Receptive To: Standard Pattern
Receptive To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented Cambridge construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Cambridge documents “receptive to” when someone is willing to listen to or accept an idea or suggestion.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| willing to listen to or accept an idea, suggestion, or proposal | receptive to + noun | Use the documented “receptive to” construction. |
| follow with an activity concept expressed as a noun-like -ing form | receptive to + -ing where the grammar supports it | Remember that “to” is functioning as a preposition in the construction. |
| choose another preposition merely by analogy | do not infer it | Keep the page bounded to the documented “receptive to” pattern. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Are you expressing willingness to listen to or accept an idea or suggestion?
If yes: Use “receptive to.”
If no: Use a different construction only when the intended meaning is different.
Caveat: This page records the “receptive to” construction; it should not be generalized into a rule about every adjective with a similar meaning.
Examples
The team was receptive to the proposal.
“To” introduces the idea being accepted or considered.
She was receptive to suggestions from the group.
The documented construction links “receptive” to the suggestion.
They seemed receptive to changing the schedule.
An -ing phrase can function as the complement of the preposition “to.”
Further guidance
Construction
Cambridge documents “receptive to” for being willing to listen to or accept an idea or suggestion.
Style Boundary
The page covers the receptive-to complement pattern; specialized biological senses and broader adjective uses remain outside this narrow construction guide.
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.
- receptive — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Cambridge dictionary evidence for the adjective construction receptive to a proposal, idea, person, or signal.