Adjective + preposition, e.g. proud of

A Introduction

Matthew: Why are you angry with me, Emma?

Emma: I'm tired of talking to myself. You never listen. I get annoyed at the way you behave.

Matthew: Sorry, but I have to go now or I'll be late for the basketball game.

Emma: You aren't interested in us, are you? You never worry about our relationship, do you?

Some adjectives can have a preposition after them, e.g. angry with, tired of, late for. The preposition often has a phrase with a noun or pronoun after it.

annoyed at the way you behave late for the game angry with me

The preposition can sometimes have an ing-form after it. tired of talking to myself

B Feelings

Here are some examples of adjective + preposition which are to do with feelings.

afraid of the dark excited about the holiday proud of our work amazed at/by the changes

fed up with waiting satisfied with the result ashamed of myself fond of my sister

shocked at/by the violence bored with doing nothing happy about/with the surprised at/by the reaction

disappointed with/about the arrangements tired of housework keen on sport worried about money

eager for action nervous of flying

Compare these examples.

I'm sorry about the mistake. I feel sorry for poor Melanie.

We were angry at/about the delay. Sarah was angry with Henry.

We were annoyed at/about the delay. Emma was annoyed with Matthew.

I was pleased about winning. The winner was pleased with himself.

Vicky is anxious about her exam. People are anxious for news.

C Good, bad, etc

To talk about a person's ability, we use good at, bad at, etc.

good at tennis brilliant at crosswords bad at games hopeless at cooking

To talk about whether something makes you healthy or ill, we use good for and bad for.

Oranges are good for you. Smoking is bad for you.

For behaviour towards another person, we use good to, kind to, nice to, polite to and rude to.

My friends have been good to me. You were very rude to the waitress.

D Other adjectives

Here are some more expressions with other adjectives.

accustomed to the noise fit for work responsible for running a business

aware of the facts full of water safe from attack

capable of looking after myself guilty of murder the same as before

different from our usual route involved in a project similar to my idea

prepared for action typical of David famous for her film roles

ready for the big day used to the traffic