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Prepositions Lesson

Learn Prepositional Phrases

Master Prepositional Phrases with clear explanations, practical examples, and easy-to-follow rules.

10-15 min read
A1 - A2 Level
Includes Examples

Prepositional Phrases

Why do we say afraid of but afraid for? Why is it good at but good for? In English, adjectives, nouns and many fixed expressions are followed by specific prepositions that you simply have to learn — there are no reliable rules to predict them. These prepositional phrases exercises with answers help you master dependent prepositions online through multiple choice questions from A2 to B2, with printable PDF worksheets also available.

This lesson covers 3 types of prepositional collocations:

Type What It Is Example
Adjective + preposition A fixed preposition after an adjective afraid of, good at, interested in
Noun + preposition A fixed preposition after a noun reason for, effect on, solution to
Fixed phrases Multi-word expressions with a preposition in advance, by mistake, on purpose

The only reliable strategy is to learn each collocation as a single unit — don't learn "afraid" and then guess the preposition. Learn "afraid of" as one piece of vocabulary. The exercises and reference tables in this lesson will help you build this knowledge step by step.

For verb + preposition collocations (like listen to, depend on, insist on doing), see the dedicated Verb + Preposition lesson.

Adjective + Preposition: Common Collocations

These are the most frequently used adjective + preposition combinations in everyday English.

Grouped by Preposition

Adjective + of

Collocation Meaning Example
afraid of feeling fear She's really afraid of spiders.
proud of feeling pride My parents are proud of my achievements.
tired of fed up with I'm tired of waiting.
fond of having affection for She's very fond of her grandmother.

Note: Tired of (= fed up) is different from tired from (= physically exhausted). "I'm tired of his excuses" vs "I'm tired from running."

Adjective + at

Collocation Meaning Example
good at skilled in He's very good at playing the guitar.
bad at unskilled in She's always been bad at remembering names.

Adjective + in

Collocation Meaning Example
interested in curious about I'm really interested in Japanese culture.

Adjective + about

Collocation Meaning Example
excited about enthusiastic We're very excited about the trip to Paris.
worried about anxious Are you worried about the exam tomorrow?
angry about upset (situation) He felt really angry about the decision.

Note: Angry about is for situations. Angry with is for people: "I'm angry with my boss."

Adjective + for

Collocation Meaning Example
sorry for + -ing apologising I'm sorry for being late.
famous for well-known because of The town is famous for its beautiful beaches.
ready for prepared Are you ready for the presentation?

Adjective + with

Collocation Meaning Example
bored with tired of The children are bored with this game.
pleased with satisfied She was really pleased with her exam results.

Adjective + to

Collocation Meaning Example
kind to showing kindness She's very kind to animals.
similar to resembling This dress is very similar to the one I bought.
married to wed to a person He's been married to Sarah for ten years.
different from unlike Japanese food is quite different from Chinese food.

Common trap: Say married to someone, not married with someone. ("Married with children" means "married and has children" — a completely different meaning.)

Adjective + on

Collocation Meaning Example
keen on enthusiastic about I'm not very keen on horror films.

👉 Practice Common Adjective + Preposition Collocations →

Adjective + Preposition: Intermediate Collocations

These B1-level collocations appear frequently in formal writing, academic English and professional contexts.

Reference Table

Collocation Meaning Example
responsible for having the duty to The manager is responsible for training new staff.
familiar with having knowledge of I'm not familiar with this software.
aware of knowing about She is fully aware of the risks involved.
capable of having the ability to I'm not capable of running a marathon.
jealous of envious of She was jealous of her colleague's promotion.
suspicious of distrusting I'm very suspicious of his sudden friendliness.
satisfied with content with The students were satisfied with the course.
disappointed with let down by She was disappointed with her performance.
crowded with full of The path was crowded with tourists.
patient with tolerant of The teacher was patient with the younger students.
generous with giving freely She's always been generous with her time.
grateful for thankful for I'm very grateful for your help.
suitable for appropriate for Is this bag suitable for a camping trip?
dependent on relying on The country is dependent on oil exports.
polite to showing good manners He is very polite to everyone.
close to near / similar The design is very close to what the client requested.
curious about wanting to know The students were curious about the experiment.
nervous about feeling anxiety She felt nervous about giving a speech.
guilty about feeling remorse He felt guilty about not visiting his parents.

