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Prepositions after adjectives

Numerous in or numerous of?

Numerous usually appears without a following preposition before a plural noun. Numerous in is possible in specific contexts, but numerous of is not standard English.

Quick answer

Which preposition is correct after numerous?

Use numerous directly before a plural noun, such as numerous problems. Numerous in can describe abundance within a place or category. Numerous of is nonstandard in current English.

numerous problems delayed the project.
Wildflowers are numerous in this region.
The errors were numerous in the first draft.

Choose the pattern by meaning

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

1
numerous + plural noun

Describing a large number

The most common structure is numerous directly before a plural countable noun.

numerous visitors arrived early.
2
numerous in + place/field

Showing abundance within an area

Use numerous in to say something exists in large numbers in a place, text, or category.

Ancient ruins are numerous in the valley.
3
numerous among + group

Referring to many members of a group

Among can introduce the larger group containing many examples.

Supporters were numerous among younger voters.
4
numerous enough to + verb

Expressing sufficient quantity

Numerous can combine with enough to show quantity is sufficient.

The volunteers were numerous enough to cover every shift.

See the difference in context

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

Construction
Example
Meaning
numerous + plural noun
They faced numerous delays.
Standard structure with no preposition.
numerous in
Bird species are numerous in the wetlands.
Shows abundance within a place or category.
numerous of
The phrase numerous of is not standard English.
Use numerous or many instead.
many of
Many of the guests arrived late.
Use many of before determiners such as the, these, or my.

Common mistakes

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

Using numerous of

Numerous does not normally take of.

✕ Numerous of the students were absent. ✓ Many of the students were absent.

Adding a preposition unnecessarily

Numerous usually comes directly before a plural noun.

✕ The report mentioned numerous of errors. ✓ The report mentioned numerous errors.

Using numerous with uncountable nouns

Numerous is used with countable plural nouns.

✕ There was numerous traffic on the road. ✓ There was heavy traffic on the road.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The museum contains numerous ___ from the Roman era.
2. Rare plants are numerous ___ the island.
3. ___ the applicants had previous experience.

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Frequently asked questions

Is numerous of correct English?

No. Use numerous before a plural noun or use many of before a determiner phrase.

Can I say numerous in?

Yes. It is used when talking about abundance in a place, field, or category.

What type of nouns follow numerous?

Numerous is used with plural countable nouns such as numerous books or numerous reasons.

naive-in-about-to-of, for naked in, on, with, for or at? "narrow down" or "narrow in"? "nasty to", "nasty in" or "nasty about"? "national of" or "national in"? "native of" or "native to"? "natural for" or "natural to"? necessary for, in, to, at or by? needy in, of, for, from or by? "negative about", "negative in" or "negative for"? negligent in, of, for, to or about? nervous about, of, at, in or before?

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