Level: Intermediate-Advanced
The to-infinitives are typically used after some adjectives:
able She will be able to cope with her current situation at home.
unable She was unable to make it on time for her flight.
anxious Alex is anxious to open his presents.
due The wedding is due to be held next spring.
eager Everyone on the team seemed very eager to meet their new coach.
keen Mary was very keen to start working on the new project as soon as possible.
likely I’m likely to forget to take my medicine so please do remind me.
unlikely It’s unlikely to rain today. It is very sunny.
ready She is ready to deliver her speech in the assembly tomorrow.
prepared Are we prepared to suffer the consequences of global warming?
willing If you’re willing to travel a lot for work, then the job is yours.
unwilling Her friends are unwilling to lend her some cash.
The to-infinitives are likewise used when telling a reason for the adjective:
amazed We are often amazed to see that these creatures really do exist.
delighted I’m delighted to do this favor for you.
disappointed She was quite disappointed to find out she didn’t get her dream role.
glad The students are glad to have finished the semester.
happy They are happy to come to an agreement.
pleased Ella’s grandparents are delighted to know that she’s staying with them.
proud His therapist is proud to say that he helped him a lot with his rehabilitation.
relieved The whole family is relieved to know he is out of danger after his brain surgery.
sad They were all sad to hear he had left his job.
sorry Her son was so sorry to disappoint her.
surprised My mother was surprised to see me cleaning my room.
unhappy She seemed unhappy to be leaving her current post as their team leader.
It + be followed by an adjective is used when expressing opinions:
clever They thought it was clever to park by the side of the road, but it wasn’t.
difficult It happened so fast that it was impossible to see her attacker.
easy It’s easy to use this program, but it’s very difficult to learn at first.
foolish Luke thinks it’s foolish to save money for the future.
hard With this much information, it is hard to finish the data entry quickly.
kind It’s kind to lend your ear to someone who is going through a tough time.
nice It would be nice to go back to my hometown this weekend.
possible It’s possible to ask your boss for a pay raise.
impossible It’s quite impossible to hear what she’s saying with all this noise.
right It is only right to stand up against bullies.
wrong It is wrong to say mean things to your friends.
silly His wife thinks it is silly not to accept this job offer.
The to-infinitives are also used with the following adjectives when expressing opinions about people:
clever It was clever of them to come up with this concept.
foolish It was foolish of her to refuse such an offer.
kind It is kind of her to volunteer at their local retirement home.
nice It’s nice of them to help out.
right It would be right of him to go on this trip.
wrong It was wrong of them to take the bribe.
silly It was silly of the dog to eat the chocolates on the countertop.
The preposition for is used when demonstrating who is being referred to by these adjectives:
difficult It was difficult for them to hear about their mother’s illness.
easy It is easy for her boss to manage the team.
hard It was hard for him to admit his mistakes.
possible It is possible for us to fail on this mission again.
Impossible It was impossible for him to pay his debts.
The preposition of is used for other adjectives:
It’s sweet of you to remember my birthday.
It would be irresponsible of him to drink and drive.
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