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Prepositions with expected

Expected of, for, in, from or by?

Expected commonly appears with of and from when describing duties, behaviour, or likely actions. Other prepositions depend on the surrounding meaning.

Quick answer

Which preposition follows expected?

Use expected of to describe behaviour or standards required from someone. Use expected from for actions, results, or reactions likely to come from a person or thing. Expected by often refers to deadlines or the person holding the expectation.

Professional conduct is expected of all employees.
Better results are expected from the new system.
The report is expected by Friday.

Choose the pattern by meaning

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

1
expected of + person/group

Describing duties or standards

Of is used for behaviour, qualities, or responsibilities required from someone.

Courtesy is expected of visitors.
High standards are expected of senior staff.
2
expected from + source

Describing likely actions or results

From introduces the source of the action, reaction, or result.

Strong sales are expected from the campaign.
This response was expected from an experienced player.
3
expected by + time/person

Giving a deadline or holder of expectation

By can refer to a time limit or the person who expects something.

The package is expected by noon.
The decision was expected by investors.
4
expected in + place/period

Using in as contextual information

In usually introduces a place, group, or period rather than a fixed complement.

Heavy rain is expected in the north.
Growth is expected in the next quarter.

See the difference in context

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

Construction
Example
Meaning
expected of
Patience is expected of teachers.
describes standards or duties required from someone
expected from
More innovation is expected from the team.
describes likely output or behaviour from a source
expected by
The work is expected by Monday.
shows deadline or the person holding the expectation
expected in
Snow is expected in the mountains.
in usually gives location or time context
expected for
Expected for next year refers to timing or scheduling.
for is possible in time-related contexts, not as the main standard complement

Common mistakes

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

Using of for results

Use from when talking about actions or results produced by someone or something.

✕ Better performance is expected of the software ✓ Better performance is expected from the software

Using from for duties

Use of for standards and responsibilities.

✕ Respect is expected from employees ✓ Respect is expected of employees

Confusing by and for with time

By means before a deadline; for refers to a planned time period.

✕ The report is expected for Friday if the deadline is Friday ✓ The report is expected by Friday

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. Politeness is ___ all staff.
2. A strong reaction is ___ the audience.
3. The documents are ___ tomorrow morning.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between expected of and expected from?

Expected of refers to standards or duties. Expected from refers to likely actions, results, or reactions.

Can expected be followed by by?

Yes. It often introduces a deadline or the person expecting something.

Is expected in correct?

Yes, when in introduces place or time context, such as expected in Europe or expected in June.

eager-for-to-in-about, on "early in", "early on" or "early for"? earnest in, with, on, for or at? easy for, on, in, to or with? "economical with" or "economical in"? "ecstatic about" or "ecstatic with"? "effective in", "effective at" or "effective for"? "efficient in" or "efficient at"? elderly in, with, at, of or as? elegant in, with, of, as or to? eligible for, to, in or under? "embarrassed by" or "embarrassed about"?

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