Sign In Get Started
Prepositions with development

Using of development and for development

Of development usually links development to a subject or process. For development shows purpose or intended use.

Quick answer

How do of development and for development differ?

Use of development when development belongs to or concerns something. Use for development when something is intended to support or enable development.

The early stages of development are critical.
The land was purchased for development into housing.
Funding for development increased this year.

Choose the pattern by meaning

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

1
of development

Talking about stages or processes

Of development commonly follows nouns such as stage, process, or theory.

Researchers studied the process of development in children.
The final phase of development took two years.
2
for development

Showing purpose or intended use

For development means intended to support building, growth, or improvement.

The government allocated funds for development projects.
The area is reserved for development of public transport.
3
development of + noun

Naming what is developing

Development of is a very common pattern for describing growth or creation.

development of renewable energy is accelerating.
The development of new software required months of testing.

See the difference in context

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

Construction
Example
Meaning
of development
The stages of development vary.
development connected to a process or category
for development
The site is available for development.
intended for building or growth
development of
The development of the vaccine took years.
the process of creating or improving something
in development
The film is still in development.
currently being worked on

Common mistakes

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

Using of development to show purpose

Use for development when something is intended to support development.

✕ The land is of development. ✓ The land is for development.

Using for development after stage or phase

Stage and phase usually take of development.

✕ the early stage for development ✓ the early stage of development

Leaving out the object after development of

Development of normally names what is being developed.

✕ the development of ✓ the development of the new system

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The company bought land ___ development.
2. The first phase ___ development lasted six months.
3. The ___ the product required major investment.

Check your sentence in context

Paste the complete sentence below. Linguix checks the preposition together with grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style.

Free to try · No signup required

Frequently asked questions

Can I say land for development?

Yes. It means land intended for building or improvement projects.

Is of development used alone?

Usually it follows another noun, such as stage of development or theory of development.

What does in development mean?

It means something is currently being designed, planned, or created.

of, about, against, to or for racism? of, about, for, in or on friendship? of, about, for, on or to thing? of, about, for, to or with sex? of, about, on, to or for moon? "of access" or "with access"? "of accommodation" or "for accommodation"? "of accuracy" or "for accuracy"? "of action" or "in action"? "of actor", "with actor" or "by actor"? "of address" or "to address"? "of administration" or "in administration"?

Write with confidence in Linguix

Create a free account to check complete texts, apply suggestions, and save your documents.

Create a free account