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Prepositions after adjectives

Positive for vs positive about

Positive about expresses approval or optimism. Positive for is used in medical testing and in expressions about beneficial effects.

Quick answer

How do you use positive with prepositions?

Use positive about for attitudes and opinions. Use positive for medical test results or to describe something beneficial for a person, group, or situation.

She feels positive about the proposal.
He tested positive for influenza.
Exercise is positive for mental health.

Choose the pattern by meaning

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

1
positive about + idea or situation

Expressing approval or optimism

Use positive about when talking about attitudes, feelings, or opinions.

They are positive about the merger.
I feel positive about our chances.
2
positive for + illness or substance

Reporting test results

In medical and scientific contexts, positive for means that a test detected something.

The patient tested positive for the virus.
The sample was positive for lead.
3
positive for + person or situation

Describing beneficial effects

Positive for can describe something helpful or good for someone or something.

Daily reading is positive for language development.
The agreement could be positive for trade.

See the difference in context

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

Construction
Example
Meaning
positive about
We are positive about the new strategy.
optimistic or approving
positive for
She tested positive for malaria.
a test detected a disease or substance
positive for
Regular sleep is positive for concentration.
beneficial or helpful
positive about
Investors remain positive about the market.
having a favourable attitude

Common mistakes

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

Using positive about for medical tests

Medical test results use positive for.

✕ He tested positive about COVID-19. ✓ He tested positive for COVID-19.

Using positive for to express opinions

Use positive about for attitudes and feelings.

✕ She is positive for the plan. ✓ She is positive about the plan.

Confusing benefit and opinion meanings

Positive for often means beneficial, not optimistic.

✕ The manager sounded positive for the idea. ✓ The manager sounded positive about the idea.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The athlete tested positive ___ a banned substance.
2. I'm very positive ___ the company's future.
3. Fresh air is positive ___ your health.

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Frequently asked questions

Can positive for mean beneficial?

Yes. For example, exercise is positive for mental health.

Is positive about formal or informal?

It is common in both formal and informal English.

Can I say positive on instead of positive about?

Positive on is uncommon in this meaning. Positive about is the standard choice for opinions and attitudes.

packed-with-to-in-on, into "paid for" or "paid up"? painful for, to, in, at or of? "palatable to" or "palatable for"? "pale in" or "pale of"? "pandemic of" or "pandemic in"? "paramount to" or "paramount in"? paranoid about, of, in, with or over? partial to, of, in, towards or for? participating in, of, on, at or for? "particular about" or "particular to"? part-time at, in, for, as or with?

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