English Vocabulary for learners

ADJECTIVE and PREPOSITION COLLOCATIONS

Adjectives and prepositions that often go together.

Collocations are two or more words that are frequently used together. Such combinations are commonly used by native speakers of English.
Here are some common adjective + preposition collocations.

ABOUT	FOR	OF	TO	WITH
angry	blamed	accused	attracted	associated
anxious	eligible	afraid	accustomed	bored
crazy	famous	ashamed	addicted	blessed
doubtful	grateful	aware	allergic	compatible
enthusiastic	notorious	capable	indifferent	confronted
excited	prepared	conscious	inferior	content
furious	punished	envious	married	crowded
nervous	qualified	independent	opposed	delighted
optimistic	ready	irrespective	polite	familiar
pessimistic	renowned	jealous	receptive	fed up
sad	responsible	proud	related	friendly
serious	respected	scared	rude	pleased
upset	suitable	suspicious	similar	popular
worried	thankful	typical	susperior	satisfied

Sentences with adjective-preposition collocations:

adjective + about:
- Sam is anxioux about/nervous about the interview.
- The kids are enthusiastic about going to the zoo.
- Carla seems to be upset about something.
- Are you serious about dropping out of college ?
- Stella is worried about walking home alone in the dark.
- I was wrong about our new colleague. She’s quite nice actually.

adjective + for:
- Charlie was blamed for/ punished for breaking the window.
- Unfortunately you are not eligible for a loan.
- We’re grateful (to you) for all your help.
- We revised our English to be prepared for the test.
- The candidate is not qualified for the job.
- You will be held responsible for any damage to the equipment.

adjective + of:
- Tony was accused of disrupting the class.
- I’m afraid of/scared of snakes and spiders.
- Bunjee jumpers should be aware of /conscious of the danger.
- My mother is very fond of gardening.
- His parents were very proud of Billy’s success.
- I’ve always been suspicious of that guy. He behaves strangely.

adjective + in:
- I noticed two people engaged in a heated discussion.
- We need to recruit someone experienced in marketing.
- He has always been interested in classic English literature.
- They are both very involved in volunteer work.
- The captain is skilled in seamanship and navigation.
- The rescuers were successful in their efforts.

adjective + to:
- Hugo has always been attracted to dangerous sports.
- Unfortunately the actor became addicted to drugs.
- The organization is dedicated to preserving the environment.
- The minister appears to be immune to criticism.
- He was totally oblivious to the noise around him.
- The old man is opposed to the idea of moving to an apartment.
- Our rival’s new product is similar to ours!

adjective + with:
- He explained the risks associated with the vaccine.
- The rescuers were confronted with unforeseen difficulties.
- The software is not compatible with my old computer.
- My father is delighted with his birthday present.
- I got lost because I wasn’t familiar with the area.
- The teacher said she wasn’t satisfied with my results.