GV

Dependent Prepositions

Fixed prepositions that follow certain verbs and adjectives: interested in, depend on, good at

intermediate

When to Use Dependent Prepositions

  • •After verbs: depend on, believe in, listen to, look at, wait for, think about, apologize for.
  • •After adjectives: interested in, good at, afraid of, responsible for, different from, similar to.
  • •After nouns: reason for, solution to, advantage of, difference between.
  • •The preposition is fixed and must be memorized with the word.
  • •Using the wrong preposition changes meaning or sounds incorrect.

How to Form Dependent Prepositions

Affirmative (+)

Verb/Adjective/Noun + fixed preposition + object

Negative (-)

Same structure with negation

Question (?)

What are you interested in? Who does it depend on?

💡 After prepositions, use gerund (-ing) for verbs: interested in learning, good at swimming.

Examples of Dependent Prepositions

✓I'm interested in art.

✗I'm interested at art.

Interested takes 'in'.

✓It depends on the weather.

✗It depends of the weather.

Depend takes 'on'.

✓She's good at cooking.

✗She's good in cooking.

Good takes 'at' for skills.

Common Mistakes with Dependent Prepositions

💡 Practice Tips for Dependent Prepositions

  • • Learn verb + preposition as a unit: depend ON, believe IN, listen TO.
  • • Learn adjective + preposition: interested IN, good AT, afraid OF.
  • • After prepositions, verbs become gerunds: interested in learning.
  • • Make flashcards: word on front, preposition on back.
Quick Quiz
  1. 1.It all depends   the weather tomorrow.
  2. 2.I'm really afraid   spiders — even small ones.
  3. Question 3: He apologised blank being late to the meeting. (verb + preposition)
    3.He apologised being late to the meeting. (verb + preposition)
  4. Question 4: She's really good blank playing the piano. (skill)
    4.She's really good playing the piano. (skill)
  5. Question 5: Are you interested blank joining our book club? (question form)
    5.Are you interested joining our book club? (question form)
  6. Question 6: My new phone is completely different blank my old one. (standard preposition)
    6.My new phone is completely different my old one. (standard preposition)
  7. Question 7: I don't really believe blank ghosts — there's no evidence. (negative form)
    7.I don't really believe ghosts — there's no evidence. (negative form)
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