Unpaid for is the standard pattern for goods or services that have not been paid for. Other prepositions usually introduce time, method, or person rather than forming fixed combinations.
Use unpaid for when something has not been paid for. Phrases with on, after, in, or by usually add extra information such as time or person.
These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.
Use for with products, bills, or services.
By introduces the person or organisation responsible.
After introduces a period of time, not a fixed adjective-preposition pair.
In can describe the form or category of unpaid money.
The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.
Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.
Use unpaid for when referring to goods or services.
✕ The meal was unpaid. ✓ The meal was unpaid for.On usually introduces an activity, not the unpaid item.
✕ The ticket was unpaid on. ✓ The ticket was unpaid for.By names the non-paying person; for names the thing not paid.
✕ The invoice was unpaid for the client. ✓ The invoice was unpaid by the client.Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.
Paste the complete sentence below. Linguix checks the preposition together with grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style.
Yes. It is the usual pattern for something that has not been paid for.
Yes, when on introduces an activity, such as 'worked unpaid on a campaign'.
It identifies the person or organisation that did not make payment.
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