Practice
Resign from: use the right preposition
Sign in to saveA colleague leaves a job on Friday. They resign from the job, but they resign on Friday. The word after resign tells you whether the sentence names what they leave or when they leave.
Use resign from before the job, position, organization, or group that a person leaves, and recognize that on can introduce the date of resignation.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
resign from the committee /rɪˈzaɪn frɒm ðə kəˈmɪt.i/
The short answer
Say resign from a job, position, organization, or committee. Use on only when it begins a time expression, such as resign on Monday or resign on June 3.
Priya resigned from the committee on Monday.
Why it works: From introduces the committee that Priya left. On introduces the day when she resigned.
5 more examples
-
Luis resigned from his position at the museum.
His position is the job that Luis left, so it follows from.
Not this:Luis
resigned on Fridayafter leaving the museum. What changes: On introduces Friday, the time of the action. It does not introduce the job. -
The treasurer resigned from the neighborhood committee.
The committee is the group the treasurer left.
Not this:The treasurer
resigned as chairof the committee. What changes: As introduces the role chair. From would introduce the committee or another group that the person leaves. -
She plans to resign from her current job next month.
Her current job is what she plans to leave.
Not this:She plans to
resign on the first day of June. What changes: On introduces the planned date, not the job. -
After the vote, I resigned from the board.
The board is the body that the speaker left.
Not this:After the vote, I
resigned as secretary. What changes: As names the office held by the speaker. -
The director resigned from the company for personal reasons.
The company is the organization the director left.
Not this:The director
resigned on March 12for personal reasons. What changes: On gives the date of the resignation.
Read the full guide
First, look at the words after resign. If they name the place, role, or group a person is leaving, use from. If they give a day or date, on may follow later in the sentence. Keeping those two jobs separate makes the choice easier.
Use resign from to name what a person leaves
Use resign from before the job, position, organization, or group that a person leaves. From answers the question: what did the person leave?
Nora resigned from her job at the library.
Her job at the library is what Nora left, so it follows from.
Put jobs and positions after from
A job or position can follow resign from. Use the full noun phrase when it helps the listener identify the work that the person is leaving.
Omar resigned from his post as editor.
His post is the position Omar gave up. The phrase as editor gives more detail about that post.
Which preposition fits before a job that someone is leaving?
Use from: She resigned from her job.
Use from with organizations and groups
Use from when a person leaves an organization or group, including a company, committee, board, union, or club. The noun after from identifies the body the person is no longer part of.
Two members resigned from the planning group.
The planning group is the group they left, so it follows from.
Use resign as to name a role
Use resign as when you name the role a person had. This phrase answers a different question: what role did the person give up? It does not name the organization itself.
Elena resigned as treasurer but stayed on the committee.
As treasurer names Elena's role. She did not leave the committee, so resign from the committee would mean something different.
Use on for a date or day
On can follow resign when it introduces a day or date. In that use, on belongs to the time expression. It does not replace from before the job or group.
The manager resigned from the firm on Tuesday.
From the firm says what the manager left. On Tuesday says when the resignation happened.
Which word can introduce the date in a sentence about resignation?
Use on before a day or date: He resigned on Monday.
Check the meaning before you choose
Ask whether the next words name something the person leaves, a role the person held, or a time. Choose from for what they leave, as for the role, and on for the date or day.
The chair resigned from the board as chair on Monday.
From the board names the group, as chair names the role, and on Monday gives the time.
Before you go
Remember this
Use resign from before the job, position, organization, or group that a person leaves. Use resign as before a role such as treasurer or principal. Use on for a day or date, so it does not replace from when you name what the person leaves.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Resign from: use the right preposition"
Is it resign from or resign on?
Use resign from before the job, position, organization, or group that a person leaves. Use on when it begins a time expression, such as a day or date. For example, a person can resign from a company on Friday.
Luis resigned from his position at the museum.
What can follow resign from?
A noun phrase that names what the person leaves can follow resign from. Common choices include a job, a position, a company, a committee, a board, or a club. The phrase identifies the work or group the person is leaving.
Luis resigned on Friday after leaving the museum.
What is the difference between resign from and resign as?
Resign from names the job, organization, or group a person leaves. Resign as names the role they give up, such as treasurer or principal. A person can resign as treasurer while remaining on the same committee.
The treasurer resigned from the neighborhood committee.
Can I use resign without a preposition?
Yes. Use resign alone when the context already shows what the person is leaving. You can say that someone resigned yesterday. Add from when the sentence needs to name the job, position, organization, or group.
The treasurer resigned as chair of the committee.
Can a sentence use from, as, and on with resign?
Yes, if each word has its own job. From can name the group a person leaves, as can name their role, and on can introduce a date. Read the sentence in parts so you can see which words belong together.
She plans to resign from her current job next month.