How to Use Adjectives and Prepositions in Sentences

Adjectives are used in simple sentences to describe people and objects. For example, She is an interesting speaker. More complex sentences use adjectives and prepositions to make statements about a person's attitude towards something. For example, She is excited about the concert tonight. Here is a list of the most common adjective and preposition combinations to express people's feelings.

About

Use the following adjectives followed by 'about'. Each group of adjectives have the same or related meanings. Use the verb 'to be' with these expressions.

To be angry / annoyed / furious about something.

• I'm really angry about our losses on the stock market!
• The boss was furious about the past quarter's losses.

To be excited about something

• He's excited about his birthday party next week.
• Shelly's excited about her new job.

To be worried / upset about something

• He's worried about his upcoming examinations.
• I'm upset about the increasing amount of violence in this world.

To be sorry about something

• I'm very sorry about losing your book.
• She's sorry about missing class last week.

With

To be angry / annoyed / furious with a person.

• I'm really angry with John for his total lack of responsibility.
• He's furious with his friend for cheating on the test.

At

Use the following adjectives followed by 'at'. Each group of adjectives have the same or related meanings. Use the verb 'to be' with these expressions.

To be good / excellent / brilliant at something OR at doing something

• They are excellent at planning fun parties.
• Tom is pretty good at getting on your nerves.
• Jack is brilliant at telling jokes.

To be bad / hopeless at something OR at doing something

• Unfortunately, I'm hopeless at being on time.
• Jack is really bad at keeping his promises.

To be angry / annoyed / furious at a person.

• I'm angry at my dentist for charging so much.
• He's furious at his neighbor's incivility.

At / By

Use the following adjectives followed by 'at' or 'by'. Each group of adjectives have the same or related meanings. Use the verb 'to be' with these expressions.

To be amazed / astonished / shocked / surprised at OR by something

• I was amazed at his stamina.
• He's astonished at her good humor.
• The teacher was surprised by / at the student's question.

For

Use the following adjectives followed by 'for'. Each group of adjectives have the same or related meanings. Use the verb 'to be' with these expressions.

To be famous for something

• She's famous for her watercolor paintings.
• Would you really like to be famous for that?

To be responsible for something

• You'll have to speak to John, he's responsible for customer complaints.
• Tim is responsible for new client accounts.

To be sorry for doing something

• He says he's sorry for shouting at you.
• Jason is sorry for making a mistake.

To feel or be sorry for someone

• I really feel sorry for Pam.
• He is sorry for her troubles.

From

Use the following adjective followed by 'from'.

different from someone / something

• That's a different story from what I heard.
• His photographs are very different from his paintings.

Test Your Understanding

Now that you have studied these adjective preposition combinations, try the follow-up quiz to test your understanding. Choose the best preposition to fill in the gaps.