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Prepositions after adjectives

Diligent in or diligent about?

Both diligent in and diligent about are correct, but they focus on different things. Use in for activities and about for subjects or responsibilities.

Quick answer

Which preposition is used with diligent?

Use diligent in before an activity or area of work. Use diligent about before duties, details, or matters someone pays careful attention to.

She is diligent in her studies.
He is diligent about checking the data.
They remained diligent in their research.

Choose the pattern by meaning

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

1
diligent in + activity

Careful and hardworking in an activity

Use diligent in for work, study, research, or another ongoing activity.

The team was diligent in testing the software.
She is diligent in her daily practice.
2
diligent about + responsibility

Careful attention to duties or details

Use diligent about when someone pays close attention to something important.

He is diligent about meeting deadlines.
They are diligent about safety procedures.

See the difference in context

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

Construction
Example
Meaning
diligent in
She is diligent in her work.
Focuses on effort within an activity or field.
diligent about
He is diligent about record-keeping.
Focuses on careful attention to a responsibility or detail.
diligent with
She is diligent with paperwork.
Possible in some contexts, but less common and more limited than diligent about.

Common mistakes

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

Using the wrong preposition for responsibilities

Use diligent about for careful attention to duties or details.

✕ He is diligent in deadlines. ✓ He is diligent about deadlines.

Using about for general fields of work

Use diligent in for activities or fields.

✕ She is diligent about her research. ✓ She is diligent in her research.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. She is diligent ___ her studies.
2. He is diligent ___ checking financial records.
3. Which sentence is more natural for an activity?

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Frequently asked questions

Can I use diligent about with a verb?

Yes. It is common before a gerund, such as diligent about following procedures.

Is diligent in formal?

It is standard and common in both formal and neutral English.

Can diligent take other prepositions?

Occasionally, but in and about are the main standard patterns.

daily, for, daily, with, daily, in damaging to, for, of, in or as? damn about, near, for, to or as? "dangerous for" or "dangerous to"? "dark in", "dark for" or "dark of"? "daunting for" or "daunting to"? dead in, on, by, at or of? deadly to, in, for, of or with? "deaf to" or "deaf in"? dear to, in, for, of or as? deceased in, to, for, at or on? "decent in" or "decent for"?

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