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Beagles at the airport: adjectives with prepositions like good at

A2 learners practice adjectives with prepositions like good at and afraid of in this ESL lesson plan about airport beagles.

Grammar
Adjectives with dependent prepositions (good at, interested in, afraid of, proud of, excited about, famous for), then a noun or a verb + -ing: She's good at finding food.
Topic
The Beagle Brigade, dogs that have sniffed bags for fruit, plants and meat at US airports since 1984, with words such as sniff, paw, treat and baggage claim.
Activities
Maya's post on airport beagles, a dialogue with a dog handler and a viewer's challenge, drills that check themselves, a chat about what students are good at, and open boxes.

What's inside

  1. Chapter 1Super noses at the airport!

    • PictureUnlock
    • Spin the wheel and answerSpin the wheelUnlock
    • Study the words: dogs at workVocabularyTry it
    • Look at the pictures and chooseChoose by pictureUnlock

  2. Chapter 2Let's read: the Beagle Brigade

    • Look at the photo: a beagle at workPictureUnlock
    • Read Maya's postReal-life documentTry it
    • Read and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
    • Read again and choose the correct answerQuizUnlock

  3. Chapter 3Let's listen: a nose at work!

    • Listen to Maya and NateListeningTry it
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and choose the correct answerQuizUnlock
    • Listen to the Viewer's QuestionListeningUnlock
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock

  4. Chapter 4Grammar: good at sniffing!

    • Study the scheme: adjective + prepositionGrammar schemeTry it
    • Choose the correct optionChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: write the -ing formFill in the gapsTry it
    • Fill in the table: good at and afraid ofFill in the tableUnlock
    • Choose the correct answer: which sentence is right?QuizUnlock

  5. Chapter 5Let's talk: what are you good at?

    • Choose the right replies: what are you good at?ChatTry it
    • Open a box and answer: what are you good at?Open the boxUnlock

  6. Chapter 6Homework

    • Match the words and the meaningsMatchUnlock
    • Unscramble the wordsAnagramUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps with the words from the lessonFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Choose the correct optionChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: adjective + preposition + -ingFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Put the words in the correct orderUnjumbleUnlock
    • Drag the words into the gaps: Nora's postDrag and dropUnlock
    • Choose the correct option: Biscuit's job profileChoose the optionUnlock

29 exercises in 6 chapters. Start a 7-day free trial to open all of them, copy any part into your own lessons, and teach the lesson live.

Vocabulary

10 words and phrases from the lesson, each with a picture and audio in edio.

+7 more with pictures and audio in the lessonMore words

  • paw
  • treat
  • kennel
  • breed
  • baggage claim
  • dog show
  • pest

Grammar: adjectives with prepositions

Many English adjectives come with a fixed preposition, often called a dependent preposition: good at, interested in, afraid of. With airport beagles that are good at finding food, learners pair each adjective with at, in, of, about or for, add a noun or a verb + -ing, and ask What are you good at?

She's good at finding food. I'm afraid of flying.

Some adjectives need a preposition. After it, use a noun or a verb + -ing.

Good at, interested in, afraid of

Each adjective has its own preposition: good at and bad at, interested in, afraid of, tired of and proud of, excited about, famous for. Learn the adjective and the preposition together: it's famous for, never famous of. Americans also say excited for before an event.

Which preposition?

AdjectivePrepositionExample
good, badatBeagles are good at sniffing. Maya is bad at cooking.
interestedinMaya is interested in animals.
afraidofBiscuit is afraid of thunder.
tiredofWe're tired of the rain.
proudofNate is proud of his beagle.
excitedaboutBiscuit is excited about his treat.
famousforSnoopy is famous for his doghouse.

Learn them in pairs

Learn each adjective with its preposition: good at, interested in, afraid of, famous for (not: famous of). In America, people also say excited for + an event (I'm excited for the trip!). In this lesson, we use excited about.

Be comes first

The adjective needs a form of be before it: I'm good at swimming. She's interested in animals. Leaving out be is a common slip: She good at it should be She's good at it. In negatives, not follows be: I'm not afraid of dogs.

