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The most common prepositions used alongside adjectives include the following:
of
to
about
for
with
at
by
in
from
Rules
There are no definite rules when it comes to combining adjectives with prepositions, but a few patterns exist. One trick is to look at how synonymous
adjective s and antonymous adjectives pair with prepositions; another is to memorize the prepositions used with adjectives’ associated noun forms.
Synonymous adjectives
Synonymous adjectives generally take the same prepositions. For example, when the adjective afraid is replaced with its synonyms scared and terrified, the
preposition of stays the same:
“Megan was afraid of the thunderstorm.” (original)
“Megan was scared of the thunderstorm.”
“Megan was terrified of the thunderstorm.”
Antonymous adjectives
Like synonymous adjectives, the majority of antonymous adjectives use the same
prepositions:
“It was smart of him to go on vacation.”
“It was stupid of him to go on vacation.”
On occasion, an adjective and its associated noun form may not share the same preposition, as in the example below:
“He is fond of animals.” (adjective)
“He has a fondness for animals.” (associated noun)
Below are various examples of combinations you may come across in everyday English.
Adjective + of
An adjective paired with the preposition of can identify causes of mental and physical states (e.g., fear, exhaustion, anxiety, etc.) or offer descriptions for actions
and people. For example:
Adjective + to
When paired with an adjective, the preposition to can describe behaviors, states, or connections between things and people. For
example:
committed to, dedicated to, devoted to “How dedicated to your studies are you?”
mean to, rude to, unfriendly to “The couple was rude to the waitress.”
Adjective + about
The preposition about typically accompanies emotive adjectives in regards to specific situations or events. For
example:
“My neighbor is angry about the loud music we played last night.”
angry about, furious about, mad about “That woman is furious about having to wait in line.”
Adjective + for
For can be used with adjectives to demonstrate purpose or reason. For example:
“Texas is famous for rodeos.”
“Australia is known for its large kangaroo population.”
“Coach Brown is responsible for the football team.”
For may also be used to emphasize someone’s feelings toward a specific event, thing, or person. This combination follows the basic form feel/be + adjective +
for + someone/something. For example:
“Marianne feels bad for her coworker.”
“Kyle is happy for his brother.”
“The company felt hopeful for the future.”
Adjective + with
When used with an adjective, the preposition with can indicate the cause of an emotional state or a connection between things or people.
For example:
content with, fine with, OK with “I’m fine with having to rewrite the introduction.”
With may also be employed in passive sentences to describe the states of people or things:
“Paris is especially crowded with tourists in the summertime.”
“The cake is filled with fresh blueberries.”
“The piñata is stuffed with hundreds of pieces of candy.”
Adjective + at/by
Most adjectives that take the preposition at can also take the preposition by. When combined with adjectives, these prepositions illustrate causes for specific
reactions or emotional responses. By can be used in place of at only because these sentences require passive voice. For example:
“The man was amazed at/by the number of people offering to help him.”
“She was astonished at/by the movie’s poor ratings.”
“I’m shocked at/by his behavior.”
“Flight attendants were surprised at/by the plane’s abrupt landing.”
At can also describe skills and abilities when paired with positive and negative adjectives, such as good/bad and wonderful/terrible. In this case, by cannot be
used in place of at, as the sentences are not passive. For example:
✔ “James is good at playing the guitar.” (correct)
✖ “James is good by playing the guitar.” (incorrect)
✔ “I’m terrible at golf.” (correct)
✖ “I’m terrible by golf.” (incorrect)
Adjective + in
Some adjectives can be paired with the preposition in to show connections or relationships between people and things. For example:
Adjective + from
Adjectives taking the preposition from can emphasize a point of opposition or the result of an action. For example:
“Turquoise is different from blue.” (point of opposition)
“We were protected from the storm.” (point of opposition)
“I became tired from studying all night.” (result of an action)
In some cases, however, the prepositions are not interchangeable and can only be used to describe specific nouns or gerunds. For example, when paired with
adjectives, with and for generally refer to people, whereas about usually refers to things, events, or gerunds:
“I’m so happy for them.” (people)
“I’m so happy about the wedding.” (thing/event)
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