Prepositions after feelings

Here are some examples of adjectives describing feelings with their common prepositions. Note that often adjectives with similar meanings have the same preposition.

frightened
scared
afraid
terrified
tired
jealous
ashamed
proud
suspicious
of
surprised
astonished
amazed
shocked
horrified
at / by
worried
nervous
anxious
stressed
relieved
excited
guilty
confused
depressed
about
pleased
satisfied
happy
content
with

Some adjectives can use two prepositions - for the person and the reason. For example:

I'm angry
annoyed
cross
furious
with him about the washing up.

Some adjectives can use different prepositions and this changes the meaning slightly.

He was guilty of murder.
(a court decided he was responsible for this)

He felt guilty about lying to the police.
(a bad feeling)

Practice 1

Choose the best preposition to complete these sentences.

  1. I'm really angry  my housemates - they never clean anything.
  2. When I heard about the accident, I was horrified  the news.
  3. I used to be terrified  flying.
  4. I'm a bit worried  the exam tomorrow.
  5. I'm really proud  my sister. She's just finished university.

Practice 2

More practice! Choose the best preposition to complete these sentences.

  1. I'm so ashamed  myself. I can't believe I did something so stupid.
  2. I was really surprised  the number of people who came to the party.
  3. I'm a bit stressed  my wedding next week.
  4. I'm quite content  my job at the moment.
  5. I'm really excited  Christmas this year.
  6. I'm not jealous  my best friend, even though she's more intelligent than me.
  7. Most parents teach their children to be suspicious  strangers.
  8. The police weren't satisfied  the driver's explanation for the accident.