Question 1

Which adjective + preposition mistakes are most common in examinations?

Accepted Answer

The five most frequently tested errors are: "responsible of" (should be "responsible for"), "afraid from" (should be "afraid of"), "married with" (should be "married to"), "interested for" (should be "interested in"), and "different than" in British English contexts (should be "different from"). These mistakes appear because learners translate directly from their first language, where different prepositions are used. Cambridge B2 First and C1 Advanced examiners specifically look for correct dependent prepositions in Writing and Use of English papers. The best preparation is to learn these high-frequency errors by heart and check your writing for them before submitting any examination paper.

Question 2

How many adjective + preposition combinations do I need to know?

Accepted Answer

At A2-B1 level, you need about 30 core phrases to handle everyday situations: "good at," "interested in," "afraid of," "worried about," "different from," "responsible for," and similar common combinations. At B2 level, this expands to roughly 60-80 phrases, adding less common ones like "jealous of," "allergic to," "compatible with," and "suspicious of." At C1 level, you should recognise and produce over 100 phrases, including formal ones like "integral to," "indicative of," and "prone to." However, quality matters more than quantity — knowing 30 phrases perfectly and using them confidently is better than recognising 100 but choosing the wrong preposition under examination pressure.

Question 3

Why does this test mix questions with and without answer options?

Accepted Answer

Mixing multiple-choice and recall questions within one test mirrors the format of real Cambridge examinations, where different papers test different skills. Multiple-choice questions (like Part 1 of the Use of English paper) test your ability to recognise the correct preposition from options. Open cloze questions (like Part 2) test your ability to produce the correct preposition from memory. By combining both formats, this final test identifies exactly which phrases you can recognise but not yet produce — these are the phrases that need more active practice. Your score on the recall questions is a more reliable indicator of your real-world ability than your score on the multiple-choice questions alone.

Adjective + Preposition Final Test

Quick Rule

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In, On, At for Time

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-ed vs -ing Adjectives

Conditionals

Present Perfect