The preposition after "Consumption"

Question

I'd like to know which preposition is correct after "Consumption" in the following sentence?

The excessive use of energy stems from improper consumption patterns ..... people.

user8356 · Accepted Answer · 2021-08-31 14:28:03Z

1

In this case, I would use "of". If the word "patterns" was not used, it would also be understandable with "by".

The excessive use of energy stems from improper consumption patterns of people.

The excessive use of energy stems from improper consumption by people.

answered Aug 31, 2021 at 14:28

user8356

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1

By the way, both constructions are somewhat awkward; it would be much more straightforward to say "... stems from people's improper consumption patterns."
– Andy Bonner
Aug 31, 2021 at 14:45
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I agree. Even better, if I get the meaning, would be, "People use too much energy." There isn't any factual information presented that proves "patterns" or "improper" usage, or "excessive." It's a wordy sentence without a lot of meaning.
– user8356
Aug 31, 2021 at 14:54
YESSS! It's not (well, in a perfect world it shouldn't be) somehow an informal tone to simply be direct and efficient. If the idea of "improper" is needed, maybe something like "We use too much energy because people consume it improperly."
– Andy Bonner
Aug 31, 2021 at 15:20
Actually, I'd like to use this as the first sentence of a paragraph. So, answer to the user8356's questions will be presented in the body paragraph.
– Fredoon Farokh
Aug 31, 2021 at 16:06

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