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Prepositions with report

How report works with prepositions

Report is usually followed by on or about as a noun. To report is usually an infinitive, not a noun phrase.

Quick answer

Using report correctly

To report is normally a verb infinitive, as in to report a problem. Of report is uncommon and usually not idiomatic. As a noun, report commonly uses on or about.

The committee issued a report on climate policy
Employees are required to report safety concerns

Choose the pattern by meaning

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

1
report on + topic

Describing the subject of a report

Use on with the topic covered by a report.

We read a report on housing costs
2
report about + event

Less formal topic reference

About is also possible, especially in general contexts.

She wrote a report about the conference
3
to report + issue

Using report as a verb

To report is the infinitive form of the verb.

Customers can to report technical problems

See the difference in context

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

Construction
Example
Meaning
to report
You should report the error immediately.
verb infinitive, not a noun-preposition pattern
of report
The phrase of report is not standard in ordinary English.
generally incorrect or highly unusual
report on
The report on transport was published today.
noun phrase showing the subject

Common mistakes

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

Treating to report as a noun phrase

To report usually functions as a verb infinitive.

✕ the to report document ✓ the report document

Using of report for topic meaning

Use report on or report about instead.

✕ a report of marketing trends ✓ a report on marketing trends

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. They published a report ___ public health.
2. Staff must ___ unsafe conditions.
3. Which phrase is generally nonstandard?

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Frequently asked questions

Is to report a noun expression?

Usually no. It is normally the infinitive form of the verb report.

What preposition follows report as a noun?

On and about are the most common choices.

Can report of be correct?

Yes in some structures such as reports of fraud, where of belongs to reports, not to a fixed phrase.

to, amount, in, amount, of, amount "to availability" or "of availability"? "to bed" or "in bed"? "to bit" or "by bit"? "to bottom" or "at bottom"? to, by, from, with or of ear? "to charity", "for charity" or "of charity"? "to coast" or "from coast"? "to cycle" or "of cycle"? "to deal" or "of deal"? "to debut" or "on debut"? "to editor" or "of editor"?

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