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Prepositions after adjectives

Consequent on, upon, or to?

Consequent is a formal adjective meaning resulting from something. It is commonly followed by on, upon, or to.

Quick answer

Which prepositions follow consequent?

Consequent on, consequent upon, and consequent to are all used in formal English to mean resulting from. Consequent upon is especially formal.

The delays were consequent on staffing shortages.
The changes were consequent upon the review.
Economic losses were consequent to the storm.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
consequent on + event

Showing a result or effect

Consequent on means resulting from something.

The closures were consequent on safety concerns.
Price increases were consequent on higher demand.
2
consequent upon + situation

Using a very formal style

Consequent upon is formal and often used in legal or official writing.

The agreement was revised consequent upon new regulations.
3
consequent to + action

Expressing a formal causal link

Consequent to is also standard in formal contexts.

Several changes occurred consequent to the merger.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
consequent on
The reforms were consequent on public pressure.
resulting from something
consequent upon
The restrictions were consequent upon the investigation.
very formal version of consequent on
consequent to
Service disruptions were consequent to the outage.
formal expression meaning resulting from

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using consequent without a clear cause

Consequent normally introduces the cause after the preposition.

✕ The damage was consequent. ✓ The damage was consequent on the explosion.

Using informal wording in formal contexts

Consequent on, upon, and to are formal. In everyday English, resulting from is often clearer.

✓ The delays were resulting from bad weather.

Confusing consequent with subsequent

Consequent means resulting from, while subsequent means happening later.

✕ The consequent meeting took place on Friday. ✓ The subsequent meeting took place on Friday.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The policy changes were consequent ___ the investigation.
2. The losses were consequent ___ severe flooding.
3. The decision was consequent ___ legal advice.

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Frequently asked questions

Are consequent on and consequent to both correct?

Yes. Both are standard in formal English and mean resulting from.

Is consequent upon old-fashioned?

It is still used, especially in legal and official writing, but it sounds very formal.

What is a simpler alternative to consequent on?

Resulting from or caused by are more natural in everyday English.

calm, in, calm, for, calm, about "candid about" or "candid in"? capable of or in? careful about, with, of, in or on? careless about, with, in, of or on? caribbean in, for, with, to or on? "catastrophic for" or "catastrophic to"? "cautious about" or "cautious in"? celtic in, for, on, at or to? central to, in, for, at or of? "certain of" or "certain about"? "challenging for" or "challenging of"?

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