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Prepositions with nouns

“Of ice”, “on ice” or “with ice”?

These combinations have different meanings. On ice and with ice are common everyday expressions, while of ice usually follows another noun.

Quick answer

How do these phrases differ?

Use on ice for something cooled or delayed, with ice for drinks containing ice, and of ice after another noun such as cube of ice or sculpture of ice.

Serve the juice with ice.
The fish was kept on ice during transport.
They built a sculpture of ice.

Choose the pattern by meaning

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

1
with ice

Drinks containing ice

With ice is common in restaurants and casual speech.

I would like sparkling water with ice.
2
on ice

Kept cold or temporarily delayed

On ice can describe cooling or postponement.

The samples were stored on ice overnight.
3
of ice

Material or composition

Of shows what something is made from.

They crossed a bridge of ice.

See the difference in context

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

Construction
Example
Meaning
with ice
She ordered lemonade with ice.
Containing added ice.
on ice
The negotiations are on ice.
Kept cold or temporarily paused.
of ice
A statue of ice stood in the hall.
Made from ice.

Common mistakes

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

Using on ice for drink ingredients

With ice is normal for drinks.

✕ coffee on ice ✓ coffee with ice

Using of ice without another noun

Of ice usually follows a noun such as block or sculpture.

✕ The road was of ice. ✓ The road was covered with ice.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. Please bring water ___
2. The laboratory kept the tissue samples ___
3. They admired a sculpture ___ in the square.

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Frequently asked questions

What does on ice mean figuratively?

It can mean temporarily delayed or paused.

Is with ice only for drinks?

Mostly yes, especially for beverages served with ice cubes.

Can of ice describe material?

Yes. It appears in phrases such as wall of ice or sculpture of ice.

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"?

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