Wednesday, 22 July 2020

IELTS Grammar: Adjectives with Prepositions

Suitable for intermediate and above CEFR B1+

#IELTS #IELTSspeaking 

In English some adjectives are followed by a particular preposition in sentences with the verb to be. Sometimes the preposition is different depending on whether you are referring to people or things. 

Unfortunately there aren't really any rules about using prepositions with adjectives (or any other type of words), you just have to learn them. You can of course use an English dictionary to check the correct collocation, but today we will focus on some of the most common collocations, which are used to describe how we feel about something or someone. 

happy/sad/angry/annoyed/upset/passionate/mad about 
good/bad at
late/ready/famous for
different from 
interested in 
afraid/fond/frightened of
keen on
bored/capable of

As you will see, using adjective + preposition collocations can instantly make a very simple sentence into one that shows greater grammatical knowledge of the language, which will help increase your score in IELTS speaking and other exams, if they are used accurately. 

For example, the simple sentence I love dogs can be changed to I'm absolutely mad about dogs. Using an adverb is a good way to emphasise your opinion when you are speaking about your hobbies or interests. 

Image result for happy

The following adjective + preposition collocations are most useful in part 1 of the IELTS speaking test, where the examiner will ask you to talk about yourself.

Activity 

Rewrite these sentences using the verb to be and the adjective in brackets with an appropriate preposition. 

1. I love swimming (mad)
2. I hate going to the gym (keen) 
3. I can write well in English (capable) 
4. I enjoy watching films and going to the cinema (fond) 
5. I love learning English (passionate)
6. I love football (fanatical) 
7. I don't mind cooking but I certainly like eating! (indifferent) 
8. I can't stand waiting in long queues at theme parks (bored)
9. I can't wait to move to England for my internship (ready)
10. I hate spiders! (afraid)


Write your answers in the comments! 

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