Here is a sentence I hear in class roughly every week: “I am interested for English.” It is a lovely sentence — except for one tiny preposition. It should be interested in. And here is the bad news, the good news, and the only news there is on this topic: there is no rule. Adjective + preposition pairings in English are pure collocation. They are not logical, they are not predictable, and you cannot work them out from first principles. You just have to learn them as chunks — the adjective and the preposition glued together as one item.
The good news is that there are not actually that many of them, and once you have met a pairing two or three times in real sentences, your brain locks it in. So in this lesson we are going to walk through the most useful adjective + preposition collocations at B1/B2 level, grouped by preposition, with example sentences you can steal. There is a short quiz at the end to test yourself.
Adjective + IN
The IN group is small but very high-frequency. These four come up constantly in everyday conversation and writing, so it is worth burning them in first.
- interested in — I’m really interested in Maltese history.
- involved in — She’s involved in three different projects at the moment.
- fluent in — He’s fluent in Italian and almost fluent in French.
- successful in — They were very successful in launching the new product.
Notice that interested in is followed either by a noun (interested in music) or by a verb in the -ing form (interested in learning Spanish). That pattern — preposition + -ing — is true for almost every adjective + preposition combination in this lesson, so keep an eye out.
Adjective + OF
OF is the biggest family. If you are not sure which preposition to use and you are forced to guess, OF is statistically your best bet — but please do not actually guess, because the wrong preposition sounds very obviously wrong to a native ear.
- afraid of — My little brother is afraid of spiders.
- fond of — I’m very fond of my grandmother. (= I love her in a warm, affectionate way)
- jealous of — He’s jealous of his sister’s new car.
- proud of — We’re so proud of you.
- capable of — She’s capable of running a marathon.
- aware of — Are you aware of the deadline?
- full of — The classroom was full of noise.
- tired of — I’m tired of doing the same exercises.
- ashamed of — He was ashamed of what he had said.
A small warning: scared of works exactly like afraid of, but frightened can take either of or by depending on whether you mean a general fear (frightened of dogs) or a specific moment (frightened by a loud noise). Stick with of for general fears at B1/B2 and you will be fine.
Adjective + AT
AT is almost exclusively about ability — how well or badly you do something. This is one of the easiest groups to remember because the pattern is so consistent.
- good at — She’s really good at chess.
- bad at — I’m bad at remembering names.
- terrible at — He’s terrible at cooking.
- hopeless at — I’m absolutely hopeless at maths.
- brilliant at — She’s brilliant at solving puzzles.
- useless at — I’m useless at giving directions.
- excellent at — He’s excellent at presenting his ideas.
Same rule as before: after at, use a noun or -ing form. Good at football, good at playing football — both fine. Good at to play football — never.
Adjective + TO
The TO group often involves relationships and connections — between people, things, or ideas.
- married to — She’s married to a teacher. (Note: married with is wrong in English, even though it works in many other languages.)
- similar to — This dish is similar to one my mum makes.
- kind to — Please be kind to the new student.
- related to — Are you related to Tom? / The two problems are related to each other.
- addicted to — I’m completely addicted to this TV series.
- used to — I’m not used to driving on the left. (= it still feels strange)
- rude to — Don’t be rude to the waiter.
- engaged to — They got engaged to each other last summer.
The married to / married with mix-up is one of the most common errors I see, especially from Spanish, Italian and Polish speakers. Married with only works if you are talking about what comes with the marriage — married with three children means married, and they have three children.
Adjective + WITH / FROM / FOR / ABOUT
The remaining prepositions each pick up a handful of useful adjectives. Learn these as little clusters.
WITH — often about people you spend time with, or things you are comfortable handling.
- familiar with — I’m familiar with this software.
- pleased with — She’s really pleased with her exam results.
- bored with — I’m getting bored with this game.
- satisfied with — The customer wasn’t satisfied with the service.
- angry with — She’s angry with her brother. (more on this in a moment)
FROM — about origin, separation, and difference.
- different from — British English is different from American English. (You may also hear different to in the UK and different than in the US — all three are accepted, but different from is the safest in writing.)
- far from — The hotel isn’t far from the beach.
- safe from — The kittens are safe from the rain now.
- absent from — He was absent from class on Monday.
FOR — about purpose, responsibility, and suitability.
- responsible for — Who is responsible for this mess?
- suitable for — This film isn’t suitable for young children.
- famous for — Malta is famous for its beaches and its language schools.
- ready for — Are you ready for the test?
- sorry for — I felt sorry for him.
ABOUT — about the topic of a feeling or thought.
- worried about — I’m worried about my exam.
- excited about — She’s excited about her trip.
- nervous about — He’s nervous about meeting her parents.
- happy about — I’m not very happy about the new schedule.
- serious about — Are you serious about learning English?
Tricky pairs that change meaning with the preposition
Now the fun part. A handful of adjectives accept more than one preposition, and the meaning shifts depending on which one you pick. These are worth slowing down for, because they catch out even quite advanced learners.
good at / good with / good for
- good at = skilled at an activity. She’s good at tennis.
- good with = skilled at handling people, animals or tools. He’s good with children. / She’s good with her hands.
- good for = beneficial. Vegetables are good for you. / This room would be good for a meeting.
bored of / bored with / bored by
- All three are now accepted in modern British English, and they mean essentially the same thing. Bored with is the most traditional and the safest in writing; bored of is extremely common in speech; bored by tends to point at a specific cause. I’m bored by his stories sounds slightly more pointed than I’m bored with his stories.
angry at / angry with / angry about
- angry with + person — She’s angry with her boss. (most natural in British English)
- angry at + person or situation — He’s angry at the world. (more common in American English)
- angry about + thing or topic — I’m angry about the decision.
If you remember nothing else: angry with a person, angry about a thing.
sorry for / sorry about
- sorry for + person = sympathy. I feel sorry for her.
- sorry about + thing = apology or regret. I’m sorry about the noise.
Mini quiz — test yourself
Fill in the missing preposition. Answers below — no peeking.
- I’m not very good ___ remembering people’s names.
- She’s married ___ a doctor from Gozo.
- Are you aware ___ the new rule?
- He’s really worried ___ his driving test.
- Maltese is quite different ___ Italian, even though they sound similar.
- My sister is fluent ___ four languages.
- Who’s responsible ___ locking up tonight?
- I’m absolutely terrible ___ dancing.
- The children are very fond ___ their grandfather.
- This book is similar ___ the one we read last term.
Answers: 1. at | 2. to | 3. of | 4. about | 5. from | 6. in | 7. for | 8. at | 9. of | 10. to.
How did you do? If you got 8 or more right, your collocation instincts are already strong — you mostly just need more reading to lock the rest in. If you got fewer than 6, do not worry: this is exactly the kind of thing that clicks fast in a classroom, where a teacher can correct you in the moment and the right pairing starts to sound right rather than feel like a rule you are trying to remember.
If you would like to practise this kind of vocabulary in real conversations rather than alone with a worksheet, come and study with us in Malta. Request a quotation here and our team will put together a course that fits your level and your dates.
Ready to learn English in Malta?
Two weeks of focused lessons, real conversations with classmates from around the world, and an afternoon swim on our rooftop. Get a free, no-obligation quote — see exactly what your course would cost, zero hidden fees.