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Prepositions with nouns

For maintenance or of maintenance?

For maintenance commonly expresses purpose, especially with closures, budgets, or tools. Of maintenance appears mainly in formal noun phrases such as cost of maintenance.

Quick answer

Main difference

Use for maintenance when something is intended for repair or upkeep: closed for maintenance. Use of maintenance in noun phrases that describe aspects of maintenance, such as the cost of maintenance.

The website is down for maintenance.
The annual cost of maintenance has increased.

Choose the pattern by meaning

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

1
for maintenance

Purpose or reason

Use for maintenance to explain why something is used or unavailable.

The road was closed for maintenance overnight.
2
cost of maintenance

Describing an aspect of maintenance

Use of maintenance after nouns such as cost, schedule, or responsibility.

They discussed the cost of maintenance.
3
maintenance on + equipment

Work done to equipment

Use on to show what receives maintenance.

Technicians performed maintenance on the generators.

See the difference in context

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

Construction
Example
Meaning
for maintenance
The elevator is out of service for maintenance.
shows purpose or reason
of maintenance
The importance of maintenance is often ignored.
part of a larger noun phrase
maintenance of equipment
Regular maintenance of equipment prevents failures.
maintenance performed on something

Common mistakes

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

Using of maintenance for purpose

Do not use of maintenance to explain why something is unavailable.

✕ The system is offline of maintenance. ✓ The system is offline for maintenance.

Confusing maintenance of with maintenance for

Maintenance of names the thing maintained.

✕ maintenance for machinery ✓ maintenance of machinery

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The server is temporarily unavailable ___ maintenance.
2. The cost ___ maintenance has risen.
3. Regular maintenance ___ vehicles improves safety.

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Frequently asked questions

Is for maintenance the standard phrase for closures?

Yes. It is common in notices about repairs or servicing.

Can I say maintenance for equipment?

Usually maintenance of equipment is more natural when naming the object being maintained.

What verbs commonly go with maintenance?

Perform, schedule, require, and undergo are common choices.

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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