Common preposition errors don’t escape a skilled proofreader’s eye. While there are rules that govern it, English preposition usage is often idiomatic. So, even if some expressions sound illogical (like center around), they may be correct. Here are some preposition examples inspired by the texts I’ve proofread. Learning more about these preposition errors and non-errors can help you make the right choice when writing a text that needs to be accurate.
Accompanied with or accompanied by?
The success of the product accompanied with/by a positive market outlook can mean a single thing: success.
In most contexts, accompanied by, and not accompanied with, is the choice that sounds natural to a native English speaker. And it’s been so since the 19th century. However, accompany followed by the preposition with is not incorrect (for example, you can accompany a singer with your guitar), but accompanied with is much less common than accompanied by. Bryan Garner says the current ratio of accompanied by vs. accompanied with is 18 to 1. In academic writing, I would use accompanied by rather than accompanied with. Or, I would use alternatives such as together with, along with, or with.
- accompanied by: correct
- accompanied with: correct
Centered on or center around?
Marketers agree that a small business’s digital marketing strategy should be centered on/around local SEO.
Centered on is the choice no one will frown on. But the illogical expression centered around has become an idiom acceptable in many contexts. Though much less popular than center on, center around is not incorrect, though it is more informal than center on. In academic writing, if you want to play it safe, use center on, or revolve around, rather than center around.
- centered on: correct
- center around: correct but less formal
Comply with or comply to?
International businesses who have EU clients must comply with/to EU’s GDPR regulations.
You comply with a rule when you conform to it, adhere to it, or act in accordance with it. Comply to is not incorrect, and it was common until a few centuries ago. Today it’s rarely used. If you’re writing in the 21st century, you should know that comply takes the preposition with. So, comply with, rather than comply to, sounds natural to a native English speaker.
- comply to: correct but rarely used today
- comply with: correct
Dissimilar to or dissimilar from?
If you think about it, my case is not that dissimilar to/from yours.
Dissimilar to, not dissimilar from, is the better choice. Though it’s correct to say both different to and different from—the first is common in British English; the second, in American English—dissimilar from sounds awkward. Still, strictly speaking, dissimilar from is not incorrect, as far as I know. In conclusion, if you write dissimilar to instead of dissimilar from, you’ll offend no one.
- dissimilar to: correct
- dissimilar from: correct as far as I know, but sounds awkward
Free of or free from?
They say freelancers are free of/from stress since they can quit their job anytime they want, but that, too, is a myth.
Both free of and free from are correct in this example. You can use free of (something) or free from (something) when you mean without. Choose the one that sounds right to you. Just know that some contexts require free of but not free from, and others, free from but not free of. Check all the meanings of free in a dictionary if you’re not sure whether to use free of or free from in a specific sentence.
- free of: correct
- free from: correct
Preferable to or preferable than?
Though this solution is only a temporary fix, it’s preferable to/than ignoring this risk to our project.
Preferable to, and not preferable than, is the correct choice. Though something can be better than something else, one thing is always preferable to another. Preferable than is a preposition error.
- preferable to: correct
- preferable than: incorrect
Graduating from or graduating?
Graduating from/(no preposition) a reputable university is certainly an advantage when applying for a position in academia.
Graduate from university, rather than graduate university, is the accepted usage. The form graduate university has been around since the 20th century, but many language experts consider it an error. If you don’t want to attract criticism, say you’ve graduated from an institution, not graduated an institution. For more details, see this article.
- graduate from college, graduate from university: correct
- graduate college, graduate university: incorrect
Aim at or aim to?
This report is aimed at/to shedding light on our customers’ responses to our latest survey.
Aimed at is the right choice here, because it’s followed by an -ing verb. If it was “This report is aimed ____ shed light”, the correct choice would have been aimed to. Both aim at and aim to are correct. When you aim at something, you focus on it. You can also aim to do something, as well as aim for a goal. Aim to before a verb is typical of American English, while aim at plus verb is more common in British English. You can also aim at someone or aim at something.
- aim at: correct
- aim to: correct
Do you have a document that needs proofreading or editing? Send me a message at editor@languageediting.com.
Related posts:
- What are some common errors in nonfiction manuscripts?
- 12 Common punctuation mistakes in business writing
- Why your grammar checker can’t make documents perfect
Last revised on 28 September 2022
