Learn English – Prepositions to use with “background”

prepositions

I can't find any authoritative source information on which prepositions to use when describing a background something is positioned on. Is it correct to say for example "photography of a wall clock on a warm, pastel background"? Or should it be "a clock with a pastel background" , or "against a pastel background"? Sometimes many options are possible but one or two are more widely used, so if "with" or "against" is preferred in this case, is the expression "on a pastel background" grammatically correct?

Best Answer

The Oxford Collocation Dictionary suggests the following usages:

Background:

  • 2) facts connected with a situation/event

Preposition: against the ~ Against that general background I shall give you a more detailed view of current medical practice. | ~ to the technical background to the report.

  • 3) part of a view/picture behind the main parts

Preposition: against a/the ~ The areas of water stood out against the dark background. | in the ~ The mountains in the background were capped with snow. | on a/the ~ bright blue on a red background.

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