1

Consider the following examples:

  1. Would you be interested in buying a ticket

  2. Jerry is very good at playing drums

The first sentence uses 'in' before the gerund while the second one uses 'at'. Why would that happen? Are there some patterns that we could use to apply 'in' and 'at' before the gerund. Is it wrong if I replace in with at in the second example?

| improve this question | |
2

Either preposition is part of the verb. One is interested in something or good at something.

Being good in something doesn't sound too weird to me, but it does invoke a thought of cooking..

| improve this answer | |
  • Hi , Thanks, you mean 'part of the verb' means that 'in playing' is a single unit of word? And what you mean by 'thought of cooking' – Plain_Dude_Sleeping_Alone Nov 10 '15 at 12:23
  • Tthe verbs are to be interested in sth. and to be good at sth., it has nothing to do with the gerund. To me, to be good in sth. sounds like it would make a good ingredient in a soup (Thus invoking thoughts of cooking). – Chieron Nov 10 '15 at 12:24

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.