Exercise

In order to connect an adjective with other members of a sentence, it is necessary to use prepositions. Usually an adjective with a preposition is followed by noun, pronoun or verb in ing form. In this lesson, Anastasia will look at several designs "Adjective + Preposition", which are often used in speech.

good/nice/kind/generous/stupid of you to do something – kindly/generously/stupidly of you (your) to do anything
good/nice/friendly/kind/polite/rude to somebody – nice/friendly/polite/rude towards someone
angry/furious/annoyed about something – angry/furious about something, dissatisfied with something
excited/nervous/worried about something – excited (positively)/nervous/worried about something
angry/furious/annoyed with somebody – angry/furious with someone, dissatisfied with someone
satisfied/pleased/delighted/disappointed with something– satisfied/pleased/upset with something

Lesson script

Hi all!

Prepositions, prepositions, prepositions are just a headache for everyone who learns English. But you can’t escape them, so today let’s look at some adjectives and prepositions with which they are usually used. My name is Anastasia, this is the PE channel...

In one of the previous videos we talked about verbs with prepositions. If you haven't watched it, follow the link above. Today we will talk about adjectives with prepositions.

As a rule, in order to express a thought, it is not enough for us to use one adjective. He needs a preposition that will connect this adjective with a noun, pronoun or verb in the ing form. (Adj.+Prep.+Noun/Pronoun/Ving) This is the formula that is usually used. Together, this construction forms a kind of small phrase with its own meaning. There are a huge number of such constructions in the English language, and today we will consider only a few of them.

It was generous of you to do that.
In this case, we translate this construction using the words “from your side.”
It was nice or kind/ /generous/ stupid of you to do that.

What if, for example, I want to talk about a good or bad attitude towards someone?

Here I will need an adjective with the preposition TO.

He is so good/ nice/friendly/ kind/rude/ to Kate.
He treats Kate so well.
He's so sweet/friendly/kind/rude to Kate.

Sometimes we get upset or even angry about something or something:

My mum is angry / furious /annoyed/ about waiting for so long..
My mom is angry about/because of such a long wait.
My mother is unhappy with such a long wait. It annoys her to wait so long.

However, if we are angry with someone, then we need another excuse:

Don’t be angry // furious / annoyed with me!
Do not be mad at me!

When we want to say that we feel something about a situation, we can use the preposition ABOUT:

I am excited about going to the Fiji.
I'm excited about going to Fiji.

I am nervous/ worried about meeting him.
I'm nervous, worried about/about meeting him.

Either WITH

Are you satisfied with your exam results? - Are you satisfied with the results of your exam?
I am pleased/delighted with the present you gave me. - I am pleased with the gift you gave me.
I am disappointed with your speech.

Some adjectives can be used with only one preposition, but others can have several, with different meanings. for example, the adjective happy can be used with the prepositions about and with.

Are you happy about getting the presents? Are you glad that you received gifts?
Here we use the preposition about, because. We are talking about an event that happened - Someone received gifts and we wonder if he is happy. However:

Are you happy with the present I gave you? - Do you like the gift I gave you?
Happy with is used when talking about what someone likes, is satisfied with, or is satisfied with what they have.

So, in conclusion, I would like to say that the choice of preposition is individual for each adjective, so if you are not sure which preposition to use, you will have to consult a dictionary. The article on the adjective you need should indicate with what prepositions it can be used. We have selected only a small number of adjectives, some of the most commonly used.

That's all! Don't forget to do exercises after lessons to better remember new material. Good luck everyone! Bye bye!

Below we will look at common verbs and adjectives with prepositions.

Verbs with the preposition AT

• aim at- aim at

Never aim at people. – Never aim at people.

• arrive at– arrive at (place, premises)

I arrived at the station in Tokyo. – I arrived at the station in Tokyo.

Note: we use arrive in to talk about arriving in a country or city: I arrived in Tokyo. – I arrived in Tokyo.

• hint at- hint at

What are you hinting at? - What you're suggesting?

• laugh at- laugh at

Don't laugh at me! - Do not laugh at me!

• look at- look at

Look at me. - Look at me.

• shout at- scream at

Don't shout at the kids. - Don't yell at the children.

• throw at- throw at

He threw a snowball at me. - He threw a snowball at me.

• value (estimate) at– evaluate in

The expert valued the painting at $45,000. – The expert valued the painting at $45,000.

Verbs with the preposition ABOUT

• ask about- ask about something, someone

I asked my friend about his hobby. – I asked my friend about his hobby.

• argue about- argue about something

The critics still argue about that old movie. – Critics are still arguing about this old film.