Tricky Pairs

Pair Distinction
guilty about / guilty of Guilty about = feeling bad. Guilty of = legally responsible (guilty of a crime).
grateful for / grateful to Grateful for + thing. Grateful to + person. (I'm grateful for your help / I'm grateful to you.)
superior to / superior than Unlike "better than," we say "superior to" — never superior than. Same for "inferior to."

👉 Practice Intermediate Adjective + Preposition Collocations →

Noun + Preposition Collocations

Just like adjectives, many nouns are followed by fixed prepositions. These must be learnt as units.

Grouped by Preposition

Noun + for

Collocation Example
reason for What was the reason for the delay?
need for Is there any need for all this extra paperwork?
demand for There is a growing demand for electric vehicles.
talent for She has a real talent for languages.
sympathy for She showed great sympathy for the victims.

Noun + on

Collocation Example
effect on Pollution has a serious effect on people's health.
influence on Social media has a huge influence on young people.
ban on The government's ban on single-use plastics starts next month.

Noun + to

Collocation Example
solution to Scientists are searching for a solution to the energy crisis.
damage to The earthquake caused severe damage to buildings.
key to What is the key to success in business?
attitude towards/to His attitude towards his colleagues made him unpopular.

Noun + in

Collocation Example
increase in There has been a significant increase in house prices.
decline in There was a sharp decline in the number of visitors.
interest in I have no interest in politics.
difficulty in + -ing The students had difficulty in understanding the instructions.

Note: "Difficulty with" is used before nouns (difficulty with maths), while "difficulty in" is used before gerunds (difficulty in understanding).

Noun + of

Collocation Example
sense of She felt a deep sense of pride.
advantage of One advantage of living in the city is the transport.
success of The success of the project depends on teamwork.

Noun + between

Collocation Example
connection between The report highlighted a connection between diet and heart disease.
difference between Can you see any difference between these two photographs?

Noun + at

Collocation Example
attempt at She made no attempt at hiding her disappointment.

👉 Practice Noun + Preposition Collocations →

Fixed Prepositional Phrases

These are multi-word expressions that function as single units. They appear constantly in both spoken and written English and must be learnt as whole chunks.

Intention and Chance

Phrase Meaning Example
on purpose intentionally He didn't break it on purpose — it was an accident.
by mistake accidentally I took your umbrella by mistake.
by accident unintentionally He left his phone at home by accident.
by chance without planning I ran into my old teacher by chance at the supermarket.

Time and Planning

Phrase Meaning Example
in advance beforehand Please book the tickets in advance.
on time punctually (at the scheduled time) The train arrived exactly on time.
in time before a deadline We arrived just in time for the show.
in a hurry rushing I'm in a hurry. Can we talk later?
on the spur of the moment spontaneously He quit his job on the spur of the moment.

Tricky pair: On time = at the exact scheduled moment. In time = before it's too late. "The train arrived on time" vs "We arrived just in time for the meeting."

Status and Condition

Phrase Meaning Example
out of order not working The printer is out of order again.
in danger at risk of harm Nobody was in danger.
at risk exposed to danger Many animals are at risk of extinction.
at stake in danger of being lost The company's reputation is at stake.
under construction being built The new bridge is still under construction.
on hold temporarily paused The project has been on hold due to budget cuts.
in charge of responsible for Who is in charge of the office?

Tricky pair: In danger and at risk both mean exposed to harm, but use different prepositions. Learn them as fixed phrases.

Formal and Academic Phrases

Phrase Meaning Example
on behalf of representing She signed the contract on behalf of the company.
by means of using (formal) The sofa was delivered by means of a large crane.
in accordance with following rules They completed the work in accordance with safety regulations.
in response to as a reaction to The new law was introduced in response to public pressure.
in favour of supporting The witness gave evidence in favour of the defendant.
to a large extent mostly Smartphones have replaced cameras to a large extent.
on condition that only if I accepted the offer on condition that I could work from home.
on the whole generally On the whole, the restaurant was quite good.

