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Prepositions after adjectives

driven with different prepositions

Driven is most commonly followed by by or to. Other prepositions usually belong to separate expressions or technical contexts.

Quick answer

Which prepositions go with driven?

Use driven by for motivation or cause and driven to for actions or emotional extremes. Driven in and driven on appear mainly in passive or technical meanings. Driven per is not a normal adjective pattern in standard English.

She is driven by ambition.
He was driven to resign.
The snow was driven by strong winds.

Choose the pattern by meaning

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

1
driven by + motive or force

Showing motivation or cause

Driven by is the standard pattern for internal motivation or external force.

The team is driven by innovation.
The boat was driven by a small engine.
2
driven to + action or state

Forced or motivated to do something

Use driven to before an action or emotional condition.

She was driven to tears.
He felt driven to succeed.
3
driven in + direction or location

Moved physically inward

Driven in is usually part of a passive verb phrase about movement, not a fixed adjective pattern.

The nails were driven in with a hammer.
Rain was driven in through the open window.
4
driven on + route or surface

Travelling or operating on something

Driven on often refers to vehicles or movement on a surface.

The car was driven on icy roads.
The machine is driven on electric power.

See the difference in context

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

Construction
Example
Meaning
driven by
She is driven by curiosity.
Standard pattern for motivation or force.
driven to
He was driven to desperation.
Shows a resulting action or emotional state.
driven in
The posts were driven in deeply.
Usually part of a physical movement expression.
driven on
The truck was driven on muddy tracks.
Refers to movement on a surface or route.
driven per
The report lists output per employee.
Per is not a normal preposition after driven.

Common mistakes

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

Using driven per as an adjective pattern

Per expresses rates or units, not motivation or state with driven.

✕ She is driven per success. ✓ She is driven by success.

Confusing driven by and driven to

By introduces the cause; to introduces the result or action.

✕ He was driven by resign. ✓ He was driven to resign.

Using driven in for motivation

Driven in usually refers to physical movement inward.

✕ She is driven in ambition. ✓ She is driven by ambition.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The company is driven ___ customer demand.
2. He was driven ___ make a quick decision.
3. The fence posts were driven ___ the ground.

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Frequently asked questions

Is driven by the most common pattern?

Yes. It is the standard way to describe motivation or force.

Can driven to describe emotions?

Yes. You can say driven to anger, driven to despair, or driven to tears.

Is driven per correct English?

No. Per is not normally used after driven as an adjective.

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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