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Prepositions after verbs

Suspend from or suspend for?

Suspend from is used for removal from a group or activity. Suspend for gives the reason or duration. Suspend in is usually an adjunct of place, not the normal verb pattern.

Quick answer

Which preposition follows suspend?

Use suspend from for exclusion from school, work, or activities. Use suspend for to state a reason or period. Suspend in is usually about location or context, not a fixed verb pattern.

The student was suspended from school for a week.
He was suspended for violating company policy.
The lamp was suspended in mid-air.

Choose the pattern by meaning

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

1
suspend from + institution/activity

Removing someone from participation

Use suspend from when a person is temporarily barred from a place, organisation, or activity.

Two players were suspended from the tournament.
She was suspended from her teaching duties.
2
suspend for + reason/time

Giving the cause or duration

Use suspend for to explain why someone was suspended or for how long.

The employee was suspended for misconduct.
He was suspended for three days.
3
suspend in + place/substance

Showing physical position

Suspend in can describe something hanging or existing in a place or substance. Here in is a location adjunct.

Tiny particles were suspended in water.
The artwork was suspended in the entrance hall.

See the difference in context

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

Construction
Example
Meaning
suspend from
She was suspended from the team.
temporarily removed from participation
suspend for
He was suspended for cheating.
gives a reason or duration
suspend in
Dust was suspended in the air.
shows physical location or medium, not exclusion
suspend over
A bridge was suspended over the river.
shows physical position above something

Common mistakes

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

Using suspend in for exclusion

Use from, not in, when someone is removed from a school, club, or activity.

✕ She was suspended in school. ✓ She was suspended from school.

Forgetting the object after from

From normally needs the institution or activity.

✕ He was suspended from. ✓ He was suspended from the committee.

Confusing reason and exclusion

For gives the reason or duration, while from names the place or activity.

✕ The player was suspended for the league. ✓ The player was suspended from the league.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The athlete was suspended ___ the competition.
2. She was suspended ___ two weeks.
3. The sculpture hung suspended ___ the gallery ceiling.

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Frequently asked questions

Can suspend from and suspend for appear together?

Yes. You can say someone was suspended from a team for breaking the rules.

Is suspend in incorrect?

Not always. It is natural for physical position, such as suspended in water or suspended in the air.

What is the difference between suspend and expel?

Suspend usually means a temporary removal, while expel is generally permanent.

sack, by, sack, for, sack, from "sacrifice for" or "sacrifice to"? sail from, in, for, to or through? "salvage from" or "salvage in"? sanction by, for, in, with or according? satisfy with, by, in, about or after? "saturate with" or "saturate in"? save by, for, from, on or in? "say in", "say about" or "say to"? "scan for", "scan in" or "scan through"? "scar by" or "scar on"? scatter in, across, around, throughout or on?

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