Other Common Phrases

Phrase Meaning Example
in common shared The two sisters have a lot in common.
in spite of despite We succeeded in spite of the terrible weather.
in private / in public away from / in front of others I need to speak to you in private.
put into practice implement The new policy has been put into practice successfully.
take into account consider We should take his age into account.

👉 Practice Fixed Prepositional Phrases →

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Incorrect Correct Why Learners Make This Mistake
❌ He's very good in maths. ✅ He's very good at maths. Translating directly from other languages where "in" is used for skills
❌ She's married with John. ✅ She's married to John. Confusing "married to" (wed to a person) with "married with children" (has children)
❌ What's the reason of the delay? ✅ What's the reason for the delay? Guessing "of" by analogy with other languages — English uses "reason for"
❌ This phone is superior than the old one. ✅ This phone is superior to the old one. False analogy with "better than" — "superior" always takes "to"
❌ I deleted the file on mistake. ✅ I deleted the file by mistake. Confusing "on purpose" (intentional) with "by mistake" (accidental) — different prepositions
❌ There was an increase of prices. ✅ There was an increase in prices. The noun "increase" takes "in" for what increased, not "of"

Quick Summary

The 3 Types at a Glance

Type Key Examples
Adjective + prep afraid of, good at, interested in, worried about, famous for, similar to, keen on, bored with
Noun + prep reason for, effect on, solution to, increase in, advantage of, difference between
Fixed phrases in advance, by mistake, on purpose, in a hurry, on time, in time, at risk, on behalf of

Quick Reference: Adjective + Preposition

Preposition Adjectives
of afraid, proud, tired (fed up), fond, aware, capable, jealous, suspicious, full, typical
at good, bad
in interested
about excited, worried, angry (situation), curious, nervous, guilty (feeling), passionate
for sorry, famous, ready, responsible, grateful (thing), suitable
with bored, pleased, satisfied, disappointed, familiar, patient, crowded, obsessed, strict (person)
to kind, similar, married, polite, close, superior, inferior
on keen, dependent
from different

Quick Reference: Noun + Preposition

Preposition Nouns
for reason, need, demand, talent, sympathy
on effect, influence, ban
to solution, damage, key, attitude
in increase, decline, interest, difficulty
of sense, advantage, success, doubt
between connection, difference

Practice Tips

  1. Learn collocations as units: Don't learn "afraid" and then guess "of." Write "afraid of" in your vocabulary notebook as a single entry. This is the fastest way to build accuracy.

  2. Group by preposition: Notice patterns — many emotion adjectives take "about" (worried about, excited about, nervous about), while many quality adjectives take "of" (afraid of, proud of, fond of, tired of).

  3. Watch for false friends: "Superior to" (not "than"), "married to" (not "with"), "different from" (not "of"). These trip up learners because they don't follow patterns from other languages.

  4. Distinguish similar phrases: On time (punctual) vs in time (before the deadline). In danger vs at risk. By mistake vs by accident (both mean unintentionally). Learning these as pairs helps you remember both.

  5. Use the noun pattern shortcut: Many noun collocations mirror their adjective forms — interested in → interest in, different from → difference between, proud of → pride in. If you know the adjective form, the noun form often uses the same or a related preposition.

Practice All Exercises

Ready to practise prepositional phrases? These adjective, noun and fixed prepositional phrase exercises are available as online multiple choice questions with answers and printable PDF worksheets from A2 to B2:

Set Topic Level
Set 1 Adjective + Preposition: Common Collocations A2
Set 2 Adjective + Preposition: Intermediate Collocations B1
Set 3 Noun + Preposition Collocations B1
Set 4 Fixed Prepositional Phrases B2
Set 5 Mixed Prepositional Phrases Review B2

👉 Start with Set 5: Mixed Review for a comprehensive test of all prepositional phrase types!

Ready to Practice?

Put your knowledge to the test with interactive exercises.

Learning Tip

After reading, try the exercises immediately while the rules are fresh in your mind. Start with multiple choice, then challenge yourself with fill-in-the-blank.