When You Mean “About,” Not “Around”
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- On July 8, 2019
- Attached please find details around what the project will entail.
- Policymakers are having a discussion around how to deliver better patient care.
In both cases, around should be about, which means concerning or with regard to. I don’t know when or why it happened, but people have started using around to convey this sense.
Don’t do it! Precision is everything. (That’s what it’s all about.)
Around has several uses and meanings (as does about). One of them is to have a basis in something, so in this next sentence around is being used correctly: We have to redefine ourselves around the values of the company.
Usually, if you can replace around with based on, then around is correct. If not, go with about.
For more on how to use prepositions correctly, read, “Let’s Talk About It, Not Around It.”
