with the class. |
| A feeling toward a thing or event | about | Angry about the rule, excited about the trip. |
| Knowledge held well | with | Familiar with the software. |
| A comparison | from or to | Different from mine, similar to yours. |
A few of these adjectives are also adjectives that cannot be compared, so no -er form ever appears.
Word forms and grammar of the combinations
The combination keeps the same shape across tenses, and the only real change is what follows the preposition.
| Form | Part of speech of the pair | Example |
|---|---|---|
| good at | adjective + preposition | He is good at drawing. |
| good with | adjective + preposition | She is good with tools. |
| interested in | adjective + preposition | They are interested in history. |
| tired of | adjective + preposition | I am tired of waiting. |
| used to | adjective + preposition | The dog is used to the rain. |
| keen on | adjective + preposition | We are keen on the idea. |
Common mistakes with the combinations
Errors almost always swap the preposition, because the wrong one is pulled in from the speaker’s first language.
Incorrect: She is good in maths. Correct: She is good at maths. Rule: Skill in a subject takes the preposition at.
Incorrect: He is married with a nurse. Correct: He is married to a nurse. Rule: The state of marriage takes to.
Incorrect: I am interested on music. Correct: I am interested in music. Rule: Interest in a subject takes in.
Incorrect: They are different than us. Correct: They are different from us. Rule: Comparison in careful writing takes from.
Incorrect: She is afraid from dogs. Correct: She is afraid of dogs. Rule: Fear of something takes the preposition of.
Practice using the combinations
Complete each item, then check the reason to confirm the preposition.
- Fill in the blank: My sister is very good ________ science.
- Fill in the blank: We were angry ________ the referee’s decision.
- Choose the better combination: She is proud ________ her brother. (of / on)
- Correct the error: He is married with my cousin.
- Build a sentence: describe someone interested in a hobby, using the right preposition.
- Spot the register: which fits a job advert, capable of working late, or capable to work late?
Answers
- at. A skill in a subject takes good at.
- about. Anger about a thing or decision takes about.
- of. Pride in a person takes the preposition of.
- He is married to my cousin. The state of marriage takes to, not with.
- Sample: Amina is interested in astronomy and reads about stars every night. Interest in a subject takes in.
- Capable of working late. The adjective capable takes of plus an -ing verb.
The bottom line
Adjectives and prepositions combinations reward a habit of learning the pair as one chunk rather than the adjective alone. Each adjective selects its own preposition, so good at, married to and afraid of must be memorised together. Once the pairs feel fixed, the sentences build themselves.
Frequently asked questions about the combinations
Why do some adjectives take two different prepositions?
The preposition can change the meaning. Angry with points at a person, while angry about points at a situation. Good at names a skill, and good with names a talent for people or tools. Learning both pairs keeps the two meanings apart in the reader’s mind.
Is different than ever correct?
Different than appears in American speech but still draws objections in careful writing, where different from is the safe choice. British writing strongly prefers different from. When you need a comparison that no one can fault, keep from after different.
Can a preposition combination be split in a sentence?
No. The preposition stays attached to its adjective, so the two words move together through the sentence. You write she is good at chess and the sentence she is good at is chess, always keeping at close to good rather than letting another word push between them.
Do I need the same preposition after the -ing form?
Yes. The preposition does not change when a verb follows, so interested in takes interested in learning, and capable of takes capable of working. The pair stays fixed, and only the word after the preposition shifts from a noun to an -ing verb.
