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Prepositions after verbs

keep in, to, on, at, or away

Keep forms many phrasal and prepositional combinations. The meaning changes with each particle or preposition.

Quick answer

How do keep in, keep to, keep on, keep at, and keep away differ?

Keep in means remain inside or include. Keep to means follow limits or plans. Keep on means continue. Keep at means continue working hard at something. Keep away means stay distant from something or someone.

Please keep in touch.
We should keep to the schedule.
She decided to keep on studying.
The sign says to keep away from the fence.

Choose the pattern by meaning

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

1
keep in + place/state

Stay inside or remain involved

Keep in can refer to staying indoors, remaining included, or maintaining contact.

The children had to keep in during the storm.
They still keep in contact after graduation.
2
keep to + rule/plan

Follow limits or instructions

Keep to means obeying or staying within boundaries.

Please keep to the main topic.
The project must keep to its budget.
3
keep on + verb-ing

Continue an action

Keep on expresses continuation.

He kept on talking for hours.
They keep on asking the same question.
4
keep at + activity

Continue working persistently

Keep at emphasizes effort and persistence.

If you keep at your training, you will improve.
She kept at the puzzle all evening.
5
keep away from + danger/person

Stay distant

Keep away or keep away from means not going near something.

Visitors should keep away from the machinery.
He tries to keep away from online arguments.

See the difference in context

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

Construction
Example
Meaning
keep in
We keep in touch by email.
Remain connected or stay inside.
keep to
The speaker kept to the agenda.
Follow rules, limits, or plans.
keep on
She kept on laughing.
Continue doing something.
keep at
You need to keep at your studies.
Continue with effort and persistence.
keep away
Keep away from the edge.
Stay distant from something.

Common mistakes

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

Confusing keep on with keep at

Keep on means continue generally, while keep at stresses persistence in work or practice.

✕ Keep at talking. ✓ Keep on talking.

Forgetting from after keep away

Keep away often takes from before the thing avoided.

✕ Keep away the fire. ✓ Keep away from the fire.

Using keep to for continuation

Keep to means follow rules or limits, not continue an action.

✕ She kept to singing. ✓ She kept on singing.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. Please ___ the instructions during the test.
2. He ___ working even after midnight.
3. The doctor told him to ___ fatty foods.

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Frequently asked questions

What does keep on mean?

Keep on means continue doing something.

What is the difference between keep to and keep at?

Keep to means follow rules or limits, while keep at means continue working persistently.

Can keep away be used without from?

Yes, in some contexts, such as Keep away! But before an object, from is usually added.

"kick off" or "kick out"? "kidnap by" or "kidnap in"? "kill in" or "kill by"? "kindle for" or "kindle in"? "knock on", "knock off" or "knock at"?

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