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Prepositions after adjectives

Fascinating to, about, in, for, or as?

Fascinating is most often followed by to someone. Other prepositions usually belong to the noun or verb that follows.

Quick answer

Most common pattern: fascinating to

Use fascinating to someone to describe what interests a person. Fascinating about is possible before a noun clause or topic phrase. Fascinating in, for, and as are less common and usually depend on the wider sentence structure.

Ancient maps are fascinating to historians.
What is fascinating about the story is its ending.
The machine is fascinating for its unusual design.

Choose the pattern by meaning

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

1
fascinating to + person

Showing who feels interested

Use fascinating to name the person or group that finds something interesting.

The lecture was fascinating to the students.
Space travel is fascinating to many people.
2
fascinating about + noun/clause

Highlighting an interesting aspect

Use fascinating about before what makes something interesting.

The most fascinating about the book is its ending.
What is fascinating about the case is the lack of evidence.
3
fascinating for + reason/group

Giving a reason or audience

Fascinating for can introduce a reason or the people affected.

The device is fascinating for its simplicity.
The exhibition was fascinating for young visitors.
4
fascinating as + role

Describing a role or identity

Use fascinating as when describing someone or something in a particular role.

She is fascinating as a speaker.
The city is fascinating as a cultural centre.

See the difference in context

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

Construction
Example
Meaning
fascinating to
The topic is fascinating to scientists.
standard pattern showing who is interested
fascinating about
What is fascinating about the film is its soundtrack.
focuses on the interesting aspect
fascinating in
The artist is fascinating in interviews.
in introduces a context, not a fixed adjective pattern
fascinating for
The article is fascinating for its detail.
gives a reason or audience
fascinating as
He was fascinating as a teacher.
describes a role or identity

Common mistakes

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

Using to instead of about

Use about when discussing the interesting aspect itself.

✕ What is fascinating to the book is the ending. ✓ What is fascinating about the book is the ending.

Using fascinating in as a fixed pattern

In usually introduces a context rather than following fascinating directly.

✕ The history is fascinating in me. ✓ The history is fascinating to me.

Forgetting the person after fascinating to

Fascinating to usually needs a person or group.

✕ The lecture was fascinating to. ✓ The lecture was fascinating to the audience.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The documentary was fascinating ___ children.
2. What is fascinating ___ the experiment is the result.
3. She was fascinating ___ a performer.

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Frequently asked questions

Is fascinating to me correct?

Yes. It is a very common way to say something interests you.

Can I say fascinating about?

Yes, especially in phrases such as what is fascinating about the story.

Is fascinating in wrong?

Not always. In can introduce a context, as in fascinating in interviews, but it is not the main fixed pattern.

face-to-face-with-in-at-for, to "fair to" or "fair in"? faithful to, in, of, with or for? falling of, in, out, into or off? "false in" or "false to"? famed for, as, in or throughout? familiar with, to, from or in? famous for, in, of, by or as? fanatical about, in, as, for or of? "fantastic for" or "fantastic in"? far from, in, to, for or with? "fashionable in" or "fashionable for"?

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