Adjective + preposition (angry with, afraid of)

B1-B1+
Grammar
Adjectives and adverbs

Some adjectives can have a preposition + a noun (or pronoun) after them:

adjective + preposition + noun
I’m afraid of dogs, especially big ones.
She’s good at* maths, physics, and chemistry.*

Here are some more examples:

afraid of:	I’m afraid of* spiders.*
angry with:	em>My wife is angry with me: I forgot our anniversary.
annoyed with:	I was annoyed with* my sister.*
brilliant at:	Sylwia is brilliant at* playing the accordion.*
busy with:	Tom was busy with* his work when I walked in.*
careless with:	My brother has always been careless with* his money.*
cruel to:	Toni’s mother was always cruel to* her.*
famous for:	London is famous for* Big Ben.*
fond of:	Peter is fond of* cats.*
frightened of:	Pets are frightened of* fireworks.*
full of:	Petra’s wardrobe was full of* new clothes.*
good at:	Jeff is good at* maths.*
grateful for:	I was grateful for* the stranger’s help when my car broke down.*
interested in:	I’ve always been interested in* 20^th century history.*
keen on:	My friend is very keen on* squash.*
kind to:	Always be kind to* animals.*
lucky at:	I’m never lucky at* games.*
pleased with:	Igor was very pleased with* his exam results.*
proud of:	Susan was so proud of* her son when he graduated from Oxford.*
sure about:	Are you sure about* the name of the film?*
surprised by:	I was surprised by* her reaction to the news.*

Some adjectives have a preposition + an –ing form after them:

adjective + preposition + -ing
He was sick of listening* to her complaints.*
I’m not very good at running.
Kate is very fond of talking.
Colin is used to working* at night.* (= He often works at night, and he doesn’t mind it.)

A few adjectives can have an –ing form without a preposition:

busy

no good

not worth

adjective + -ing
They were busy getting* ready for the arrival of their guests.*
It’s no good worrying* about the weather.*
It’s not worth seeing* that film – it’s rubbish!*

PRACTICE

Now it is time to practise what you have learned.

For each Practice Test, read the instructions carefully.
Complete the exercise and press 'Check' to get your results.

Practice Test A

Practice Test B

Practice Test C

Practice Test D

Nigel Bailey

Nigel is a qualified Teacher of English as a Foreign Language and has been teaching in Poland since 2003. He has been teaching over the Internet since 2008 and has taught more than 1,000 students in this way.

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