Excellent At: Standard Pattern
Excellent At: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Use “excellent at” when describing a high level of skill or performance in an activity or subject.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| skill or performance in a subject/activity | excellent at + noun / -ing form | Use “at” for the documented ability/performance relationship. |
| a different meaning of excellent | another construction may fit | Do not infer that every occurrence of “excellent” must be followed by “at.” |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Are you describing a person’s high level of skill or performance in an activity or subject?
If yes: Use “excellent at.”
If no: Choose the construction required by the other meaning instead of forcing “at.”
Caveat: The reviewed source directly supports “excellent at” with a noun or -ing complement for ability/performance; it does not make “at” mandatory in unrelated senses.
Examples
Nina is excellent at mathematics.
The noun names the subject in which she performs very well.
He is excellent at explaining difficult ideas.
The -ing phrase names the activity in which he is highly skilled.
The team is excellent at finding practical solutions.
“At” introduces the activity used to assess performance.
Further guidance
Construction
Use “excellent at” when describing a high level of skill or performance in an activity or subject.
Style Boundary
Oxford directly documents “excellent at” before a noun or -ing complement; this page does not claim that every use of “excellent” requires “at.”
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- excellent adjective — Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries (opens in a new tab)Oxford University Press · Direct Oxford learner-dictionary evidence for excellent at followed by a subject, activity, or -ing complement.