Problem Prepositions

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Problem Prepositions
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HAPTER
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Problem Prepositions
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As a class, prepositions tend to be pretty agreeable. They
go where they’re told and do what’s asked of them. But they
are persnickety on a few points, such as how and when they
are to be paired up with a given verb, whether or not they feel
like hanging out alone at the end of a sentence, and how to get
other parts of speech to stop barging in on their territory. The
following entries represent the most common errors made with
prepositions.
Prepositions Expressing
Fine Shades of Meaning
54. Agree to vs. Agree with
Don’t Say: Are you saying you agree to their arguments?
Say Instead: Are you saying you agree with their
arguments?
Here’s Why:
How do you know whether to use “to” or
“with”? “Agree to” introduces an infinitive form of a verb such
as “to jump,” “to suppose,” or “to annoy.” It means to consent
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to, as in consenting to fulfill the terms of a contract. “Agree
with” introduces a noun. It means to be in accord or alignment
with, as in agreeing with a point of view. So in this sentence,

where we don’t have an infinitive, and where we’re talking
about being on the same side in an argument, “agree with” is
correct. Additional correct examples are:
Joe agreed to stay if Aunt Fannie would let him have
the dark meat.
I
agree with you, but that doesn’t mean I like you.
We knew they were too naïve to get married when
they
agreed to obey each other.
She has always
agreed with his philosophy on work.
55. Differ with vs. Differ from
Don’t Say: We differed from the Trumbles on their right to
park their cars on our front lawn.
Say Instead: We differed with the Trumbles on their right
to park their cars on our front lawn.
Here’s Why:
“Differ from” means to be unlike, as in one
dress differing from another. “Differ with” means to disagree
with, as in differing with a point of view, which is the case in
our example sentence. Additional examples are:
You can differ with me without getting huffy about it.
Only their parents can tell how the twins
differ from
one another.
The two sides
differed with each other on several points
but finally worked out an agreement.
How do you do

differ from your predecessor?
56. Different from vs. Different than
Don’t Say: Hey, my invitation looks different than hers.
Say Instead: Hey, my invitation looks different from hers.
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Here’s Why:
“Different from” is standard, always ac-
ceptable. But there is a range of opinions from usage experts
on the appropriateness of “different than.” “Different than” is
acceptable to less conservative speakers when it is followed
by a clause, as in I felt different than I did the last time I took
this medication. (More conservative speakers veto “different
than” altogether, and would rephrase such a sentence so that
“different from” would be followed by a noun or pronoun.)
What’s never a good idea is using “different than” when mak-
ing a quick, straightforward comparison between two persons
or things, as we did in our example. In other words, don’t say A
is different than B. Additional correct examples are:
His style is different from hers.
Will you take a
different route than the one you took
the last time you went there?
Can you tell if this engraving is
different from that one?
Test: Prepositions Expressing Fine Shades of Meaning
Please circle the correct choice.
1. Elvira reluctantly (agreed to, agreed with) knit booties for
all the quintuplets.

2. Unfortunately the cannibals did not (agree to, agree with)
Fred’s theory that eating people is wrong.
3. We would have gotten along splendidly if we didn’t (differ
with, differ from) each other on all philosophical, moral,
and political questions.
4. His account of the 12-car pile-up was (different from, dif-
ferent than) hers.
5. She gave a very different account (than, from) he did of
the 12-car pile-up.
6. When Zelda recovered from the effects of the champagne,
she found she had married a man (different than, different
from) her fiancé.
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7. Is this tie really (different than, different from) the one you
gave me last year?
Answer Key:
Prepositions That Express Fine Shades of Meaning
1. agreed to.
2. agree with.
3. differ with. Don’t forget that “differ from” is correct when
you’re comparing physical qualities rather than opinions.
The following example is correct: Horace was chagrined
to discover that his $500 radio hardly
differed from
the cheap knockoff his brother had bought at a flea
market.
4. different from.
5. different than. More conservative speakers believe that

“different than” should never be used. In a case like this
one, a conservative speaker would first rephrase the sen-
tence so that it makes a quick comparison, and then use
“different from”: His account of the 12-car pile-up was
different from the one that she gave.
6. different from.
7. different from.
Unidiomatic and Superfluous Prepositions
57. Centers around
Don’t Say: Their problem centers around the fact that his
business is failing.
Say Instead: Their problem centers on the fact that his
business is failing.
Here’s Why:
It is impossible for anything to “center
around.” A center is the exact middle of something, so by
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definition it cannot be around anything else—it would no longer
be the center. A thing can center on or in something else, it can
be centered by something else, but it can never be centered
around.
58. Where…At
Don’t Say: Where are they at?
Say Instead: Where are they?
Here’s Why:
The preposition “at” is always unnecessary
with “where.” It performs the same job in the sentence by
referring to location, which is what the “where” is there for in

the first place. The use of “at” in this way is not uncommon,
but it is a big tip-off to others that you’re careless.
59. As to
Don’t Say: I accepted the diamond necklace as a gift
without inquiring as to its history.
Say Instead: I accepted the diamond necklace as a gift
without inquiring about its history.
Here’s Why:
Usage experts aren’t unanimous on this one,
but there is a widespread belief that the phrase “as to” is more
often than not pretentious-sounding clutter. “As to” does have
appropriate uses, such as when you want to begin a sentence
by putting a lot of emphasis on a word or phrase that would
otherwise have to come later. For example: As to his health,
we did not inquire for fear of angering him. Or: As to your
decision on the highway project, I cannot agree with you.
The kind of use of “as to” that is usually frowned on is employ-
ing it as a substitute for prepositions—a use that seems irresist-
ible to folks who are trying to sound businesslike or formal but
which generally ends up having the opposite effect. The fol-
lowing are some more examples of “as to” replacing a preposi-
tion, each paired with a preferred version (note that there is
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