Mindful Of: Standard Pattern
Mindful Of: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Use “mindful of” before the fact, condition, or circumstance receiving attention.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| give attention to or remember a fact, condition, person, or circumstance | mindful of + noun/pronoun/-ing phrase | Use “of” to introduce what receives the attention. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Are you naming the thing, condition, or circumstance that someone should keep in mind?
If yes: Use “mindful of.”
If no: If you intend a different meaning or syntactic role, choose the construction required by that separate use.
Caveat: This page documents the standard “mindful of” complement and does not turn it into a prohibition on every other phrase containing “mindful.”
Examples
Be mindful of the deadline.
“Of” introduces the circumstance that needs attention.
The editor was mindful of the audience’s needs.
The complement names what the editor kept in mind.
Be mindful of sharing confidential details.
An -ing phrase can follow the preposition “of.”
Further guidance
Construction
Cambridge documents “mindful of” when someone gives attention to or is careful not to forget a fact or circumstance.
Style Boundary
This page covers the mindful-of complement pattern and does not collapse it into the separate mindful-that clause pattern.
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.
- mindful — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Cambridge dictionary evidence for mindful of when giving attention to or not forgetting something.