fromm
A1 (Extremely High Frequency)Universal, used in all registers from informal speech to formal writing.
Definition
Meaning
a preposition indicating the point in space or time at which a journey, process, or state of being begins; indicating origin, source, or starting point.
Used to indicate separation, removal, prevention, distinction, cause, reason, material source, or the perspective from which something is judged.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
"From" is a locative preposition marking a source or starting point. Its core spatial meaning extends metaphorically to abstract domains (e.g., time, origin, cause). It can combine with other prepositions to form complex prepositions (e.g., from behind, from under).
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant syntactic or semantic differences. Minor variation in collocational preferences (e.g., BrE 'different to/from', AmE 'different from/than'). BrE sometimes uses 'from' where AmE might use 'of' in phrases like 'a friend of mine' vs. less common 'a friend from me'.
Connotations
Identical.
Frequency
Identical, extremely high frequency in both varieties.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
VERB + from + NOUN (suffer from)ADJECTIVE + from + NOUN (different from)NOUN + from + NOUN (a letter from home)from + NOUN + to + NOUN (from start to finish)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “from the get-go”
- “from rags to riches”
- “from pillar to post”
- “from the horse's mouth”
- “from soup to nuts”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Indicates origin of goods, departure in logistics, or source of data: 'We source our materials from sustainable suppliers.'
Academic
Marks source in citations, origin of phenomena, or logical premise: 'The data, drawn from the 2020 census, indicates a trend.'
Everyday
Used constantly for origins, time, and location: 'I'm from Edinburgh. She works from 9 to 5.'
Technical
Specifies a starting parameter or state: 'The algorithm iterates from an initial seed value.'
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I am from Italy.
- The train leaves from platform 2.
- She works from Monday to Friday.
- This recipe is from my grandmother.
- He was prevented from entering the room.
- The view from the mountain was spectacular.
- Her attitude stems from a lack of confidence.
- The company operates from bases in three countries.
- Judging from the evidence, he is innocent.
- The legislation marks a departure from previous policy.
- From a macroeconomic perspective, the figures are worrying.
- He could discern the faint outline of a ship from amidst the fog.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a train leaving FROM London TO Paris. FROM is the starting station.
Conceptual Metaphor
SOURCES ARE ORIGINS (abstract: ideas come from the mind), CHANGE IS MOTION FROM A STARTING POINT.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not use 'from' for duration ('for 2 hours' not 'from 2 hours').
- Avoid 'from that' for 'therefore' or 'so'.
- Russian "из" and "от" both often translate as 'from'; choose based on container (из) vs. person/point (от) metaphor.
Common Mistakes
- *I am coming from home. (Use present continuous for current journey: 'I am coming home.')
- Confusing 'from' and 'since' with present perfect ('I have lived here from 2020' is incorrect; use 'since').
- Incorrect: *dependent from (correct: dependent on).
Practice
Quiz
Which sentence uses 'from' correctly to indicate cause?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'Different from' is standard in both AmE and BrE. 'Different to' is common in BrE. 'Different than' is primarily AmE, especially before a clause ('It's different than I expected').
The weak form is /frəm/. It is used when 'from' is unstressed in connected speech, e.g., 'I got it frəm a friend'.
Yes, to show the original material something is made, especially if changed: 'Cheese is made from milk.' (Contrast 'made of' for direct material).
For a start point, the correlative end point is often 'to' or 'until': 'from 1999 to 2005'. For a start point in a past continuing action, the opposite concept is 'since'.