In this lesson, you’ll learn many adjectives describing emotions, and the prepositions they use with these adjectives.

Warm up

Answer the questions below:

1. When can a person be happy?
2. Do you often feel angry? When does it usually happen?
3. What can make people sad?

Practice the adjectives

Let’s learn some new words. Find out what the following adjectives mean.

Now answer the questions below, paying attention to the new words (in bold). When answering, use them as often as possible.

1. Can you tell me about a time when you felt extremely happy or excited? What caused that feeling?
2. Have you ever been in a situation that made you feel sad or disappointed recently? What happened?
3. Can you recall a time when you felt proud or accomplished? What did you achieve?
4. Have you ever been in a situation where you felt anxious or worried? What were the circumstances?
5. Do you remember a time when you felt surprised or amazed? What was it that surprised you?
6. Have you ever been in a situation that made you feel angry or frustrated? What caused those emotions?
7. Can you share a moment when you felt grateful or appreciative? What made you feel that way?
8. Do you recall a situation where you felt afraid or scared? What was the source of your fear?
9. Do you feel sympathetic to people?
10. Why are some people jealous of other people?

Prepositions with adjectives

In English, we often use specific prepositions with certain adjectives when describing emotions. These combinations are fixed, meaning they are commonly used together. Look at the following sentences with the adjectives from the above:

1. I felt extremely happy about and grateful for the surprise party my friends organized for my birthday.
2. When I heard the news, I was so sad and disappointed about / by not being able to attend the concert.
3. Winning the first prize in the science competition made me feel proud of and accomplished in my hard work.
4. Before taking the big exam, I was quite anxious and worried about the challenging questions.
5. The magic show was so amazing that it left me feeling surprised and amazed by the magician’s tricks.
6. I got angry and frustrated with my brother when he borrowed my favorite book without asking.
7. I’m always grateful for and appreciative of the support and encouragement my parents give me.
8. The dark forest at night can be a bit scary, and I felt afraid and cautious of the unknown sounds.
9. She’s sympathetic to people in need.
10. They’re jealous of their classmates’ success.

Master prepositions

Get some more practice and complete the exercises below.

Put grammar to practice

First, identify what feelings these people have.

Now look at the situations below and think how you could feel about them.