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Adjectives & Prepositions

Some adjectives go with certain prepositions. There is no real pattern – you need to learn them as you meet them. Here are some examples but remember that there are many other adjective + preposition combinations that are not covered here.

With ‘at’

I’m quite good at English but I’m bad at maths and I’m terrible at physics.

With ‘for’

Jogging is good for your health but smoking is bad for you. The town is famous for its cheese.

As well as ‘good for’, ‘bad for’ and ‘famous for’ we also say ‘qualified for’ ‘ready for’, ‘responsible for’, ‘suitable for’ and several others.

With ‘of’

I’m perfectly capable of doing it myself, thank you. I’m very fond of this old sweatshirt.

As well as ‘capable of’ and ‘fond of’ we also say ‘aware of’, ‘full of’, ‘tired of’ and several others.

With ‘with’

We’re very pleased with your progress. You’re not still angry with me are you?

As well as ‘pleased with’ and ‘angry with’ we also say ‘bored with’, ‘delighted with’, ‘satisfied with’ and several others.

With ‘to’

She’s the one who’s married to a doctor, isn’t she? You’ll be responsible to the head of the Finance department.

Notice that you can be responsible for something but responsible to someone. Other common adjective + preposition combinations include ‘interested in’ and ‘keen on’. It’s a good idea to make a note of new combinations in your vocabulary notebook as you meet them. Remember too that a preposition is followed by a noun or a gerund (‘ing’ form).

Adjectives ending in -ed and –ing

-ed and –ing adjectives

Adjectives that end ‘-ed’ (e.g. ‘bored’, ‘interested’) and adjectives that end ‘-ing’ (e.g. ‘boring’, ‘interesting’) are often confused. -ed adjectives Adjectives that end ‘-ed’ describe emotions – they tell us how people feel about something.

• I was very bored in the maths lesson. I almost fell asleep.
• He was surprised to see Helen. She’d told him she was going to Australia.
• Feeling tired and depressed, he went to bed.

-ing adjectives Adjectives that end ‘-ing’ describe the thing that causes the emotion – a boring lesson makes you feel bored.

• Have you seen that film? It’s absolutely terrifying.
• I could listen to him for hours. He’s one of the most interesting people I’ve ever met.
• I can’t eat this! It’s disgusting! What is it?

Remember that people can be boring but only if they make other people feel bored.

• He talks about the weather for hours. He’s so boring.
• NOT I was very boring at the party so I went home.

Here are some more adjectives that can have both an ‘-ed’ and an ‘-ing’ form

• amused
• amusing
• annoyed
• annoying
• confused
• confusing
• disappointed
• disappointing
• excited
• exciting
• exhausted
• exhausting
• frightened
• frightening
• satisfied
• satisfying
• shocked
• shocking

Verbs followed by ‘ing’ or by ‘to + infinitive’ 1

When one verb is followed by another, the second verb can either be an infinitive or an –ing form. Some verbs can be followed by only an infinitive , others by only an –ing form and some by both but with a change in meaning. To know which structure to use, you can consult a good dictionary but here are some common examples. Verb + infinitive

• I want to speak to the manager.
• She’s learning to ride a horse.
• He offered to help us wash up.

‘Want’, ’learn’ and ‘offer’ are followed by to + infinitive Other verbs in this group include: afford, agree, ask, choose, decide, expect, hope, prepare, promise, pretend, refuse, would like. Verb + ‘ing’ form

• I enjoy travelling.
• He admitted stealing the necklace.
• I don’t mind waiting if you’re busy.

‘enjoy’ ‘admit’ and ‘mind’ are followed by the ‘ing’ form Other verbs in this group include: avoid, consider, dislike, feel like, finish, give up, can’t help, practise, suggest. Verb + infinitive or ‘ing’ form with no change in meaning A few verbs can be followed by either an infinitive or the ‘ing’ form and the meaning does not change.

• I started to work here in 1994.
• I started working here in 1994.

The meaning of these two sentences is the same. There aren’t many verbs that can take an infinitive or an ‘ing’ form with no change in meaning. ‘Begin’ and ‘continue’ are two more examples. There is also a group of verbs that can be followed by an infinitive or an ‘ing’ form with a change in meaning. These verbs will be covered in another section.   References : https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org  

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