Typical Of: Standard Pattern
Typical Of: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Use “typical of” when something shows characteristics normally associated with a person, group, place, or type.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Context | Use | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| showing characteristics normally associated with someone or something | typical of | Use the documented adjective + of pattern. |
| identifying the person/group/type whose characteristics are represented | of + noun/pronoun | Place the reference after “of.” |
| editing the complement | keep the preposition with typical | Do not drop “of” when this relationship is intended. |
Quick tests
Characteristic-association test
Does the sentence mean that something has characteristics normally associated with a person, group, place, or type?
If yes: Use “typical of.”
If no: A different adjective or construction may better express the intended relation.
Caveat: This guide covers the reviewed “typical of” pattern, not every possible use of “typical.”
Examples
That response is typical of him when he is under pressure.
“Typical of” links the behavior to the person whose characteristics it resembles.
The stone houses are typical of the region.
The pattern links a feature to the place it is associated with.
This level of detail is typical of the reports in this series.
“Of” introduces the reference group.
Further guidance
Construction
Use “typical of” when something shows characteristics normally associated with a person, group, place, or type.
Style Boundary
This records the directly documented “typical of” construction without claiming that “typical” always requires an of-phrase.
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.
- TYPICAL | English meaning — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Direct Cambridge learner-dictionary evidence for the typical of construction and its meaning boundary.