Whobe + adjective + prepositionnot
II'm good at swimming.I'm not afraid of dogs.
youYou're interested in maps.You aren't tired of walking.
heHe's good at cooking.He isn't afraid of flying.
sheShe's interested in animals.She isn't tired of questions.
itIt's good at finding food.It isn't afraid of people.
weWe're excited about the trip.We aren't tired of tacos.
theyThey're famous for their noses.They aren't afraid of busy airports.

A noun or a verb + -ing

After the preposition comes a noun or a verb + -ing: afraid of planes, afraid of flying. A verb after a preposition always takes -ing: good at finding, not good at find or good at to find. Spelling follows the usual rules: wagging, getting, hiding.

+ a noun or + verb-ing

Adjective + preposition+ a noun+ verb-ing
good atgood at gamesgood at finding food
afraid ofafraid of planesafraid of flying
interested ininterested in dogsinterested in becoming a handler
excited aboutexcited about the tripexcited about getting a treat

After a preposition: -ing

After at, in, of, about and for, a verb takes -ing: good at finding (not: good at find, good at to find). Spelling: wag → wagging, get → getting, hide → hiding. And don't forget be: She's good at it (not: She good at it).

What are you good at?

Questions start with be, and short answers repeat it: Are you good at cooking? – Yes, I am. Is she interested in dogs? – No, she isn't. In a question with what, the preposition stays at the end: What are you good at? What are you afraid of?

QuestionAnswer
Are you good at cooking?Yes, I am. / No, I'm not.
Is she interested in dogs?Yes, she is. / No, she isn't.
Are they afraid of flying?Yes, they are. / No, they aren't.
What are you good at?I'm good at drawing.

At the airport

  • The beagle is good at sniffing bags.
  • Maya is interested in becoming a handler.
  • Travelers aren't afraid of small dogs.
  • Nate is proud of his partner.
  • Biscuit is famous for stealing snacks!
  • Are you good at finding things? – Yes, I am!

Common mistakes

  • She's good in finding food.

    She's good at finding food.

    good at, not good in

  • Maya is interested on dogs.

    Maya is interested in dogs.

    interested in

  • I'm afraid from flying.

    I'm afraid of flying.

    afraid of

  • He's good at find snacks.

    He's good at finding snacks.

    after a preposition: -ing

More lessons on this grammar: Prepositions lessons and exercises

Try the adjectives with prepositions exercises

Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.

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What's in the lesson

  • 16 auto-checked exercises
  • 4 games
  • 1 real-life document
  • 1 grammar scheme
  • 1 set of word cards
  • 2 audio clips
  • 2 pictures
  • 2 transcripts

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

  • use the right preposition after each adjective: good at, interested in, afraid of, excited about, famous for
  • put a verb in the -ing form after the preposition: She's good at finding food. I'm afraid of flying.
  • ask and answer about skills and interests: What are you good at? Are you interested in dogs? – Yes, I am.
  • keep be in every sentence, negatives too: I'm not afraid of dogs. She isn't tired of questions.

Lesson 28 ends unit 7, Amazing animals, of English A2.2 · Curious Minds, and builds on two earlier points: A2.1 lesson 21, where love, enjoy and hate took a verb + -ing, and A1.2 lesson 27, with verbs and their prepositions such as wait for. Now the preposition follows an adjective, and the -ing form follows the preposition. A dog whose job is finding food shows what good at means.

After a wheel of questions about dogs, trips and smells, students learn ten words with pictures and audio, among them sniff, paw, kennel and baggage claim. Maya's post explains why beagles work at American airports and where they train, in Newnan, Georgia, and true-or-false and multiple-choice questions check it. The first listening follows Maya and Nate, a dog handler at the Atlanta airport, as his beagle sniffs out an orange; in the second, Sadie, a viewer, sets a snack-hunting challenge (both AI-voiced). Grammar starts with the scheme; of the four drills after it, all with instant feedback, one is a gap-fill of -ing forms after a preposition. The chat in the speaking chapter asks what students are good at, afraid of and proud of, and open boxes ask for more.

The eight homework tasks all check themselves: word work with a match, an anagram and gaps, a choice of prepositions and -ing forms, a gap-fill that builds adjective + preposition + -ing, word order, a drag-and-drop post and, to finish, a beagle's joke job profile.

