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Prepositions after verbs

How to use “tell” with prepositions

Tell has several meanings, and the preposition changes with the meaning. Some combinations are standard verb patterns, while others are separate phrases.

Quick answer

Which prepositions follow “tell”?

Tell by means identify through evidence. Tell of and tell about mean describe or relate information. Tell from appears in the pattern tell one thing from another. Tell in is uncommon as a direct combination and usually belongs to a larger phrase such as tell in detail.

tell by her accent
tell of past adventures
tell about the meeting
tell twins from each other

Choose the pattern by meaning

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

1
tell by + clue/sign

Identifying something from evidence

Use tell by when recognising or judging something from a clue or sign.

You can tell by his voice that he is tired.
She could tell by the smell that the milk was bad.
2
tell about + topic

Giving information about something

Use tell about to describe or explain a subject.

He began to tell about his travels
Can you tell me about the course?
3
tell of + event/experience

Relating stories or experiences

Tell of is more literary or formal than tell about.

The letters tell of difficult winters
The poem tells of lost love
4
tell A from B

Distinguishing one thing from another

Use tell from to show the difference between two things.

I cannot tell fake diamonds from real ones.
Can you tell one bird from another?
5
tell in + noun phrase

Using “in” inside a larger expression

Tell is not usually followed directly by in. In normally belongs to another phrase such as in detail or in confidence.

She told the story in detail.
He told me in confidence.

See the difference in context

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

Construction
Example
Meaning
tell by
You can tell by her reaction that she already knew.
identify or judge from evidence
tell of
The documentary tells of life at sea.
describe or relate, often formally
tell about
She told us about her new job.
give information about a topic
tell in
He explained the process in detail.
tell in is not usually a fixed pattern; in often belongs to a separate phrase
tell from
It is hard to tell one copy from the original.
distinguish one thing from another

Common mistakes

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

Using “tell from” without two things to compare

Tell from normally compares one thing with another.

✕ I can tell from easily. ✓ I can tell the original from the copy easily.

Confusing “tell of” and “tell about”

Tell about is more common in everyday speech. Tell of sounds more formal or literary.

✓ She told us about the accident.

Using “tell in” as a direct verb-preposition pattern

In usually belongs to another phrase, not directly to tell.

✕ She told in the problem. ✓ She told us about the problem.

Omitting the object after “tell” when needed

Tell often takes a person as an object before the topic.

✕ He told about the delay. ✓ He told us about the delay.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. You can tell ___ his handwriting that he was nervous.
2. The novel tells ___ a family during wartime.
3. I cannot tell the twins ___ each other.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between “tell of” and “tell about”?

Both describe information or stories, but tell about is more common in everyday English, while tell of is more formal or literary.

Is “tell by” correct?

Yes. It means identify or judge something from evidence or signs.

Why does “tell in” sound unusual?

Because in is usually part of another phrase, such as in detail, rather than a direct preposition after tell.

tackle by, in, for, with or on? tack-on-onto-to-across, as "tag with" or "tag in"? tailor to, for, from, toward or towards? "taint by" or "taint with"? "take into", "take in" or "take to"? "talk about" or "talk to"? tally with, in, for, up or at? "tap into" or "tap on"? target at, by, for, to or in? tarnish by, in, with, after or as? "taste like", "taste of" or "taste in"?

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