Preposition – “About”
About
About in the meaning: regarding, concerning:
Here are some examples of using the preposition about with the meaning of regarding or concerning:
I need to talk to you about the upcoming project.
What can you tell me about your new job?
We had a discussion about the budget at the meeting.
Can you provide more information about the event?
She’s always curious about different cultures.
Let’s have a conversation about your future plans.
I’m not sure what to do about this situation.
He wrote a book about his experiences as a journalist.
We’re gathering data about customer preferences.
The article is about climate change and its effects.
In these sentences, about is used to indicate the subject or topic of discussion or to convey the idea of something being related to or concerning a particular subject or matter.
About and of: the same meaning:
When using verbs like “think, hear, tell, speak,” and others, you can sometimes use either about or of to indicate the topic or subject being discussed.
Here are examples using both prepositions:
I heard a rumour about/of her promotion.
She often speaks of/about her travels around the world.
Can you tell me about/of your plans for the weekend?
I never thought of/about that possibility before.
He’s always thinking of/about his family’s well-being.
They spoke highly of/about your performance at the conference.
Tell me more about/of your favourite book.
In these sentences, both about and of can be used interchangeably without significantly changing the meaning.
About in the meaning around, approximately:
When using about to mean around or approximately, you are expressing an approximate value or quantity.
Here are some examples:
The meeting will start at about 3 o’clock.
She lives about 20 miles away from here.
The temperature should be about 25 degrees Celsius today.
It will take us about an hour to reach the destination.
The restaurant is about half a mile from here.
The package weighs about 2 kilogrammes.
We have about 10 guests coming to the party.
The project will cost about $5000 to complete.
He’s been working on the assignment for about three hours.
The book is about 300 pages long.
In these examples, about is used to convey an approximate or estimated value or quantity, indicating that it’s not exact but close to the stated amount of time.
About in the meaning round, over, all around:
In some contexts, about can be used to convey the meaning of round, over, or all around.
Here are some examples:
The cat curled about on the cosy blanket.
She wrapped her arms about him in a warm embrace.
The dancers moved about the room gracefully.
The vines twined about the trellis in the garden.
He tied the ribbon about the gift box.
The mist hung about the mountaintop.
We walked about the old castle, exploring its nooks and crannies.
The children ran about the playground, full of energy.
The scarf was wound about her neck to keep her warm.
The party balloons floated about the ceiling.
In these sentences, about is used to convey the idea of movement or placement in a circular or all-around manner, indicating the surrounding or encompassing nature of the action or location.
About as an adverb:
When about is used as an adverb in combination with verbs of motion, it can convey the idea of moving in a circular or all-around manner.
Here are some examples:
The children ran about in the park, laughing and playing.
The dancers twirled about on the dance floor with grace.
He wandered about the city, exploring its streets and alleys.
The dog circled about the yard, searching for its toy.
The leaves fluttered about in the wind.
The paper aeroplane glided about the room before landing on the floor.
The birds flew about in the sky, chasing each other.
She skipped about the garden, picking flowers.
The fish swam about in the pond, creating ripples on the surface.
In these sentences, about is used as an adverb to describe the manner in which the action of motion is carried out, often indicating movement in a circular or all-around fashion.
The Preposition place in sentences