PREPOSITIONS AFTER ADJECTIVES EXERCISE 1 (ESL)

Grammar review Prepositions after adjectives — why they matter and how to approach them

Many English adjectives are followed by a specific preposition. These combinations are fixed — the preposition cannot be freely swapped, and it often can’t be predicted from the adjective alone. This is why interested in and not interested at, and good at (skill) and not good in.

Why is this difficult?
Because the same adjective can take different prepositions depending on meaning. For example:
good at = skilled at something    good for = beneficial to something
angry about = angry about a situation    angry with = angry at a person
In both cases, the sentence context is your guide.

How to approach this exercise:
Read the whole sentence before choosing — particularly what follows the blank. Is the preposition followed by a person, a thing, or an activity? That often narrows down the options.

Some broad patterns that can help (but aren’t rules):
• Prepositions following adjectives that describe feelings about a situation often use about
• Prepositions following adjectives that describe a relationship with a person often use with or to
• Prepositions following adjectives that describe the cause or origin of something often use of or for

These patterns are not absolute — they’re starting points. The best long-term strategy is to encounter adjective + preposition combinations repeatedly in context, which is exactly what this exercise gives you.