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Prepositions after verbs

Partake in vs partake of

Partake in usually means to participate in something. Partake of is more formal and often means to eat, drink, or receive something.

Quick answer

Which preposition goes with partake?

Use partake in for participation in activities or events. Use partake of in formal language for consuming or sharing something such as food, drink, or qualities.

She refused to partake in the argument.
Guests may partake of the buffet.

Choose the pattern by meaning

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

1
partake in + activity

Talking about participation

Partake in means to join or participate in an activity or event.

Many employees partake in the training programme.
2
partake of + food/drink

Talking about consuming or sharing

Partake of is formal and often refers to eating, drinking, or receiving something.

Visitors were invited to partake of local wine.

See the difference in context

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

Construction
Example
Meaning
partake in
They partook in the ceremony.
participate in an event or activity
partake of
He partook of the meal.
formal expression for eating, drinking, or sharing
take part in
She took part in the discussion.
common modern alternative to partake in

Common mistakes

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

Using partake of for ordinary participation

Partake of sounds formal and is not usually used for everyday activities.

✕ They partook of the meeting. ✓ They partook in the meeting.

Forgetting the preposition

Partake normally needs a following preposition.

✕ She partook the celebration. ✓ She partook in the celebration.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. Several students chose to ___ the debate.
2. Guests may ___ the traditional dessert.
3. Which sentence is the most natural?

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Frequently asked questions

Is partake of old-fashioned?

It is still used, but mainly in formal or literary contexts.

Can I say partake in food?

It is possible in some contexts, but partake of is more traditional for food and drink.

What is a simpler alternative to partake in?

Take part in is more common in everyday English.

pack-with-in-into-for, on paint in, on, with, by or for? "park in" or "park at"? pass through, by, on, in or to? pave with, in, by, for or to? pay for, to, by, in or on? "peddle by" or "peddle to"? "peek at" or "peek into"? "peel off" or "peel for"? "pee on" or "pee in"? "peer into", "peer through" or "peer at"? "penalize for" or "penalize by"?

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