TEACHER’S NOTES

WORKSHEETS, ACTIVITIE S & GA ME S Common Collocations

Activity Type Introduction

Reading and Vocabulary This adjective-preposition collocations worksheet helps students
Exercises: identifying, learn and practice common adjective-preposition collocations.
matching, gap-fill, writing
sentences Procedure
Give each student a copy of the two-page worksheet.
Focus
First, students read sentences and decide if the people in the
Adjective-preposition sentences 'need help' or 'can help', and mark each sentence NH
collocations or CH accordingly.

Exercise A - Answer key

Aim
1 NH 2 NH 3 CH 4 CH 5 CH
To learn and practice 6 NH 7 CH 8 NH 9 CH 10 NH
common adjective-
preposition collocations. Next, students underline all the adjective-preposition collocations
in the sentences.

Preparation Students then match the people who need help with the people who
can help them by writing the sentence numbers and descriptions
Make one copy of the in a box.
two-page worksheet for
each student. Exercise C - Answer key

1 NH - 4 CH 6 NH - 3 CH 10 NH - 7 CH
Level 2 NH - 9 CH 8 NH - 5 CH

Intermediate (B1) After that, students match each preposition from a box with
an appropriate adjective. Students then look at the underlined
collocations from Exercise B to check their answers.
Time
Exercise D - Answer key
30 minutes
1. afraid to 5. suitable for 8. tired of
2. afraid of 6. interested in 9. sorry for
3. looking for 7. excited about 10. worried about
4. good at

Students then complete sentences using the adjective-preposition

collocations.

Exercise E - Answer key

1. interested in 5. tired of 8. excited about

2. worried about 6. looking for 9. good at
3. afraid of 7. afraid to 10. sorry for
4. suitable for

Afterwards, students choose five of the adjective-preposition

collocations from the worksheet and use them to write sentences
about themselves or someone they know. Finally, review the
students' sentences and the meanings of the adjective-preposition
collocations together as a class.

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 ADJECTIVE-PREPOSITION COLLOCATIONS

WORKSHEETS, ACTIVITIE S & GA ME S Common Collocations

A. The following sentences are about people in the same small town. Read the
sentences and decide if the people in the sentences need help or can help, and mark
each sentence NH or CH accordingly.

1. ............ C
 arlos is afraid to ride his bicycle without training wheels. He wants the training
wheels to stay on his bike.
2. ............ N
 oah wants to get a pet. His parents said that he and his brother can get a small
pet. His brother wants a pet snake, but Noah is afraid of snakes.
3. ............ M
 rs Mills is a retired piano teacher. She is finished with her piano, so she's looking
for the right person to give it to.
4. ............ M
 ohammed is good at riding a bicycle. He taught his younger brother and sister
how to ride a bike.
5. ............ A
 lex has a collection of books he doesn't want as they are suitable for younger
children. Now that he is 15, he doesn't read them anymore.
6. ............ H
 a-yoon really wants a piano, but a new piano costs a lot of money. Her parents
are interested in buying her an old piano if they can find one for a good price.
7. ............ L
 ucia is excited about her new car. She wants to drive it to school and give her
friends rides.
8. ............ F
 elix is tired of all his books. He reads the same books again and again. He is 10
years old, and they are too easy for him.
9. ............ Y
 u-tung got a hamster from a friend. Her friend didn't spend much time with the
hamster, and Yu-tung felt sorry for it. Her mother wants her to find a new home
for it.
10. ........... S
 ofia is worried about how she is going to get to and from school. Her bicycle is
broken and her school is too far to walk.

B. Underline all the adjective-preposition collocations in the sentences above.

Example: Carlos is afraid to ride his bicycle without training wheels.

C. Match the people who need help (NH) with the people who can help them (CH).
Write the sentence numbers and descriptions in the box. The first one has been done
as an example.

Need Help Can Help

Carlos is afraid to ride his bicycle
1. 4. Mohammed is good at riding a bicycle.
without training wheels.

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 ADJECTIVE-PREPOSITION COLLOCATIONS

WORKSHEETS, ACTIVITIE S & GA ME S Common Collocations

D. Match each preposition from the box with an appropriate adjective. Then, look at
the underlined collocations from Exercise B to check your answers.

about for for of at for to about of in

1. afraid .............................. 6. interested ..............................

2. afraid .............................. 7. sorry ..............................

3. excited .............................. 8. suitable ..............................

4. finished .............................. 9. tired ..............................

5. good .............................. 10. worried ..............................

E. Complete the sentences with the ten adjective-preposition collocations above.

1. My hobby is chess. Are you .............................. learning?

2. I'm .............................. washing that shirt in case it shrinks.

3. She is .............................. spiders but has no fear of snakes.

4. These toys are .............................. children under five.

5. Jim is .............................. his wife's constant complaining.

6. I'm .............................. a new job but I don't know what I want to do.

7. I'm .............................. ask her out in case she says no.

8. Raj was very .............................. becoming an uncle.

9. She is .............................. playing tennis but pretty bad at badminton.

10. I'm genuinely .............................. what I said, I really am.

F. Choose five adjective-preposition collocations from the worksheet and use them to
write sentences about yourself or someone you know.

1. ...............................................................................................................................

2. ...............................................................................................................................

3. ...............................................................................................................................

4. ...............................................................................................................................

5. ...............................................................................................................................

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