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Prepositions with nouns

of, in, from, to or by ignorance?

Ignorance usually takes of or about to describe what someone does not know. Other prepositions appear in specific contexts.

Quick answer

Which preposition is natural with ignorance?

Use ignorance of or ignorance about for lack of knowledge. From ignorance and by ignorance can describe causes, while in ignorance means without knowing.

His ignorance of local laws caused problems.
They acted in ignorance of the risks.
The mistake came from ignorance rather than malice.

Choose the pattern by meaning

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

1
ignorance of + subject

Lack of knowledge

Of is the most common preposition after ignorance.

Her ignorance of history surprised the teacher.
2
ignorance about + topic

Limited understanding

About is also used, especially in informal English.

There is widespread ignorance about nutrition.
3
in ignorance

Without awareness

In ignorance means not knowing something.

He continued in ignorance of the warning signs.
4
from ignorance

Cause of an action

From ignorance explains why something happened.

The comment came from ignorance not hatred.

See the difference in context

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

Construction
Example
Meaning
ignorance of
Ignorance of the law is no excuse.
Lack of knowledge about something.
in ignorance
They acted in ignorance of the facts.
Without knowing.
from ignorance
The error resulted from ignorance.
Caused by lack of knowledge.
to ignorance
This is not a usual direct combination.
To normally belongs to another verb.
by ignorance
The damage was caused by ignorance.
Cause expressed with by.

Common mistakes

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

Using to ignorance directly

Ignorance does not normally take to after it.

✕ his attitude to ignorance the facts ✓ his ignorance of the facts

Confusing in ignorance and ignorance of

In ignorance describes a state during an action.

✕ They lived ignorance of the danger. ✓ They lived in ignorance of the danger.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. Her ignorance ___ science was obvious.
2. They acted ___ ignorance of the agreement.
3. The mistake came ___ ignorance.

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Frequently asked questions

Is ignorance of or ignorance about more common?

Both are used, but ignorance of is more formal and traditional.

What does in ignorance mean?

It means without awareness or knowledge of something.

Can by ignorance be correct?

Yes, in phrases describing cause, such as caused by ignorance.

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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