• care about- to be not indifferent to someone, something, to treat well, to love, to be interested

John really cares about you. “John really cares about you.”

• feel about- have an opinion about something

How do you feel about the plan? - How do you like the plan?

• forget about- forget about something or someone

You forgot about your promise! -You forgot about your promise!

• talk about- talk, talk about something

We were talking about your new car. – We were talking about your new car.

• hear about- to hear about something

I heard about the strike. – I heard about the strike.

• say about- to say, to speak out about something, someone

What can you say about our new employee? – What can you say about our new employee?

• worry about- worry about something, for someone

Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. - Don't worry about me, I'll be fine.

Verbs with the preposition BY

• divide\multiply by– divide\multiply by

To divide by zero. - Divide by zero.

• increase\decrease by– increase/decrease by

The pressure was decreased by 5%. – The pressure was reduced by 5 percent.

• judge by- judge by

Never judge by appearance. – Never judge by appearance.

• mean by- mean by

What did she mean by that? -What did she mean by that?

• take\hold\pull by– take/hold/pull

He held the bull by its horns. “He held the bull by the horns.”

Verbs with the preposition FOR

• ask for- ask for something, ask someone

Ask them for some water. – Ask them for some water.

Did anybody ask for me? -Did anyone ask me?

• exchange for– exchange for

I’d like to exchange rubles for dollars. – I would like to exchange rubles for dollars.

• hope for- hope for

We are hoping for a change in the weather. – We hope for a change in the weather.

• prepare for- prepare to

Prepare for battle! - Prepare for battle!

• leave for- leave for

They left for Denver this morning. They left for Denver this morning.

• wait for- wait for someone or something

I've been waiting for you. - I was waiting for you.

Verbs with the preposition FROM

• buy from– buy from

I buy vegetables from local farmers. – I buy vegetables from local farmers.

• borrow from- borrow from

I don’t want to borrow money from my parents. – I don’t want to borrow money from my parents.

• differ from– differ from

The actual product differs from the sample. – The real product is different from the sample.

• prevent from- interfere, obstruct

Protective equipment prevents us from injuries. – Protective equipment prevents injury.

• recover from- to recover (after illness)

It takes a few days to recover from such illness. – It takes several days to recover from such an illness.

• save from- save from

Save animals from people. – Save animals from people.

• suffer from- suffer from

This summer we were suffering from the heat. – This summer we suffered from the heat.

Verbs with the preposition IN

• include in- include something

I didn't include this incident in my report. – I did not include this incident in my report.

• result in- to result in something

The business meeting resolved in a good deal. – A business meeting led to a good deal.

• succeed in- to succeed, to succeed in something

Have you succeeded in getting her address? – Did you manage to get her address?

Verbs with the preposition OF

• accuse of- To accuse of

What is he accused of? -What is he accused of?

• consists of- to consist of

The novel consists of five chapters. – The novel consists of five chapters.

• deprive of- to deprive something

You have deprived me of this pleasure. “You deprived me of this pleasure.”

• inform of- be informed about

We have not been informed of this fact. – We were not informed about this fact

• remind of (about)- remind about

Can I remind you of your promise? – May I remind you of your promise?

• remind of somebody\something- remind someone or something

You remind me of my sister. -You remind me of my sister.

• speak of (about)- talk about

Are you speaking of me? - You talk about me?

• think of (about)- to think about

What do you think of your new assistant? – What do you think of your new assistant?

• get rid of- get rid of

How to get rid of bad habits. – How to get rid of bad habits.

• take and vantage of- take advantage of something or someone

We must take advantage of this opportunity. – We must take advantage of this opportunity.

• take care of- to take care about SMB

She took care of my garden. “She looked after my garden.”

Verbs with the preposition ON

• agree on- agree on

We can agree on the terms of the contract. – We can agree on the terms of the contract.

• comment on- comment on something

They didn't comment on my statement. – They did not comment on my statement.

• depend on- to depend on something

That depends on you. - It depends on you.

• insist on- insist on

I insist on your presence. - I insist on your presence.

• rely on- rely on

You can rely on me. – You can rely on me.

• spend on- spend on

I spent a lot of money on my education. – I spent a lot of money on education.

Verbs with the preposition TO

• agree to- agree to

Don’t agree to his offer. - Don't agree to his terms.

• apologize to- apologize to

I apologized to my colleagues. – I apologized to my colleagues.

• belong to– belong

That hotel belongs to her parents. This hotel belongs to her parents.

• happen to- happen to

What happened to you? - What happened to you?

• listen to- listen

You are not listening to me! - You are not listening to me!

• object to- object

Not objected to my suggestion. – He objected to my proposal.

