Re: on or about

From: Harlan Messinger (hmessinger.removethis_at_comcast.net)
Date: 01/28/05 

Date: Fri, 28 Jan 2005 03:23:07 -0500

Tomi A wrote:
> I listened to a lecture by an Australian fellow living in the USA.
> All through the lecture - at least I think so - he used "about" instead of
> "on". " .. these issues about ... this article about ..." and so on. Now,
> this sounds like a good thing for somebody like me who has problems with
> English: "about" is much more intuitive than "on". But is it correct?

It's fine. With "articles", "on" and "about" are interchangeable.

He wrote an article on current economic conditions.
He wrote an article about current economic conditions.

As for "issues", "issues on" is incorrect. Whether to follow "issues"
with "about" or "of" or to precede it with an adjective or follow it
with "related to" or "pertaining to", etc., depends on what follows.