Adjective Complementation Patterns in Technical English
5 exercises — practise the correct structure required after fixed technical-writing adjectives.
0 / 5 completed
1 / 5
Choose the sentence with the correct preposition after "responsible":
"Responsible for" is the fixed preposition pairing for this adjective, always followed by a gerund or noun phrase describing the task or duty. "Responsible of", "responsible to" (in this sense), and "responsible on" are all incorrect prepositions for this meaning — note that "responsible to someone" is a separate, valid pattern meaning "answerable to a person or authority," but it does not apply when describing a task, as in this sentence about validating tokens.
2 / 5
Which sentence correctly uses the to-infinitive after "likely"?
"Likely to cause" is correct: "likely" takes a to-infinitive complement when predicting a probable outcome. Option A drops the required "to" and awkwardly uses a gerund form directly, which is not the standard pattern for "likely" describing a subject's probable action. Option C incorrectly tries to attach a that-clause to "likely" in this construction, which is ungrammatical — "it is likely that..." is a valid separate pattern using the dummy subject "it", but "this query is likely that it causes..." incorrectly duplicates the subject. Option D incorrectly uses "for" plus a gerund, which is not a valid complementation pattern for "likely".
3 / 5
A risk assessment states: "The team is _____ that the vendor API will introduce breaking changes without notice." Choose the correct adjective + complementation pattern for expressing worry with a that-clause.
"Concerned that" is correct when followed directly by a full clause with its own subject and verb ("the vendor API will introduce..."). "Concerned about" (option B) is also a valid pattern for this adjective, but it requires a noun phrase or gerund complement, not a full clause with a finite verb — "concerned about breaking changes" would be correct, but "concerned about that the vendor API will introduce" is not. "Concerned for" (option A) is used in a different sense, expressing concern for someone's wellbeing or safety, not a technical risk. "Concerned to" (option D) is not a standard complementation pattern for this adjective.
4 / 5
Choose the sentence with the correct complementation pattern for "capable":
"Capable of handling" is correct: "capable" always takes the preposition "of" followed by a gerund, never a to-infinitive or a bare gerund without the preposition. Option A incorrectly uses a to-infinitive, which "capable" does not take. Option B incorrectly attaches a that-clause, which is not a valid pattern for this adjective. Option C omits the required preposition "of" before the gerund, which is ungrammatical.
5 / 5
Which sentence correctly uses the dummy subject "it" with an adjective + that-clause pattern to express certainty in a technical recommendation?
"It is essential that the migration script run" is correct, using the subjunctive base form "run" (not "runs") after "essential that", a formal pattern common with adjectives expressing necessity or importance (also seen with "important", "critical", "vital", "necessary"). Option A uses a gerund ("running") with no verb, which is ungrammatical after this pattern. Option C incorrectly inserts "for" before the gerund, which does not fit this construction. Option D restructures the sentence so "the migration script" is the subject of "is essential", incorrectly implying the script itself is essential in some other sense, rather than expressing that its running in a maintenance window is the essential fact — this loses the intended dummy-subject "it" pattern entirely.