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Prepositions after decorate

Decorate with, in, by, for or to?

Use decorate with for materials or objects added as decoration. Decorate in can describe a style or colour. By, for, and to usually have other grammatical roles.

Quick answer

Common patterns with decorate

Use decorate with for the items used as decoration: decorate a room with flowers. Use decorate in for colours or styles: decorate in blue. By often introduces the person doing the action, while for and to are usually used for purpose or recipient rather than directly after decorate.

They decorated the hall with lights for the festival.
The apartment was decorated in soft grey tones.
The cake was decorated by a local chef.

Choose the pattern by meaning

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

1
decorate with + object

What is used as decoration

Use with before the items added for decoration.

She decorated the table with candles.
The children decorated the tree with paper stars.
2
decorate in + colour or style

Which colour or style is used

Use in to describe a design style, colour scheme, or overall look.

The room was decorated in green and white.
The café is decorated in a modern style.
3
decorate by + person

Who performs the action

By commonly appears in passive sentences to name the decorator.

The hall was decorated by volunteers before the event.
The mural was decorated by local artists.
4
decorate for + occasion

Why something is decorated

For can express the occasion or purpose of the decoration.

They decorated the office for Christmas.
We decorated the garden for the wedding.

See the difference in context

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

Construction
Example
Meaning
decorate with
They decorated the room with balloons.
With introduces the decorative items.
decorate in
The flat was decorated in neutral colours.
In introduces a colour scheme or style.
decorate by
The stage was decorated by students.
By names the person or group doing the decorating in a passive sentence.
decorate to
They decorated the room to impress visitors.
To introduces purpose, not the decoration itself.

Common mistakes

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

Using in for decorative objects

Use with before the items added as decoration.

✕ They decorated the room in flowers. ✓ They decorated the room with flowers.

Using with for colour schemes

Use in for colours and styles.

✕ The office was decorated with blue. ✓ The office was decorated in blue.

Using to directly after decorate

To usually introduces purpose, not the object of decoration.

✕ She decorated the cake to cherries. ✓ She decorated the cake with cherries.

Confusing by and with

By names the decorator; with names decorative materials.

✕ The wall was decorated with local artists. ✓ The wall was decorated by local artists.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. They decorated the hall ___ flowers.
2. The bedroom was decorated ___ pastel colours.
3. The stage was decorated ___ volunteers.

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Frequently asked questions

Can I say decorate with?

Yes. It is the most common pattern for objects used as decoration, such as decorate with lights or flowers.

When do we use decorate in?

Use decorate in before colours, themes, or styles, such as decorated in black and gold.

Is decorate to correct?

Only when to introduces purpose, such as decorate the room to create a warm atmosphere.

dabble, in, dabble, with "damage to" or "damage by"? dance to, with, on, in or for? "dangle from" or "dangle in"? dare to, for, on, as or at? dash to, into, out, from or on? daydream about, for, in, of or on? "debate in", "debate on" or "debate with"? deceive by, in, into, on or about? "decide on", "decide to" or "decide by"? declare in, by, on, to or as? decline in, by, from, to or for?

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