ADJECTIVE AND PREPOSITION COMBINATIONS

ADJECTIVE AND PREPOSITION COMBINATIONS

HERE IS A SOMEWHAT EXHAUSTIVE LIST OF THE MOST COMMON

ADJECTIVE-PREPOSITION COMBINATIONS

Absent from
He has been absent from school for three days.
Absorbed in
He was so absorbed in reading his book that he didn't notice me enter the room.
Accustomed to
I'm not accustomed to very cold climates.
Acquainted with
She is acquainted with our customs quite well.
Addicted to
So many youths are addicted to drugs.
Afraid of
She is afraid of going out after dark.
Allergic to
My son is allergic to penicillin.
Amazed at/by
We were all amazed at/by her unusual behaviour.
Angry at/about
We were angry at her selfish behaviour.
Angry with someone for something
We were angry with him for his selfishness.
Annoyed at/about
I was annoyed at not being invited to the party.
Annoyed with someone for something
They were annoyed with me for not inviting them to the party.
Anxious about/for
We were anxious about his constantly high temperature.
The little boy was anxious for school to start.
Appropriate for
Do you think this book is appropriate for our goals?
Ashamed of
I felt ashamed of my shabby clothes.
You must be ashamed of yourself for treating
her so rudely.
Associated with
Steven Spielberg is particularly associated with special effects in film.
Astonished at/by
They were rather astonished at losing the game.
Aware of
Most people are still not aware of the extent of environmental pollution.
Bad at
He is bad at repairing things.
Bad for
Eating too much candy is bad for your teeth.
Based on
Educational principles should be based on the requirements of the times.
Beneficial to
Taking regular exercise is beneficial to your health.
Bewildered at/about/by
Judy was bewildered by the complex mathematical problem.
Blessed with
Katie is blessed with a family who are always looking out for her best interests.
Boastful of
She is boastful of her son's achievements.
Bored with
I didn't finish reading the book, for I was bored with the plot.
Brilliant at
He is really brilliant at calculating.
Busy with
She can't come with us because she is busy with her term paper.
Capable of
You are capable of doing better work than this.
Careful about
Be careful about your words even when you are annoyed.
Careful with
You must be careful with money in these economic conditions.
Careless about (not paying attention to}
She is often careless about her clothes; especially when she is depressed.
Careless of (negligent, thoughtless)
Some drivers are careless of the dangers of driving fast.
Clever at
She is quite clever at working out the most difficult problems.
Committed to
He is committed to honest work.
Composed of
End of term parties are usually composed of students, teachers and parents.
Concerned about
People are concerned about the increasing air pollution in Istanbul.
Confident of
Ryan is confident of his safe driving skills.
Confused about something
Anna was confused about the grammatical structure, so she asked the teacher to clarify it.
(Get) sth / sb confused with sth / sb else
Since they were identical twins, the teacher was always getting Jason confused with Jacob.
Connected with/to
A good mood is usually connected with good health.
I think she is distantly connected with/to that family.
Conscious of
A good many parents are not conscious of the importance of reading to their children.
Content with
The teacher seemed content with our exam results.
Convinced of
I'm convinced of his innocence.
Coordinated with
When you are swimming, the movements of your legs should be coordinated with your arms.
Covered with/in
When I looked out of the window, I noticed that everything was covered with snow.
Crowded with
The city centre is always crowded with people.
Curious about
I'm curious about which party will win the election.
Dedicated to
She loves her job; in fact, she is dedicated to it.
Deficient In
You should eat vegetables and fruit regularly so that your diet is not deficient in vitamins.
Delighted with/at
The child was delighted with his new toy.
I'm delighted at all you've done!
Dependent on/upon
Because he hasn't got a proper job, he is still dependent on his parents financially.
Derived from
Most words in English are derived from Latin.
Devoid of
She seems to be devoid of the skills required for this job.
Devoted to
She is devoted to her children.
Different from/than
Your likes and dislikes are quite different from/than mine.
Disappointed with/at/by
She seemed really disappointed with her exam results.
Discriminated against
People should not be discriminated against because of the colour of their skin.
Divorced from
According to the statistics, the number of women divorced from their husbands is increasing.
Done with
Linda was so angry at her boyfriend's behaviour that she swore that she was done with him.
Dressed in
She was dressed in a skirt, which was unusual for her.
Eager for
He seems eager for a quick recovery, so he is doing whatever the doctor says.
Efficient in
The production manager is really efficient in his job.
Engaged to
She is still engaged to Jonathan, and they are thinking of getting married soon.
Enthusiastic about
Jenny is very enthusiastic about coming to the concert with us.
Envious of
I'm envious of people who can speak three or more languages fluently.
Equipped with
Big offices are usually equipped with a burglar alarm.
Excellent at
My mother is excellent at knitting,
Excited about
The children seem quite excited about going on holiday.
Exposed to
If hands and face are exposed to extreme cold, they may get frostbite.
Faithful to
Dogs are known to be faithful to their owners.
Familiar with
I'm not familiar with any of the books by that author.
Familiar to
The man in the corner seems familiar to me.
Famous for
Turkish people are famous for their hospitality.
Fed up with
The teacher was fed up with the boy's disrespectful behaviour, so she sent him to the principal's office.
Filled with
The room was filled with excited people.
Finished with
The waiter took my dessert dish away before I was finished with the chocolate sauce.
Fit for
Due to his poor health, he is not fit for the race.
Fond of
I'm very fond of children.
Free of
Children under seven can travel free of charge.
Free from
You will be free from pain soon after you've taken two of these tablets.
Friendly to/with
She was quite friendly to me last night.
Frightened of/at
I have always been frightened of heights.
Full of