Grammar:
adjective + preposition · good at / bad at · interested in · afraid of / tired of / proud of · excited about / famous for · preposition + -ing
Topic:
beagles · Beagle Brigade · airports · dog handlers · Atlanta, Georgia · Snoopy · Curious Minds

Teaching tips

  • Start with a class survey: each student asks three classmates What are you good at? and What are you afraid of?, then reports one answer aloud with the right preposition.
  • Let students guess the beagle's job first: what could a small dog find in a suitcase at an airport? Maya's post then gives the answer and the reasons airports choose beagles.
  • Collect the pairs from the dialogue: while it plays, students note each adjective with its preposition, from good at finding to excited about getting and interested in becoming.
  • Turn the last open box into a job profile: students describe a pet they know with It's good at… and It's afraid of…, and the class decides if it could join the airport team.

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The whole course: English A2.2 · Curious Minds

32 lessons that pick up where English A2.1 ends, in simple American English, from the present perfect to used to, have to and relative clauses. Eight units cover nature, tech at home, heroes, healthy habits, fashion, school, animals and traditions. Pictures and definitions replace translations, and the practice exercises check themselves.See the course

  1. Unit 1 Wonders of nature

    the present perfect with ever and never, been to, superlatives with I've ever, articles with place names

    1. Lesson 1Have you ever seen the sky dance?The present perfect for experiences
    2. Lesson 2Have you been to the Grand Canyon?Present perfect vs past simple
    3. Lesson 3The longest cave in the worldSuperlatives with the present perfect
    4. Lesson 4The first national parkArticles with place names

  2. Unit 2 Clever tech at home

    the present perfect with just, already and yet, phrasal verbs, subject and object questions

    1. Lesson 5The chocolate bar that meltedThe present perfect with just
    2. Lesson 6Has my lunch arrived yet?Already and yet with the present perfect
    3. Lesson 7Turn it on, turn it offPhrasal verbs with it and them
    4. Lesson 8The girl who tests waterSubject and object questions

  3. Unit 3 Everyday heroes

    the past continuous, when and while, adjective order, story linkers

    1. Lesson 9When the pager beepsThe past continuous with was and were
    2. Lesson 10The man who planted apple treesPast continuous and past simple with when and while
    3. Lesson 11What's in the lost and found?The order of adjectives
    4. Lesson 12The dogs who saved NomeStory linkers

  4. Unit 4 Healthy and happy habits

    will for predictions, the zero and first conditionals, so do I and neither do I

    1. Lesson 13Why does school start later in California?Will and won't for predictions, decisions and offers
    2. Lesson 14Brain freeze!The zero conditional for facts
    3. Lesson 15Doctor's orders: go to the park!The first conditional with if and will
    4. Lesson 16Walking in the mall at 7 a.m.Agreeing with So do I and Neither do I

  5. Unit 5 Style through time

    used to, didn't use to, made of and made from, still and not anymore

    1. Lesson 17Why did everyone use to wear a hat?Used to for past habits and states
    2. Lesson 18Jeans used to be work clothesUsed to in negatives and questions
    3. Lesson 19Quilts made from old clothesMade of, made from and made by
    4. Lesson 20Cowboy boots, still made by handStill, not anymore and no longer

  6. Unit 6 School in America

    have to, must and mustn't, be allowed to, had to

    1. Lesson 21Do you have to wear a uniform?Have to and don't have to for rules
    2. Lesson 22Stop for the yellow bus!Must, mustn't and don't have to
    3. Lesson 23A class trip to the SmithsonianBe allowed to and can for permission
    4. Lesson 24One room, one teacher, every gradeHad to and didn't have to for past duties

  7. Unit 7 Amazing animals

    relative clauses with which, that, who and where, look and sound + adjective, adjectives with prepositions

    1. Lesson 25The bird that copies car alarmsRelative clauses with which and that
    2. Lesson 26Alligators and crocodiles togetherWho, which, that and where in relative clauses
    3. Lesson 27Sailors thought it was a mermaidLook, sound and feel as linking verbs
    4. Lesson 28 · you're hereBeagles at the airportAdjectives with prepositions

  8. Unit 8 Traditions we love

    invitations, will vs going to, so and such, one and ones

    1. Lesson 29Come to our cookout!Making, accepting and refusing invitations
    2. Lesson 30Is spring going to come early?Will vs going to for the future
    3. Lesson 31From turnips to pumpkinsSo and such for emphasis
    4. Lesson 32Giant balloons over ManhattanOne and ones in place of a noun

