Jose Carillo's English Forum
Joe Carillo's Desk => You Asked Me This Question => Topic started by: Mr. K on May 26, 2011, 10:21:23 PM
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Sir, good evening
Which is correct "Keep you informed of" or "keep you informed on"? If both are correct, when do you use one and when the other?
Thanks
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Both of these two verb phrases or phrasal verbs are correct: “keep you informed of” and “keep you informed on.”
“Keep you informed of” is used when the speaker is referring to a particular fact or event, as in “Your job is to keep us informed of the plans of our competitor” and “I’ll keep you informed of the results of the special election.”
“I’ll keep you informed on” is used when the speaker is referring to information about an indefinite or nonspecific object, which is usually in the form of an indefinite pronoun, as in “I’ll keep you informed on this,” “I’ll keep you informed on that,” and “I’ll keep you informed on them.” This usage presumes that both the listener and the speaker know the antecedent subject of the indefinite pronoun being used; in other words, that antecedent subject was mentioned or made clear shortly before the “I’ll keep you informed on…” remark is made.
Another variant of these phrasal verbs using “informed” is “keep you informed about,” which is used when the reference is not to a particular, specific subject but to a general or broader subject, as in “He will keep you informed about computers” and “We will keep you informed about the reproductive health bill debates.”
Note that generally, “keep you informed about” can be used instead of “keep you informed of,” as in “Your job is to keep us informed about the plans of our competitor” and “I’ll keep you informed about the results of the special election.” However, it’s not the case the other way around—meaning that “keep you informed of” often doesn’t work properly as a substitute for “keep you informed about” statements. See and feel how awkward these sentences are: “He will keep you informed of computers” and “We will keep you informed of the reproductive health bill debates.”
So when you’re unsure, choose “keep you informed about” as default phrasal verb. It works practically in all cases, while “keep you informed of” is more specialized and works only in specific instances.