• pay attention to- pay attention to

Pay attention to small details. – Pay attention to small details.

• prefer to– prefer

I prefer coffee to tea. – I prefer coffee to tea.

• reply to- Answer to

I replied to your email. – I answered your email.

• refer to- to refer to

Please refer to the study. – Please provide a link to the study.

• seem to- appear to someone

He seems strange to me. - He seems strange to me.

• speak to\talk to- talk to someone

Can I speak to Mr. Brown please? -Can I talk to Mr. Brown?

Verbs with the preposition WITH

• agree with- agree with

I agree with you but... – - I agree with you, but...

• compare with\to– compare with

Don’t compare movies with books. – Don’t compare films with books.

• deal with- deal with

I had to deal with some bad people. – I had to deal with bad people.

• fill with- fill with something

Her eyes filled with tears. – Her eyes filled with tears.

• supply\provide with- to provide with something, to supply

Our company supplies them with food. – Our company supplies them with products.

Adjectives with prepositions in English

The combination “verb to be + adjective + preposition” is worth highlighting as a separate small group. Let's look at the basic adjectives with a preposition.

• be concerned about- worry about something

I am concerned about your behavior. - I'm worried about your behavior.

• be worried about- to worry about something, to worry about someone

I am worried about our children. – I worry about our children.

• be sure about- to be confident in something

Are you sure about your theory? – Are you sure of your theory?

• be upset about- to be upset about something

He is upset about budget cuts. – He is upset about budget cuts.

• be nervous about- to be nervous, to worry about something

They are nervous about their wedding. – They are nervous about the wedding.

• be good at- to be able to do something, to be good at something

That guy is really good at shooting. “This guy is a really good shot.”

• be bad at– it’s bad to be able to do something

Sorry, I’m really bad at singing. - Sorry, I sing very poorly.

• be surprised by- be surprised by something

I was surprised by my uncle’s visit. – I was surprised by my uncle’s visit.

• be responsible for- to be responsible for something

Human is responsible for what is happening to the world. – Man is responsible for what happens to the world.

• be suitable for- be suitable for something

Your gear is not suitable for the mountains. – Your equipment is not suitable for the mountains.

• be good for- be useful for

Running is good for your health. – Running is good for health.

• be bad for- be harmful to

Actually, bread is bad for pigeons. – In fact, bread is harmful to pigeons.

• be late for- be late for, to

I was late for dinner. - I was late for lunch.

• be familiar with- to be familiar with something

I am familiar with the rules but I can’t play. – I know the rules, but I don’t know how to play.

• be fond of- to adore something

My wife is fond of art. – My wife loves painting.

• be in charge of- to be responsible for something, to be in charge

Who is in charge of this city? -Who is the boss in this city?

• be short of- lack something

We are really short of time. – We are very short of time.

• be afraid of- to be afraid of someone or something

I am not afraid of mosquitoes. - I'm not afraid of mosquitoes.

• be ashamed of- to be ashamed of someone or something

I am ashamed of what I said. - I'm ashamed of what I said.

• be proud of- to be proud of someone or something

The company is proud of its employees. – The company is proud of its employees.

• be experienced in- to be experienced in something

He is experienced in tracking wild animals. – He is experienced in tracking wild animals.

• be interested in- to be interested in something

I am interested in mathematics and physics. – I am interested in mathematics and physics.

• be busy with- be busy with something

I'm busy with work. - I'm busy with work.

• be satisfied with- to be satisfied with something

Are you satisfied with the result? – Are you satisfied with the result?

Special cases

Separately, you need to highlight the expressions be happy, be disappointed with a pretext. Depending on the preposition, they change meaning.

Be disappointed with, in, by

The combination of be disappointed with the prepositions with, in, by expresses disappointment, but with different prepositions we are talking about different types of disappointment.

• be disappointed with– the most common way to express disappointment

With the preposition with we get disappointment in the general sense: something or someone does not live up to expectations.

I’m disappointed with my new phone, it’s too heavy. – I’m disappointed in my new phone, it’s too heavy.

I am disappointed with our new driver. He was late for his first shift. - I'm disappointed in our new driver. He was late for his first shift.

• be disappointed in- to be disappointed in a person, to lose faith in a person

We say be disappointed in when we need to express serious disappointment in a person. Almost a loss of faith in a person.

The mason was disappointed in his apprentice. The boy couldn't even learn the basics. – The mason was disappointed in the journeyman. The boy couldn't even learn the basics.

• be disappointed by- to be disappointed with something specific

Predog by implies that the disappointment was caused by something or someone. We can say that disappointment with some specific fact is implied.

Investors were disappointed by the news. – Investors were disappointed by the news.

