Sign In Get Started
Prepositions before nouns

Should you use “of murder” or “for murder”?

For murder is common in legal and criminal contexts. Of murder usually appears after another noun, such as accusation or suspicion.

Quick answer

Choosing the right preposition

Use for murder in expressions about punishment, arrest, or conviction. Use of murder after nouns like accusation, charge, or suspicion.

He was arrested for murder.
She was convicted for murder last year.
The police investigated an accusation of murder.

Choose the pattern by meaning

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

1
arrested for murder

Legal accusations

Use for murder after verbs about arrest, conviction, or punishment.

The suspect was arrested for murder.
He spent years in prison for murder.
2
convicted for murder

Legal judgement

For murder is used after convicted, jailed, or sentenced in some varieties of English. Convicted of murder is also very common.

She was sentenced for murder.
The man was convicted for murder in 2019.
3
accusation of murder

Naming a type of accusation

Use of murder after nouns that describe a claim, suspicion, or crime category.

He denied the accusation of murder.
The investigation began after reports of murder.

See the difference in context

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

Construction
Example
Meaning
for murder
He was jailed for murder.
Shows the crime connected to punishment or arrest.
of murder
She denied the charge of murder.
Identifies the type of charge or accusation.
convicted of murder
The jury convicted him of murder.
Very common structure after convicted.
charged with murder
The suspect was charged with murder.
Standard legal expression after charged.

Common mistakes

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

Using of murder after arrested

Arrested normally takes for in this meaning.

✕ He was arrested of murder. ✓ He was arrested for murder.

Using for murder after charge

Charge usually takes with.

✕ She was charged for murder. ✓ She was charged with murder.

Using of murder without a head noun

Of murder usually follows another noun such as accusation or suspicion.

✕ The police investigated of murder. ✓ The police investigated a case of murder.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The suspect was arrested ___ murder.
2. She denied the accusation ___ murder.
3. The man was charged ___ murder.

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

Is “convicted for murder” correct?

Yes, especially in some varieties of English, although “convicted of murder” is more widely used.

Why does “of murder” sound incomplete sometimes?

Because it usually follows another noun, such as “charge of murder” or “case of murder”.

Can I say “jailed of murder”?

No. Use “jailed for murder” or “convicted of murder” instead.

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