WREN & MARTIN's English grammar-words followed by prepositions

 words followed by prepositions

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1. Which preposition correctly completes the sentence: "She is very good _______ playing the piano." A) in B) on C) with D) at

✅ Answer: D) at "Good at" is a fixed collocation. "At" is the correct preposition after "good" when expressing skill or ability in a particular activity. Other adjectives followed by "at": bad at, clever at, excellent at, skilled at, quick at, slow at, poor at. Never say "good in" or "good on" when referring to skill or ability.

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2. "He is very proud _______ his daughter's outstanding achievements." A) for B) on C) in D) of

✅ Answer: D) of "Proud of" is a fixed collocation. "Of" is the correct preposition after "proud" to express a feeling of satisfaction and pride about something or someone. Other adjectives followed by "of": afraid of, ashamed of, aware of, capable of, fond of, guilty of, jealous of, sure of, tired of, worthy of.

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3. "The students were very excited _______ the upcoming annual school trip." A) of B) on C) in D) about

✅ Answer: D) about "Excited about" is a fixed collocation. "About" is the correct preposition after "excited" to express enthusiasm and anticipation for something. Other adjectives followed by "about": worried about, happy about, sad about, anxious about, serious about, enthusiastic about, passionate about, concerned about, careful about.

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4. "She is very fond _______ reading historical novels in her spare time." A) for B) in C) about D) of

✅ Answer: D) of "Fond of" is a fixed collocation. "Of" is the correct preposition after "fond" to express a liking or affection for something or someone. "Fond of" is always followed by a noun or gerund: fond of music / fond of reading / fond of children. It is one of the most commonly tested word + preposition collocations in English grammar.

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5. "He was not aware _______ the changes that had been made to the schedule." A) for B) about C) on D) of

✅ Answer: D) of "Aware of" is a fixed collocation. "Of" is the correct preposition after "aware" to express knowledge or consciousness of something. The opposite — "unaware of" — follows the same rule. Other adjectives in this group: conscious of, ignorant of, certain of, confident of, convinced of, independent of, representative of.

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6. "She has always been very interested _______ learning new languages." A) of B) about C) for D) in

✅ Answer: D) in "Interested in" is a fixed collocation. "In" is the correct preposition after "interested" to express curiosity or engagement with a subject or activity. Other adjectives followed by "in": involved in, experienced in, successful in, absorbed in, engrossed in, skilled in, specialised in, disappointed in, weak in.

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7. "The manager was very pleased _______ the results of the quarterly report." A) of B) about C) for D) with

✅ Answer: D) with "Pleased with" is a fixed collocation. "With" is the correct preposition after "pleased" when expressing satisfaction with a person, result, or thing. Other adjectives followed by "with": satisfied with, happy with, disappointed with, angry with, bored with, familiar with, impressed with, content with, frustrated with, patient with.

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8. "He is deeply committed _______ improving the quality of education in rural areas." A) of B) about C) for D) to

✅ Answer: D) to "Committed to" is a fixed collocation. "To" is the correct preposition after "committed" to express dedication and strong loyalty to a cause, goal, or person. Other adjectives followed by "to": devoted to, dedicated to, opposed to, accustomed to, addicted to, allergic to, attached to, related to, married to, similar to, superior to, inferior to.

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9. "She was deeply shocked _______ the sudden news of his resignation." A) of B) for C) on D) by

✅ Answer: D) by "Shocked by" is a fixed collocation. "By" is the correct preposition after "shocked" to express the cause of a strong emotional reaction. Other adjectives followed by "by": surprised by, astonished by, amazed by, horrified by, disgusted by, overwhelmed by, puzzled by, troubled by, disturbed by, frightened by.

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10. "The young athlete is very confident _______ her ability to win the championship." A) of B) in C) about D) in

✅ Answer: D) in "Confident in" is a fixed collocation when expressing trust and belief in a person's ability or quality. "Confident in her ability" means she trusts and believes strongly in her own ability. Note: "confident of" is also used — "confident of winning" — but "confident in" specifically expresses trust in a person or their ability. Both are correct but carry a subtle difference in nuance.