One of the most common problems our customers have is how to use the word “about” correctly. This is particularly tricky because “about” is a common word and can be used in several contexts. We’ll run through a few of these uses here.
About: On the Subject Of
As a preposition, the word “about” can be used to link nouns and verbs, such as when using “about” to mean “concerning” or “on the subject of”:
We spoke about her neighbor’s awful choice of house paint.
However, a common mistake here is using “about” with “discussed.” This is incorrect: even though we ‘speak about’ something, the term “discuss” doesn’t require a preposition. As such, if we were to use “discussed” in the sentence above, it would simply be:
We discussed her neighbor’s awful choice of house paint.
About: Around on On One’s Person
We can also use it to mean “distributed around an area”:
In my town, there are several horribly painted houses about.
Or “on one’s person”:
She concealed the blue paint about her as she crept up on the house.
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About: Approximately or Nearly
It can also be used to mean “approximately,” as in:
They say she’ll get about 10 months in jail for criminal damage.
Furthermore, it can mean “nearly”:
In her mugshot, she was about the same height as Jackson Pollock.
About: Movement
We can even use the word “about” to refer to movement:
As the cops drove up, she was still flinging blue paint about wildly.
These are just some of the ways in which ‘about’ can be used, so don’t forget to check a dictionary if you’re unsure whether you should be using this term in any particular example.