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IELTS common mistakes | prepositions after adjectives and nouns


My brother is good at sport but he is very bad at English. (correct)
My brother is good in sport but he is very bad in English. (incorrect)

The percentage in women attending university is increasing. (incorrect)
The percentage of women attending university is increasing. (correct)

Some adjectives are always followed by a specific preposition.

At. We say you are bad at, good at or surprised at something:
I was surprised at the number of people who came.

About and with. We say you are angry about or pleased about something but angry with or pleased with a person:
I am pleased about your new job. I was really angry with John.

After disappointed we use about or with; after worried we only use about:
She was pretty disappointed with / about her exam results.
I am worried about John. They are worried about the test.

Some nouns are always followed by a specific preposition.

In. We say decrease in, drop in, fall in, increase in, rise in:
There was an increase in attendance at this month's meeting.

Between. To contrast two things, we talk about the difference between them:
The main difference between the American and the Canadian accent is in the vowels.

Of. We say: advantage of, disadvantage of, example of, number of, percentage of, use of
The number of people in my class who smoke is incredible.
The advantage of the internet is you can find anything you want 24 hours a day.
Sushi is an example of traditional Japanese food.
The percentage of people working independently is increasing fast.
The use of good grammar and a wide range of vocabulary is essential to score well in the IELTS test.

See more IELTS common mistakes


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