Adjectives followed by a preposition before the – ing form of the verb (b)
All the following adjectives take a preposition before a gerund (-ing form of a verb). For example:
- I’m worried about missing my train.
- She’s sick of studying. (sick of = informal for tired of …..-ing).
- They seem weary of hearing all his complaints.
1. [Match]
Please complete the following sentences by matching up the correct prepositions and gerunds.
(Notes on adjectives followed bya prepositions and the -ing form of a verb
tired of …..-ing
guilty of …..-ing
innocent of …..-ing
accused of …..-ing
unsure about …..-ing
enthusiastic about …..-ing
anxious about …..-ing
worried about ………… -ing
(un)happy about …..-ing
good / excellent at …..-ing
poor / bad / hopeless at …..-ing
keen on …..-ing
interested in …..-ing
committed to …. –ing
responsible for …..-ing
furious for …..-ing
Vocabulary
to buy sth up – phrasal verb – to buy large amounts of it, or all that is available
eg He bought up old properties when they were unpopular, and then did them up before selling them a few years later.
to do sth up – phrasal verb – to repair, or renovate a building so that it looks attractive
try sth out – to test / try sth (perhaps for the first time) to see how satisfactory it is
I am keen on going to Ireland – also I am keen to go to Ireland = I am enthusiastic about the idea of going to Ireland.
)
Answers for Quiz [1].
- 1. with me for telling the others what had really happened. (correct)
- 2. good at remembering the titles of books I’ve read. (correct)
- 3. doing anything wrong. (correct)
- 4. been unsure about moving abroad. (correct)
- 5. buying up an old ruin and doing it up. (correct)
- 6. was accused of stealing money from the till. (correct)
- 7. to creating a safer work environment. (correct)
- 8. in visiting an exhibition. (correct)
- 9. on trying out the sports facilities. (correct)