Proposal For or Proposal Of – Which Is Correct?

One of the most complicated things about the English language is the use of prepositions. This article discusses what prepositions are used with the word “proposal”: “for”, “of”, or “to”.

Proposal For or Proposal Of – Which Is Correct?

Both the phrases “proposal for” and “proposal of” are grammatically correct. “Proposal for” is used when describing who or what the proposal is intended for, while “proposal of” can refer to whose proposal it is, or describes the characteristics of the proposal, or what the proposal consists of.

The phrases “proposal for” and “proposal of” are both grammatically correct. However, these cannot be interchanged because they are used in different situations.

The phrase “proposal for”, because it uses the preposition “for”, can refer to either of the following: who the proposal is intended to be given to, or for what purpose the proposal is intended.

On the other hand, the phrase “proposal of” can be used when describing any of the following:

• whose proposal it is (“proposal of your team”)
• the characteristics of the proposal (“the proposal of choice”)
• what the proposal consists of (“a proposal of many pages”)

Proposal For

The phrase “proposal for” can be used to refer to the person or persons to whom the proposal is intended to be given. It can also be used to describe the purpose for which the proposal was created.

In situations involving a proposal, you can use the phrase “proposal for” to refer to the person you’re intending to give the proposal to or to describe the purpose of the proposal itself.

Below are examples of how to use “proposal for” in a sentence:

1. Mr. Wayne, here is my proposal for next year’s budget.
2. I can’t go out tonight, I’m working on a proposal for a new subway system.
3. Is this the proposal for Ms. Lane?
4. My proposal for a new editing system was rejected by both Mr. White and Ms. Olsen.
5. Candice’s proposal for a new social media marketing strategy is so much better than Mark’s.
6. How is your proposal for a new business model going?
7. Don’s proposal for the ketchup advertisement was genius, but they want to go with Peggy’s.

Proposal Of

The phrase “proposal of” is used to refer to any of the following: the owner of the proposal, the characteristics of the proposal, or what the proposal consists of.

The preposition “of” can be used with the word “proposal” to make the phrase “proposal of”.

It can be used to refer to the owner or creator of the proposal, to describe the characteristics of the proposal, or what the proposal consists of.

Below are examples of how to use “proposal of” in a sentence:

1. The proposal of your team was miles better and far more detailed than that of Michael’s.
2. Our proposal of choice is Kimiko’s proposal, because of its ingenuity.
3. “Wow, this is a proposal of many pages,” he exclaimed as he rifled through Blake and Amy’s proposal.
4. The crowd erupted in cheers when Michelle accepted Luke’s proposal of marriage.
5. Mr. Draper thinks Catherine is working on a proposal of interest, so he’s asking Rachel to spy on her.
6. Mr. Zellner doesn’t know how to deal with the proposal of change to the company’s policies.
7. My team is still mulling over the possible benefits and consequences of your proposal of cooperation.

Proposal To

The phrase “proposal to” is used to refer to the purpose of the proposal.

The preposition “to” has several uses, one of which is to describe the purpose of a thing. As such, when using it with the word “proposal” in the phrase “proposal to”, the phrase is used to refer to the purpose of the proposal.

Unlike “proposal for” (which can also be used to describe the purpose of the proposal), the phrase “proposal to” describes the purpose more specifically. It delves into the content of the proposal and is often an action.

Below are examples of how to use “proposal to” in a sentence:

1. What do you think about my proposal to move the meeting to next week?
2. Did you hear about Brad’s failed marriage proposal to Kelly?
3. Hannah’s proposal to begin the show with all the lights dimmed is better than Lily’s idea.
4. What about Don’s proposal to use a white background instead of a black one?
5. Rosalie’s proposal to leave the town is a terrible one.
6. Jeanette’s proposal to change our office setup greatly improved our mood.
7. Her proposal to get coffee from the new shop is the only good idea she’s ever put forward.

Which Is Used The Most?

According to data from Google Ngram Viewer, the phrase “proposal to” is more popular than the phrases “proposal for” and “proposal of”, respectively.

Google Ngram Viewer can look at how frequently all three phrases are used in a wide range of books. According to data from books written in English published between the years 1800-2019, the phrase “proposal to” is more commonly used than “proposal for” and “proposal of”.

“Proposal for” is the second most popular, while “proposal of” is the least popular of the three.

Interestingly, “proposal of” was the most commonly used of the three in 1800. Meanwhile, both “proposal to” and “proposal for” were used about as much as each other in the same year.

By 1820, “proposal to” had begun to grow more popular than “proposal for”. However, it was still outranked by the phrase “proposal of”.

It was only in 1880 that “proposal to” began to surpass “proposal of” in terms of usage. By 1940, “proposal of” began to be less common than “proposal for” and has been steadily declining in usage since then.

Both “proposal to” and “proposal for” reached a peak in usage at around 1980 but have steadily declined since then.

Final Thoughts

The word “proposal” can be used with several prepositions, such as “for”, “of”, and “to”. “Proposal for” describes who or for what purpose the proposal is intended. “Proposal of” can describe whose proposal it is, the characteristics of the proposal, or what the proposal consists of.