ESL Grammar: Prepositions - Prepositions after Adjectives, Interested in, Good at, Afraid of

What It Is

Prepositions after adjectives describe the relationship between a person or thing and the thing they are related to. For example, "I'm interested in reading books" (not "I'm interested reading books"). This topic causes difficulty for ESL learners because they may not know which prepositions to use with certain adjectives.

Key Rules

• Use in with adjectives like interested, bored, and excited. Example: I'm interested in learning new languages.
• Use at with adjectives like good, bad, and skilled. Example: She's good at playing the piano.
• Use of with adjectives like afraid, proud, and ashamed. Example: I'm afraid of snakes.
• Some adjectives don't use prepositions: happy, sad, tired, and angry. Example: I'm happy today.
• Some adjectives use different prepositions depending on the context. Example: I'm good with children, but bad at math.
• Don't use prepositions with adjectives that describe physical characteristics. Example: She's tall and beautiful.
• Use in with adjectives that describe a feeling or emotion. Example: I'm in love with her.
• Use at with adjectives that describe a skill or talent. Example: He's good at sports.
• Use of with adjectives that describe a fear or dislike. Example: I'm afraid of spiders.
• Some adjectives have irregular forms when used with prepositions. Example: interested becomes interested in, but afraid becomes afraid of.
• Pronounce in as /?n/ and at as /æt/.
• Don't confuse in and on. Example: I'm in the mood for food, but on the bus.
• Don't confuse at and on. Example: I'm at the store, but on the phone.

Common ESL Errors

Error: I'm interested reading books. Why it happens: Interference from L1 (some languages don't use prepositions after adjectives). Correction: I'm interested in reading books. (Use in with adjectives like interested.)

Error: She's good at math. Why it happens: Overgeneralization (thinking all adjectives use at). Correction: She's good at playing the piano. (Use at with adjectives like good.)

Error: I'm afraid of my dog. Why it happens: Interference from L1 (some languages use different prepositions for different contexts). Correction: I'm afraid of snakes. (Use of with adjectives like afraid.)

Practice Exercises

1. Fill in the blank: I'm interested in learning new languages. (Answer: learning)
2. Fill in the blank: She's good at playing the piano. (Answer: playing)
3. Fill in the blank: I'm afraid of spiders. (Answer: spiders)

Last-Minute Revision

in and on are often confused.
at and on are often confused. Use in with adjectives like interested. Use at with adjectives like good. Use of with adjectives like afraid. Some adjectives don't use prepositions.
happy, sad, tired, and angry don't use prepositions.
in is pronounced /?n/ and at is pronounced /æt/.
interested becomes interested in, but afraid becomes afraid of.
in and on are often used with different meanings.
at and on are often used with different meanings. Use in with adjectives that describe a feeling or emotion. Use at with adjectives that describe a skill or talent. Use of with adjectives that describe a fear or dislike.