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Prepositions after adjectives

Rude to and other prepositions

Rude to is the standard pattern when describing behaviour toward someone.

Quick answer

Which preposition follows rude?

Rude to is the normal and most important pattern. Rude about can describe offensive comments on a topic. In and of appear in specific structures. Rude for is less common and usually followed by an action.

It was rude to interrupt her.
He was rude about my accent.

Choose the pattern by meaning

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

1
rude to + person

Describing impolite behaviour toward someone

This is the standard pattern.

She was rude to the waiter
2
rude about + topic

Making offensive comments about something

About introduces the subject of the rude remarks.

They were rude about his clothes
3
rude of + person + infinitive

Judging an action

Of identifies the person responsible for the behaviour.

It was rude of him to leave early

See the difference in context

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

Construction
Example
Meaning
rude to
She was rude to her teacher.
impolite toward someone
rude about
He made rude jokes about tourists.
offensive concerning a topic
rude in
rude in tone
describing manner or aspect
rude of
It was rude of them to laugh.
judging behaviour
rude for
It is rude for guests to arrive late.
judging behaviour by a group

Common mistakes

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

Using rude with for instead of to for people

Use rude to when naming the person affected.

✕ She was rude for me. ✓ She was rude to me.

Confusing rude of and rude to

Rude of judges an action; rude to names the target.

✓ It was rude of him to be rude to staff.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The customer was rude ___ the cashier.
2. It was rude ___ her to ignore the invitation.
3. They were rude ___ my pronunciation.

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Frequently asked questions

Is rude to the most common pattern?

Yes. It is the standard way to describe impolite behaviour toward someone.

Can rude about be correct?

Yes. It refers to offensive comments or behaviour concerning a topic.

What is the difference between rude of and rude to?

Rude of judges an action, while rude to identifies who received the behaviour.

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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