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Prepositions after adjectives

Revealing of, about, in, to or for?

Revealing commonly appears with about and of. Other prepositions may work in specific contexts or with different sentence structures.

Quick answer

Which preposition is used with revealing?

Use revealing about to say what information shows about someone or something. Use revealing of to describe behaviour or details that expose character or truth. In, to, and for usually belong to different sentence patterns.

Her reaction was revealing of her priorities.
The survey is revealing about consumer habits.
His silence was revealing of his uncertainty.

Choose the pattern by meaning

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

1
revealing about + subject

Showing information about something

Use about to introduce the topic that new information helps explain.

The interview was revealing about company culture.
The report is revealing about public attitudes.
2
revealing of + character or truth

Showing what behaviour says about someone

Use of when a detail exposes character, motives, or hidden facts.

His comment was revealing of his insecurity.
The gesture was revealing of their close friendship.
3
revealing to + person

Indicating who receives new information

To can introduce the person who learns something.

The results were revealing to the research team.
The conversation proved revealing to everyone involved.

See the difference in context

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

Construction
Example
Meaning
revealing of
Her tone was revealing of her frustration.
Standard for behaviour or details that expose character or feelings.
revealing about
The data is revealing about spending habits.
Standard for information that gives insight into a topic.
revealing in
There was something revealing in his answer.
In introduces the place where the revealing detail appears, not a fixed adjective pattern.
revealing to
The interview was revealing to the audience.
To identifies who gains insight.
revealing for
The findings were revealing for future policy.
Possible in context, but not a common fixed combination after revealing.

Common mistakes

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

Using in as the main complement

In usually introduces where the revealing detail appears, not the main topic.

✕ The article was revealing in modern politics. ✓ The article was revealing about modern politics.

Using for instead of about

For often sounds unnatural when naming the topic explained by information.

✕ The documentary was revealing for social inequality. ✓ The documentary was revealing about social inequality.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. His reaction was revealing ___ his true opinion.
2. The survey is revealing ___ young voters.
3. The briefing was revealing ___ the new employees.

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Paste the complete sentence below. Linguix checks the preposition together with grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between revealing of and revealing about?

Revealing of usually describes behaviour showing character or emotion, while revealing about introduces a broader topic or subject.

Can I say revealing to someone?

Yes. Revealing to identifies the person who learns or discovers something.

Is revealing for correct?

It can appear in some contexts, but it is not a common fixed pattern after revealing.

racist-in-against-for-to, towards "radical in" or "radical for"? rampant in, among, with, on or throughout? "rare in" or "rare for"? "rational for" or "rational in"? "raw in", "raw for" or "raw with"? reachable by, from, on, in or through? "reactive to", "reactive rather" or "reactive in"? ready for, to, in, at or by? "realistic about" or "realistic in"? "real to", "real for" or "real in"? rearing of, as or on?

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