Correct preposition to go with "inquiry"?

Question

I'm trying to figure out which preposition to use together with "inquiry". For example, take the following sentence:

I have asked Bob, but he doesn't know.

Now I'd like to express the same using "inquiry":

A previous inquiry [insert correct preposition here] Bob did not yield any new insights.

What is the correct choice? If the object was an institution I'd probably use "at", but that doesn't sound right for a person.

Alicja Z · Accepted Answer · 2014-04-01 09:12:14Z

1

You can inquire with or of (someone), at (a place), or into (something), so:

A previous inquiry with / of Bob did not yield any new insights.

answered Apr 1, 2014 at 9:05

Alicja Z

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These sound unidiomatic to me. It's probably the incongruity of the hyper-formal and – well, Bob.
– Edwin Ashworth
Apr 1, 2014 at 9:20
@EdwinAshworth Both 'inquire of' and 'inquire with' are correct (though the latter is less popular), though they do sound a bit formal - but then that's because of 'inquire' itself...
– Alicja Z
Apr 1, 2014 at 9:27
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@EdwinAshworth Good point - it does sound significantly better with Robert or Charles.
– Alicja Z
Apr 1, 2014 at 9:28
One could also say “an inquiry to Bob” (or to an organization), e.g. “An inquiry to Sen. Robert Robertson (’s office) was not answered by press time.”
– Raven
Dec 29, 2022 at 8:44

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