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Prepositions after adjectives

Courteous: which preposition follows it?

Courteous is most commonly followed by to when naming the person treated politely. With can describe someone's manner in dealing with others. Combinations such as courteous in, courteous at, and courteous of are usually not standard adjective patterns.

Quick answer

The usual pattern is courteous to

Use courteous to someone for polite or respectful behaviour toward a person or group. Courteous with is also possible when describing someone's manner in interactions. Courteous in, courteous at, and courteous of are generally not natural patterns after courteous.

She was courteous to every guest.
The nurse remained courteous with nervous patients.
He is always courteous to his colleagues.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
courteous to + person

Showing politeness toward someone

Use courteous to for respectful behaviour directed at a person or group.

The manager was courteous to new employees.
Please be courteous to the staff.
2
courteous with + people

Describing someone's manner in interactions

Courteous with can describe how someone behaves while dealing with others, although courteous to is more common.

She is consistently courteous with clients.
The teacher stayed courteous with upset parents.
3
courteous enough to + verb

Describing a polite action

This pattern introduces a polite action performed by someone.

He was courteous enough to hold the door open.
They were courteous enough to reply quickly.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
courteous to
The assistant was courteous to every visitor.
standard pattern for polite behaviour toward someone
courteous with
She remained courteous with difficult customers.
describes polite behaviour during interactions
courteous in
He was courteous in his emails.
in introduces a separate context or medium, not a fixed adjective pattern
courteous at
She is courteous at formal events.
at introduces a place or situation, not a standard complement of courteous
courteous of
It was courteous of him to call ahead.
of can appear in the structure it is courteous of someone to do something, but not usually as courteous of + person alone

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using courteous in as a fixed pattern

Use courteous to for the person receiving polite treatment.

✕ She was courteous in her neighbours. ✓ She was courteous to her neighbours.

Confusing courteous at with the main complement

At usually introduces a location or event, not the person affected.

✕ He is courteous at everyone. ✓ He is courteous to everyone.

Using courteous of before a person alone

Use courteous of someone to do something, or courteous to someone.

✕ The waiter was courteous of the guests. ✓ The waiter was courteous to the guests.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The receptionist was courteous ___ all visitors.
2. She stayed courteous ___ upset customers during the delay.
3. It was courteous ___ him to send a thank-you note.

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Frequently asked questions

Is courteous to the most common pattern?

Yes. Courteous to is the standard way to describe polite behaviour toward someone.

Can I say courteous with?

Yes. Courteous with is possible when describing how someone behaves while dealing with others.

Why does courteous of sometimes appear?

It appears in structures such as it was courteous of her to help, where of introduces the person who performed the polite action.

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