These questions ask you to complete or recognise adjective phrases. Your task is to identify the adjective, notice what follows it, and recall the codified link that expresses that relationship.
Choose from the adjective and the meaning
Treat the adjective and preposition as one unit rather than choosing from the following noun alone. First name the adjective. Next decide whether the complement names a skill, interest, cause, duty, comparison, result or concern. Finally check the grammar after the link: a noun or an ing-form can follow many of these frames. For example, a musician can be good at improvising, a neighbour can be worried about a leak, and a device can be capable of storing data.
| Meaning signal | Collocation | Original example |
|---|---|---|
| Skill or activity being evaluated | good at | good at sketching |
| Subject that attracts attention | interested in | interested in geology |
| Source of fear, pride or ability | afraid of, proud of, capable of | afraid of heights; proud of the team; capable of adapting |
| Duty or feature that creates a reputation | responsible for, famous for | responsible for bookings; famous for its murals |
| Likeness to another thing | similar to | similar to the first model |
| A result that meets expectations or a matter causing concern | satisfied with, worried about | satisfied with the service; worried about the storm |
| Enthusiasm for a noun or ing-form | keen on | keen on hiking |
One contrast needs an extra meaning check. Tired of means bored or frustrated because something has continued too long; tired from points to physical exhaustion caused by effort. Also keep capable of plus an ing-form separate from adjectives that use an infinitive.
Reject the tempting substitutions
| Trap | How to reject it |
|---|---|
| Interested on or interested about | Those links may resemble other topic expressions, but the adjective interested selects in before the subject of interest. |
| Responsible of or famous of | Of often links nouns, but these adjectives use for: responsibility points to a duty, and fame points to the feature creating the reputation. |
| Proud about, similar with or similar as | A natural paraphrase does not change the fixed links. Use proud of and similar to. |
| Satisfied by a result | When a result meets expectations, use satisfied with to link the adjective to that result. |
| Worried for every kind of concern | For can introduce the person whose welfare concerns you, but about introduces the event or matter causing concern. |
Try it
Mina plays chess skilfully. Choose the standard collocation: Mina is good … chess.
- at
- in
- on
- with
Nora has waited for hours and has had enough. She is tired … waiting.
- from
- of
- at
- with
Dara greatly enjoys cycling as an activity. Choose the standard noun-frame: Dara is keen … cycling.
- about
- in
- on
- to