Adjectives & Prepositions

Adjectives & Prepositions

Some adjectives go with certain prepositions. There is no real pattern you need to learn them as you
meet them. Here are some examples but remember that there are many other adjective + preposition
combinations that are not covered here.
With at

Im quite good at English but Im bad at maths and Im terrible at physics.

With for

Jogging is good for your health but smoking is bad for you.
The town is famous for its cheese.
As well as good for, bad for and famous for we also say qualified for ready for, responsible for,
suitable for and several others.
With of
Im perfectly capable of doing it myself, thank you.
Im very fond of this old sweatshirt.
As well as capable of and fond of we also say aware of, full of, tired of and several others.
With with

Were very pleased with your progress.

Youre not still angry with me are you?
As well as pleased with and angry with we also say bored with, delighted with, satisfied with and
several others.
With to

Shes the one whos married to a doctor, isnt she?

Youll be responsible to the head of the Finance department.
Notice that you can be responsible for something but responsible to someone.
Other common adjective + preposition combinations include interested in and keen on. Its a good idea
to make a note of new combinations in your vocabulary notebook as you meet them. Remember too that a
preposition is followed by a noun or a gerund (ing form).

Adjectives (gradable / non-gradable)

Gradable / Non-gradable adjectives
Adjectives can be either gradable or non-gradable
Gradable
Gradable adjectives are adjectives like cold hot and frightened. You can be very cold or a bit cold.
Gradable adjectives show that something can have different degrees.
Non-gradable
Non-gradable adjectives are adjectives like married or wooden. You cant be very married or a bit
married. Non-gradable adjectives do not have different degrees.
Adjectives like terrifying, freezing amazing are also non-gradable adjectives. They already contain the
idea of very in their definitions freezing means very cold etc.
Using adverbs of degree
When we use adverbs of degree to modify adjectives we usually have to use different adverbs for gradable
and non-gradable adjectives.

NOT Im completely hot.

NOT It was very fantastic!
With gradable adjectives

Its a bit cold in here. Shall I turn the fire on?

Hes very interested in history. Why dont you buy him a history book?
This exercise is really difficult. I dont know any of the answers.
Im extremely tired. Im going to bed.
The adverbs a bit, very, really, extremely and quite can all be used with gradable adjectives.
With non-gradable adjectives

Its absolutely freezing in here. Shall I turn the fire on?

Hes completely fascinated by history. Why dont you buy him a history book?
This exercise is absolutely impossible.
That film is really terrifying. Dont go and see it on your own.
The adverbs absolutely and completely can be used with non-gradable adjectives.

Notice that really can be used with both gradable AND non-gradable adjectives.
NOTE: There are other adverbs of degree that we havent covered in this section. The ones included here
are some of the most common.

Adjectives ending in -ed and ing

-ed and ing adjectives
Adjectives that end -ed (e.g. bored, interested) and adjectives that end -ing (e.g. boring,
interesting) are often confused.
-ed adjectives
Adjectives that end -ed describe emotions they tell us how people feel about something.

I was very bored in the maths lesson. I almost fell asleep.

He was surprised to see Helen. Shed told him she was going to Australia.
Feeling tired and depressed, he went to bed.
-ing adjectives
Adjectives that end -ing describe the thing that causes the emotion a boring lesson makes you feel
bored.

Have you seen that film? Its absolutely terrifying.

I could listen to him for hours. Hes one of the most interesting people Ive ever met.
I cant eat this! Its disgusting! What is it?
Remember that people can be boring but only if they make other people feel bored.

He talks about the weather for hours. Hes so boring.

NOT I was very boring at the party so I went home.
Here are some more adjectives that can have both an -ed and an -ing form

amused
amusing
annoyed
annoying
confused
confusing
disappointed
disappointing
excited

exciting
exhausted
exhausting
frightened
frightening
satisfied
satisfying
shocked
shocking

Articles 1
There are lots of rules about the use of articles. Here well concentrate on 3 golden rules. Most mistakes
with articles are made through breaking one of these rules.
1. When we say what peoples jobs are, we use a/an

Shes an architect.
Hes a doctor.
My grandfather was a teacher.
2. Singular, countable nouns always have an article a/an or the or another determiner (my, your, this,
that etc.)
Remember that we use the indefinite article - a/an - when we talk about something that is not definite.

I saw a good film yesterday. The listener doesnt know which film.
Theres a man at the door. We dont know who the man is.
Do you want a drink? Its not a particular drink.
and we use the definite article - the when we talk about something more certain.

Im going to take the dog for a walk. The dog is a pet its not just any dog.
Have you seen the car key? Speaker and listener know which car. Its not just any car.
They live in the house opposite ours. Theres only one house opposite. Its not any house.
3. When we talk about things in general we usually use a plural noun or an uncountable noun with no
article.

Birds eat worms. NOT The birds eat the worms.

Water flows downhill.
Kangaroos live in Australia.
BUT We went to the zoo and saw the kangaroos. These are particular kangaroos not kangaroos in
general.
There are many other rules about articles but remembering these 3 golden rules will reduce the number of
mistakes you make.