English UsageGrammar guide

Innocent Of: Standard Pattern

Innocent Of: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.

Quick answer

Use “innocent of” when naming the crime, charge, or wrongdoing a person did not commit.

Key details

Confusion Familyusage-construction
Rule Familyadjective or complement construction
Termsinnocent of

Further guidance

Construction

Use “innocent of” when naming the crime, charge, or wrongdoing a person did not commit.

Style Boundary

The guide stays with the directly documented legal/responsibility construction rather than generalizing to every sense of “innocent.”

Sources and evidence

Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.

  1. innocent — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press & Assessment · Direct learner-dictionary evidence for the adjective construction “innocent of.”

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