Questions about this lesson

How do you use "interested in"?
Use interested in + a noun or a verb + -ing: I'm interested in animals. Are you interested in becoming a dog handler? The preposition is always in, so interested on and interested about are wrong. Don't mix it up with interesting: you are interested, and the thing is interesting, as in Dogs are interesting. The A2 lesson Beagles at the airport on edio.ai practices it in a chat about the student's own interests.
How do you use "good at" in English?
Good at says what someone does well, and a noun or a verb + -ing follows it: She's good at games. Beagles are good at finding food. The opposite is bad at: I'm bad at singing. For skills, use at, not in: good at drawing, not good in drawing. To ask about someone's skills, say What are you good at?
What are dependent prepositions?
Dependent prepositions are prepositions that go with a particular word: an adjective, a verb or a noun chooses its own, as in good at, afraid of, wait for and interest in. The pairing rarely follows a rule, so learners memorize each word with its preposition. After it, use a noun or a verb + -ing: afraid of flying. Beagles at the airport, an A2 lesson on edio.ai, drills the adjective ones.
How do you use "afraid of"?
Put afraid of before the thing that scares you, a noun or a verb + -ing: I'm afraid of spiders. My brother is afraid of flying. The preposition is of, never from, so afraid from dogs is a common mistake. Scared of works the same way, and negatives keep be: Travelers aren't afraid of small dogs. In the chat of Beagles at the airport on edio.ai, I'm afraid from spiders! is a wrong reply.
How do you use "proud of"?
You are proud of a person, a thing or something you did: Our teacher is proud of her students. I'm proud of my science project. With a verb, use -ing: She's proud of finding the orange. The preposition is always of, never on or at, and the noun takes in: take pride in your work.
Which adjectives go with which prepositions?
The most useful pairs are good at, interested in and afraid of, then bad at, tired of, proud of, excited about and famous for. Grouping helps: at for skills, of for fear, pride and being fed up, about for excitement and for after famous. In American English, excited for is common before an event, as in I'm excited for the trip!
Is it "good at find" or "good at finding"?
It's good at finding: after a preposition, a verb takes -ing. That goes for every pair: afraid of flying, excited about getting a treat, tired of waiting. Good at to find is wrong too, because to + verb can't follow at. Watch the spelling: wagging, getting, hiding. The gap-fill from Beagles at the airport on edio.ai, playable on this page, has eight such gaps.
What's the difference between verbs and adjectives with prepositions?
Both take a fixed preposition before a noun or -ing; the difference is the word in front. Verbs with prepositions start from an action: wait for the bus, listen to music, look at the map. Adjectives with prepositions follow be: I'm good at drawing. She's afraid of thunder. The two often meet in one sentence: We're tired of waiting for the bus.
How do I teach adjectives with prepositions to A2 students?
Teach each adjective and its preposition as one chunk, with a personal question: What are you good at? What are you afraid of? Real answers stick better than lists: I'm afraid of spiders. Add the -ing form once the pairs feel steady: I'm good at drawing. Maya's post and the handler's dialogue show the pairs at work first; after the scheme and drills, the chat turns to the students themselves.
What's a good game for practicing adjectives with prepositions?
A “find someone who” hunt suits these pairs: students walk around asking Are you good at cooking? or Are you afraid of the dark? until they find a yes for every line. Open boxes work too, one personal prompt per box: this lesson's include Say two things you're good at and What is your town or city famous for?
What's good homework for practicing adjectives with prepositions?
Good homework drills the pair and the -ing form together: choosing at, in or of, building good at hiding from good / hide, and putting chunks such as We're / tired of / waiting / for the bus in order. Beagles at the airport on edio.ai adds a joke job profile for a beagle that is famous for stealing sandwiches, and all eight of its homework tasks check themselves.
Are there interactive exercises for adjectives with prepositions?
Yes: drills that mark each preposition and -ing form give instant feedback. No account is needed for the four parts of Beagles at the airport, an A2 lesson on edio.ai, that play on this page: Maya's post about the Beagle Brigade, her talk with a dog handler, a gap-fill that asks for the -ing form after a preposition, and a chat about what students are good at. The other exercises need an account.
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