Common Mistakes

"Discuss about" or "discuss"?

Let's discuss about the budget.

Let's discuss the budget.

The rule

"Discuss" already means "talk about," so don't add "about." Say "discuss the plan," not "discuss about the plan."

"Discuss" is a transitive verb — it's followed directly by the thing you're talking about, with no preposition. The "about" is already part of what the word means.

Compare: you "talk about" something (talk needs about), but you "discuss" something (discuss doesn't).

More examples

We discussed about the problem for an hour.

We discussed the problem for an hour.

They discussed about politics all evening.

They discussed politics all evening.

How to remember it

discuss = "talk about," so "discuss about" says "about" twice. Drop it: discuss the topic.

Frequently asked

Why is there no "about" after discuss?

Because "about" is already built into the meaning of discuss (to talk about). Use "talk about" OR "discuss" — never "discuss about."

Are other verbs like this?

Yes. "Mention," "enter," and "marry" also take the object directly: mention it (not mention about it), enter the room (not enter into the room, in normal use).

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