An adjective + preposition collocation is a familiar combination in which an adjective is followed by a particular preposition. Common examples include interested in, afraid of, good at, and responsible for.
The preposition connects the adjective to a person, thing, activity, or situation. Some adjectives accept more than one preposition, and the choice can affect the meaning or reflect an accepted variation in English usage.
Common Adjective + Preposition Collocations with Examples
The following combinations are grouped by preposition for easy reference. They appear in everyday conversation, education, relationships, and professional communication.
Adjectives Followed by Of
| Collocation | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| Afraid of | Nora was afraid of crossing the suspension bridge in strong winds. |
| Proud of | Daniel was proud of his daughter’s determination to finish the marathon. |
| Aware of | The new tenants weren’t aware of the building’s weekend delivery restrictions. |
| Capable of | The compact printer was capable of producing detailed maps on waterproof paper. |
| Tired of | After three unsuccessful repairs, Emma was tired of dealing with the same plumbing problem. |
Adjectives Followed by At
| Collocation | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| Good at | Elliot is good at explaining unfamiliar software without relying on technical jargon. |
| Bad at | Despite years of travelling, Lucas was still bad at packing a suitcase efficiently. |
| Brilliant at | Leah is brilliant at spotting small inconsistencies in historical records. |
| Surprised at | Visitors were surprised at how much of the original theatre had survived the fire. |
Adjectives Followed by About
| Collocation | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| Worried about | Parents were worried about the sudden change to the school bus route. |
| Excited about | Maya was excited about displaying her photographs at the local gallery. |
| Curious about | Theo was curious about the handwritten notes inside his grandfather’s cookbook. |
| Concerned about | Residents were concerned about cracks appearing around the old bridge. |
Adjectives Followed by For
| Collocation | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| Responsible for | As caretaker, Ben was responsible for securing the building after evening classes. |
| Suitable for | The shorter walking route was suitable for visitors who preferred to avoid steep paths. |
| Famous for | The coastal village was famous for its colourful fishing boats. |
| Grateful for | Priya was grateful for the extra time her supervisor gave her to complete the project. |
Adjectives Followed by To
| Collocation | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| Similar to | The revised design was similar to the prototype displayed the previous spring. |
| Kind to | The nurse was particularly kind to the boy during his first hospital visit. |
| Committed to | The library staff were committed to making the archive accessible to local researchers. |
| Allergic to | Hannah was allergic to latex, so the clinic arranged to use alternative gloves. |
| Married to | Alice has been married to her childhood friend for nearly twenty years. |
Adjectives Followed by With
| Collocation | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| Familiar with | The local guide was familiar with every footpath around the reservoir. |
| Satisfied with | After reviewing the final sketches, Isaac was satisfied with the changes to his portrait. |
| Patient with | Tara was patient with her father as he learned to use his new phone. |
| Pleased with | The photographer was pleased with the final prints after several adjustments to the lighting. |
Adjectives Followed by In
| Collocation | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| Interested in | Noah became interested in restoring old radios after finding one in the attic. |
| Involved in | Several parents were involved in organising the school’s annual book fair. |
| Successful in | After months of preparation, Clara was successful in securing a place on the conservation course. |
Other Common Combinations: On, From, and By
| Collocation | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| Dependent on | The outdoor performance was dependent on dry weather. |
| Keen on | Sophie had always been keen on sea kayaking. |
| Different from | The replacement tile was different from the sample approved last month. |
| Safe from | The family’s photographs were finally safe from further water damage once the roof was repaired. |
| Free from | The latest edition was free from the printing errors found in the first batch. |
| Impressed by | The judges were impressed by the detail in the students’ models. |
| Surprised by | Oliver was surprised by the number of people who remembered his grandfather. |
Impressed by and surprised by commonly describe reactions. Depending on the construction, similar participial forms may also be analysed as part of a passive verb phrase.
How Changing the Preposition Changes the Meaning
Some adjectives accept different prepositions because they describe different relationships.
Good At, Good With, Good For, and Good To
Consider four statements about Lena, who works at an after-school programme.
| Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Lena is good at teaching reading skills. | She has the necessary ability. |
| Lena is good with nervous children. | She handles interactions with them effectively. |
| Lena is good for the programme. | Her presence or work benefits the programme. |
| Lena is good to the children. | She treats them kindly. |
All four statements could be true of Lena, but they describe different qualities or relationships.
Familiar With and Familiar To
Compare:
The new drivers were familiar with the old timetable.
The old timetable was familiar to the new drivers.
Familiar with generally describes someone who knows or has experience of a person, subject, or thing.
Familiar to describes something that a person recognises.
The drivers might recognise the timetable because they have seen it before. Being familiar with it may also suggest that they know how to use it.
The meanings can overlap, and neither expression automatically indicates a particular depth of knowledge.
Responsible For and Responsible To
These combinations are useful when describing workplace duties and reporting relationships.
The site supervisor is responsible for arranging monthly safety inspections.
The site supervisor is responsible to the facilities director.
Responsible for identifies a duty or area of responsibility.
Responsible to identifies the person or authority to whom someone is accountable. This use is especially common in professional and organisational contexts.
Responsible for can also express causation.
A damaged water pipe was responsible for the flooding in the storage room.
Here, responsible for identifies the cause of the flooding, not an assigned duty.
Angry With, Angry At, and Angry About
Suppose an organiser cancels an event without notifying the participants.
Daniel was angry with the organiser about the cancellation.
With identifies the person toward whom Daniel feels anger, while about identifies the situation that caused it.
However, Daniel could also be angry at the organiser. Both angry with and angry at are natural when referring to people.
Similarly, someone can be angry at or angry about a decision. The meanings overlap, although the emphasis may vary.
Different From, Different To, and Different Than
Sometimes a change of preposition reflects accepted usage rather than a difference in meaning.
Different from is widely accepted in both British and American English.
Different to is also used, particularly in British English, while different than is common in American English and appears in some comparisons involving clauses.
The final design was different from the original proposal.
The alternatives usually express the same basic comparison. For international writing, different from is a reliable choice.
Using Adjective + Preposition Collocations Correctly
The words following a preposition must fit the grammatical pattern of the expression.
What Can Follow the Preposition?
After the preposition, you may have a noun phrase, a pronoun, or an -ing form expressing an activity.
Compare:
Eleanor was interested in the exhibition.
Eleanor was interested in attending the exhibition.
In the first sentence, in is followed by a noun phrase. In the second, it is followed by attending.
The same pattern appears in other combinations:
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| Afraid of + -ing | She was afraid of losing the original photographs. |
| Capable of + -ing | The new system is capable of processing thousands of records. |
| Responsible for + -ing | Marcus is responsible for organising the weekly deliveries. |
| Interested in + -ing | The students were interested in visiting the observatory. |
A pronoun after a preposition normally takes its object form.
The instructor was patient with them while they practised the new technique.
We use with them, not with they.
When To Is a Preposition and When It Introduces an Infinitive
The word to can function as a preposition or introduce an infinitive.
Compare:
The volunteers were committed to restoring the old railway station.
The volunteers were ready to restore the old railway station.
In committed to restoring, to is a preposition, followed by an -ing form.
In ready to restore, to introduces an infinitive.
When committed to means dedicated to an activity, the usual pattern is committed to + -ing, as in committed to improving the service.
When an Adjective Is Followed by a Clause
Not every adjective requires a preposition before the rest of the sentence.
Compare:
The organisers were concerned about the weather forecast.
The organisers were concerned that the outdoor concert might be cancelled.
In the first sentence, about introduces a noun phrase.
In the second, that introduces a clause expressing the reason for their concern. It is not a preposition.
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