Question

Fill up with the correct preposition: Rohan is interested ......................... learning new languages.

• A. to
• B. in
• C. with
• D. for

Answer 1

Answer:

B. in

Understanding Prepositions: 'Interested in'

• The phrase 'interested in' is a common and fixed idiomatic expression in English. It means that someone has a strong feeling of curiosity or concern about something, or wants to learn more about it.
• When the adjective 'interested' is followed by an action (a verb), that verb must be in its gerund form (-ing form), which functions as a noun after the preposition.
• In the given sentence, 'learning' is a gerund, acting as the object of the preposition 'in'. Therefore, 'Rohan is interested in learning new languages' is grammatically correct.
• This structure is frequently tested in competitive exams to check knowledge of fixed prepositional phrases and gerund usage.

Key Points for Competitive Exams:

• Fixed Prepositions: Many adjectives, verbs, and nouns in English are followed by specific prepositions. Memorizing these fixed combinations is crucial for competitive exams.
• Adjective + Preposition Combinations:
  • Interested in (e.g., He is interested in art.)
  • Good at (e.g., She is good at math.)
  • Fond of (e.g., They are fond of music.)
  • Afraid of (e.g., I am afraid of heights.)
  • Responsible for (e.g., He is responsible for the project.)
  • Excited about (e.g., We are excited about the trip.)
• Gerunds After Prepositions: Always use a gerund (verb + -ing) when a verb follows a preposition. For example:
  • Instead of studying, he went out.
  • Thank you for helping me.
  • She is good at singing.
  • He dreams of traveling the world.
• Common Traps: Be careful not to use the infinitive (to + verb) after a preposition, except in specific cases like 'look forward to' (where 'to' is part of the phrasal verb, not a standard infinitive marker, and is followed by a gerund). For example, 'I look forward to meeting you.'
• Practicing various fill-in-the-blanks and error detection questions focusing on prepositions will significantly improve scores in the English section of competitive examinations.