I'm so disappointed by your performance. - I'm so disappointed with your performance.

Be happy with, for, about

• be happy with- to be pleased, satisfied with something

We will translate be happy with into Russian, rather, not as “to be happy,” but as “to be satisfied.” We use this turn when everything suits us.

Are you happy with your new working schedule? – Are you satisfied with your new work schedule?

I am happy with the result. – I am very pleased with the result.

Be happy with can literally mean “to be happy with someone”:

I am happy with my family. – I am happy with my family.

• be happy for- to be happy for someone

We are so happy for our children! – We are so happy for our children!

I am happy for you. - I'm happy for you.

• be happy about- to be happy about something, to be happy about something

I was not happy about the profession I had chosen. – I was not happy with the profession I chose.

I am happy about the news from my brother. – I am glad about the news received from my brother.

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Prepositions after adjectives:
afraid of / for
answerable + for/to
anxious + about/for
bad or good + at/for
good + about/to/with
concerned + about/with
glad + for/of and others

Some adjectives are usually used with specific prepositions. Information about them can be found in a good dictionary. Here we will look at some adjectives, which can then have different meanings depending on the preposition. Study these examples.

Afraid + for / of
Jane used always to be afraid of swimming. Jane used to always be afraid of swimming.
My son has tried to prepare for examination, afraid for his examination. My son tried to prepare for the exam, fearing for his exam.

Angry or annoyed + about/with
My wife felt a great deal announced about being late. (about something). My wife was feeling a little annoyed about being late.
My cousin is not angry with your sister, Vault.
(with somebody) My cousin isn't mad at your sister, Walt.

answerable + for/to- responsible + for / before
Ted was answerable for (=responsible for) the project that had not been approved. Ted was in charge of a project that was not approved.
Last two committees were answerable only to (=
explained their actions to the President. The last two Committees were accountable only to the President.

anxious + about/for
My friend Todd is increasingly worried about
(= Worried about) his son’s health. My friend Todd was worried about his son's health.
My sister has been anxious for (=wanted very much) the potatoes to be planted as soon as possible.
My sister was concerned about planting potatoes in the shortest possible time.
bad or good + at/for
They were very bad / good at driving. (=successful) - They have no ability/ability to drive.
You should drink this.
It "s bad / good for you. (= health)
You must drink this. Is this good/bad for
your health. (=healthy)

good + about/to/with
Victoria felt bad about losing the prize.
(=Satisfied with herself) Victoria felt and was dissatisfied with herself after the loss.

concerned + about/with
We are much concerned about your exam results.
(= Disturbing)
This man at the window is concerned with (=about) his.

glad + for/of
He is very glad for us. He's very happy for us.
My mom would be glad of some help.

pleased + about/at/with
Were they pleased about/at this information?
They are really pleased with their new helicopter.

right + about/for
Timothy was right about Tony. He has moved to
Italy.
I think this house is right for you.

sorry + about/for
sorry about smth/for doing smth
to be/ feel sorry for somebody
We are sorry about telling you the wrong information.
We were really sorry for Victor.

The verb is followed by an adjective + preposition + verb with –ing form:
We didn't agree with smacking a child if he did the bad thing.

Some English adjectives can supplement their meaning with a preposition and a dependent word, and this relationship often differs from the similar Russian form in terms of syntax.

Table: Adjective + preposition

Danny was afraid of dogs when he was a child. Danny was afraid of dogs when he was a child.
Why are you so angry with me? Why are you so angry with me?
He is very different from his brother. He is very different from his brother.
I'm fed up with my job. I'm sick of my job.
The mall was full of people. The shopping center was full of people.
Mark is very good at computers. Mark is very computer savvy.
I'm not interested in politics. I am not interested in politics.
Kenneth was married to Susan but he’s divorced from her now. Kenneth was married to Susan, but he is now divorced.
Thanks. It was so nice of you to help me. Thank you. It was so nice of you to help me.
I know that woman. She's rude to everyone. I know this woman. She is rude to everyone.
Sorry about the mess. Sorry for the confusion.
It’s typical of him to stay at home and drink. It is typical for him to sit at home and drink.

2

In cases where the preposition is associated with an action, and not any object, we use a gerund.

I'm not good at cooking. I'm not an expert at cooking.
Sorry for breaking your vase. Sorry for breaking your vase.
We were fed up with waiting, so we went home. We got tired of waiting, so we went home.
Tom wasn’t interested in coming with us. Tom was not interested in coming with us.
You’re capable of passing the exam (= You can pass the exam). You can pass the exam.
I'm tired of staying here. Let's go for a walk. I'm tired of sitting here. Let's go for a walk.