Your composition is full of grammatical mistakes.
Furious about
She was furious about the news that she hadn't been promoted.
Furious with someone for something
She was furious with the manager for not promoting her.
Furnished with
The agents have been furnished with all the necessary information.
Generous about/with
The host was a bit too generous with the tequilla, so we all became drunk.
Good at
I'm not so good at playing cards.
Good for
Taking regular walks is good for your heart.
Grateful to someone for something
I'm grateful to you for your kind support.
Guilty of
The man was found guilty of the robbery.
Happy about
I’m very happy about your getting this job.
Happy with
1 purchased my dishwasher two years ago, and I'm still happy with it.
Honest with
You should be honest with your clients.
Hopeful of/about
She is hopeful of passing the university entrance exam this year.
Hopeless at
She is hopeless at cooking. She can't even cook the simplest dishes properly.
Hostile to
Since the scandal, the two families have been hostile to each other.
Identical with/to
What a coincidence! Your dress is almost identical with mine.
Ignorant of
She is ignorant of the proper thing to do in such circumstances.
Impressed with/by
We were greatly impressed with her diligence.
Inferior to
I don't think your work is inferior to anybody else's in the office.
Indebted to
I'm indebted to my friends for the encouragement they gave me for this job.
Indifferent to
She seems quite indifferent to what is happening around her.
Innocent of
She was found innocent of the charge.
Interested In
I've always been interested in folk music.
Involved In
He has recently been involved in a bribery case.
Kind to
She has always been kind to the people around her.
Known for (famous for)
Mr. Jones is known for his honesty.
Known as
Mr. Jones is known as an honest man.
Late for
You've been late for work twice this week.
Limited to
The time given for the university entrance exam is limited to three and a half hours.
Lucky at
He is usually lucky at cards.
Mad at (angry with)
Don't be mad at me! I was just trying to help you.
Mad about (very fond o/j
She is mad about pop music.
Made of
Tables and chairs are usually made of wood, [if there is only physical change in the raw material}
Made from
Paper is made from wood. (The raw material changes chemically as well as physically.)
Made out of
It's difficult to believe that this lovely vase was made out of a bottle, (if you alter an item, and use it with a different purpose)
Married to
She is married to an American.
Mindful of
You should be mindful of your responsibilities.
Mistaken about
You are mistaken about the extent of her capabilities.
Nervous of/about
She is nervous about the job interview she will have this afternoon.
Notorious for
She became notorious for her extravagance.
Obliged to
I'm obliged to you for being beside me during all that trouble.
Opposed to
I'm opposed to giving so many responsibilities to a small childT
Jealous of
She has always been jealous of her brother's success.
Keen on
He is very keen on football.
Patient with
A teacher should be patient with his/her students.
Pleased about
She seems very pleased about being put in charge.
Pleased with
I'm pleased with the progress you've made.
Polite to
You should be polite to the customers.
Popular with
She is very popular with her students.
Prepared for
I'm buying these boots so that I'll be prepared for the snow this winter.
Proud of
She is rightly proud of her success.
Provided with
The young should be provided with jobs after graduation.
Ready for
Everybody seems ready for the journey.
Related to
Are you related to the headmaster; because your surnames are the same?
Relevant to
Your question isn't relevant to the subject we are discussing.
Remembered for
Audrey Hepburn is remembered for her classic style and grace.
Responsible for/to
I think air pollution in big cities is responsible for the increase in respiratory diseases of late.
Rich in
Vegetables and fruit are rich in vitamins.
Right about
I was right about her low chances of getting the job.
Sad about
She was sad about losing the chance of giving a party, having failed the exam.
Satisfied with
Are you satisfied with your present job?
Scared of
She was scared of the growling dog.
Shocked at/by
He was such a good driver we were all shocked at the news that he'd had an accident.
Short of
I'm a bit short of money these days, so I can't come with you to dine out.
Sick of
I'm sick of this ceaseless rain.
Similar to
This scheme is quite similar to the one I prepared.
Skilful at
The Inuit people are known to be skilful at using their harpoons.
Slow at
The new secretary is quite slow at typing.
Sorry for someone
I feel sorry for Sue, because she hasn't been able to find a job yet.
Sorry about something
I’m sorry about my rude remarks yesterday.
Sorry for doing something
I’m sorry for hurting you with my rude remarks yesterday.
Subject to
The southeast of Turkey is subject to extreme weather conditions.
Successful in
He was successful in marketing the product to a wide area.
Suitable for
I don't think jeans will be suitable for such a formal party.
Superior to
Do you think this job will be superior to your current one?
Sure of
If you are not sure of your facts, don't make them public.
Sure about
I'm not sure about the time of the train.
Surprised at/by
I was really surprised at her treating us so strangely.
Suspicious of
The guard became suspicious of the youth standing on the corner.
Synchronized with
The ballet dancers were perfectly synchronized with each other.
Terrible at
She is terrible at cooking.
Terrified of
The little girl was terrified of the huge dog.
Thankful to someone for something
I'm thankful to them for taking the time to help me.
Thrilled with
The employees were thrilled with the promise of a high pay rise given by the boss.
Tired of/from
I'm tired of your complaints.
I was tired from spending the entire day at the zoo with my son.
Troubled with
He was deeply troubled with the situation in the office.
Typical of
Do you like eating food typical of the region in which you are travelling?
Upset with/about
She was upset about the trouble she had caused.
Used to
She is not used to staying at home alone.
Worried about
I'm worried about his being so withdrawn.
Wrong about
Many people were wrong about their predictions for the results of the election.
Wrong with
I think something is wrong with Sue. She is in the next room crying.