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Prepositions after adjectives

Silent on vs silent about

Both silent on and silent about are standard. Silent on is especially common in formal or official contexts.

Quick answer

Which preposition goes with silent?

Use silent on for subjects omitted from discussion or documents. Use silent about for topics someone does not talk about.

The report was silent on funding details.
He stayed silent about the argument.

Choose the pattern by meaning

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

1
silent on + subject

Omitting information

Often used for reports, laws, and official statements.

The agreement is silent on future costs.
2
silent about + topic

Not discussing something

This pattern is common in everyday speech.

She remained silent about her plans.
3
fall silent

Becoming quiet

This fixed expression does not take a preposition after silent.

The room fell silent after the announcement.

See the difference in context

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

Construction
Example
Meaning
silent on
The article is silent on taxes.
Information is missing on that subject.
silent about
He was silent about his past.
A person chooses not to speak about something.
silent to
She stayed silent to reporters.
Less natural; silent with or silent toward may fit specific contexts better.

Common mistakes

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

Using silent on for personal secrecy in casual speech

About often sounds more natural for personal matters.

✕ She was silent on her feelings. ✓ She was silent about her feelings.

Adding an unnecessary preposition

Fall silent does not need another preposition after silent.

✕ The crowd fell silent about. ✓ The crowd fell silent.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The document is silent ___ safety procedures.
2. He stayed silent ___ the incident.
3. The audience fell silent ___ the speech began.

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Frequently asked questions

Is silent on formal?

Yes. It is especially common in legal, academic, and journalistic writing.

Can silent about be used for documents?

Yes, though silent on is often preferred in formal writing.

What does fall silent mean?

It means to become quiet suddenly.

sacred-to-in-by-of, for "sad for" or "sad about"? "safe for", "safe from" or "safe in"? sanguine about, in, of, on or for? "satisfactory to" or "satisfactory for"? satisfied with, of, by, in or on? "satisfying for" or "satisfying to"? scarce in, for, at, on or of? scared of, to, about, for or by? "scary for" or "scary to"? "scathing about", "scathing in" or "scathing of"? "sceptical about" or "sceptical of"?

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