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Preposition before noun

Which prepositions are used with 'suicide'?

About suicide is the common pattern for discussion topics. Of suicide appears in specific expressions, while to suicide is generally nonstandard.

Quick answer

Natural combinations with 'suicide'

Use about suicide when discussing the topic. Of suicide appears in phrases such as 'the risk of suicide' or 'cases of suicide'. The combination to suicide is not standard English.

They spoke about suicide during the seminar.
Doctors monitor the risk of suicide in vulnerable patients.
to suicide is not a standard combination.

Choose the pattern by meaning

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

1
about suicide

Discussing the topic

Use about when talking, reading, writing, or learning on the subject.

The article about suicide was carefully reviewed.
2
risk of suicide

Expressing danger or possibility

Of commonly follows nouns such as risk, rate, or prevention.

The programme reduces the risk of suicide among teenagers.
3
cases of suicide

Referring to occurrences

Use of after nouns describing incidents, statistics, or evidence.

The report examined several cases of suicide in custody.

See the difference in context

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

Construction
Example
Meaning
about suicide
We had a conversation about suicide.
Used for discussion or information on the topic.
of suicide
The risk of suicide increases during crises.
Used after another noun such as risk, rate, or prevention.
to suicide
This combination is not standard in current English.
English uses suicide as a noun or verb without to in this structure.
suicide prevention
The city expanded suicide prevention services.
A common compound noun without a preposition.

Common mistakes

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

Using 'to suicide' as a noun phrase

English does not normally use to directly before the noun suicide.

✕ support related to suicide attempts and to suicide ✓ support related to suicide attempts and suicide

Confusing topic and cause

About introduces a topic, while of often depends on another noun.

✕ an article of suicide ✓ an article about suicide

Missing the main noun before 'of suicide'

Of suicide usually follows another noun.

✕ We discussed of suicide. ✓ We discussed suicide.

Using unnecessary prepositions

Sometimes no preposition is needed.

✕ They studied about suicide trends. ✓ They studied suicide trends.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The documentary ___ suicide won an award.
2. The clinic focuses on prevention ___ suicide.
3. Which option is nonstandard?

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Frequently asked questions

Is 'about suicide' the most common topic phrase?

Yes. It is the normal way to refer to discussions, articles, or conversations on the subject.

Can 'of suicide' stand alone?

Usually it follows another noun, such as risk, prevention, or cases.

Is 'to suicide' ever correct?

It is generally considered nonstandard in current English.

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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