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To begin your search, go to the alphabetical index below and click on the first letter of the word you are searching for.

inside of, outside of, off of

When inside, outside and off are used prepositionally, the preposition of is unnecessary and can therefore be removed.

  • Inside (not Inside of) government buildings, smoking is prohibited.
  • Please wait outside (not outside of) the office doors; the interviewer will call you in one by one.
  • When the actress stepped off (not off of) the stage, she let out a triumphant squeal.

Note that inside of is used colloquially to mean in less than or within when the speaker is referring to untis of time.

  • They’ll arrive in Saskatoon inside of (within or in less than) a week.