Practice
Assist with, in, by, to, or at?
At a library desk, you might hear, "Can you assist me with this form?" The speaker needs help with a task. The preposition changes when the sentence names the task, the person who receives help, or the person who gives it.
Choose the natural pattern with assist when you name a person, a task, an agent, or a related noun phrase.
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
assist /əˈsɪst/
The short answer
Use assist someone or assist someone with something. Use assisted by to name the helper in a passive sentence, assistance to after the noun, and assist in for an activity or process.
The volunteer assisted Maya with the registration form.
Why it works: Maya is the person receiving help, and the form is the task. With introduces that task.
5 more examples
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The technician assisted the customer with the new printer.
The customer receives help directly after assisted. With introduces the thing that caused the problem.
Not this:The technician
assisted in setting upthe new printer. What changes: In introduces the activity of setting up the printer, not the customer who receives help. -
A staff member assisted Omar with his travel claim.
Omar is the person receiving help. His travel claim is the specific task.
Not this:Omar was
assisted by a staff member. What changes: By names the person who gave the help because the sentence is passive. -
The organization provides assistance to new residents.
Assistance is a noun here. To identifies the people who receive it.
Not this:The organization
assists new residents with housing forms. What changes: With returns after the verb when the sentence names the forms as the task. -
Two volunteers assisted in collecting survey responses.
In introduces the wider activity of collecting responses.
Not this:Two volunteers
assisted at the community event. What changes: At identifies the event where the volunteers helped. -
Could you assist me with this online booking?
Me is the person who needs help, and the booking is the immediate problem.
Not this:Could you
assist in checkingthe online bookings? What changes: In shifts the focus to taking part in the checking activity.
Read the full guide
First, decide what you want to add after assist. If it is the person who needs help, put that person directly after the verb. If you also name the task, add with before the task.
Put the person directly after assist
When you name the person who needs help, do not add a preposition before that person. Use assist plus the person. This is the basic pattern.
The guide assisted the visitors.
The visitors receive the help, so they come directly after assisted.
Choose the natural completion: The receptionist assisted ___ .
Use the person directly: The receptionist assisted the guest.
Use with for the task
Add with when you want to say what the help concerns. The word after with is usually a task, object, problem, or document.
The adviser assisted me with my course application.
Me identifies the person. My course application identifies the task.
Which preposition introduces a specific task after assist?
Use with: The adviser assisted me with my course application.
Use in for a broader activity
Use assist in plus an activity when someone takes part in that activity. This pattern often appears in formal writing and project descriptions.
Nora assisted in organizing the workshop.
Organizing the workshop is an activity. The sentence does not name a person receiving help.
Choose the phrase for participating in a process: assist ___ preparing the report.
Use in: assist in preparing the report.
Use by in passive sentences
A passive sentence puts the person receiving help first. Use by to tell the reader who gave the help.
The passenger was assisted by an airport employee.
The passenger receives help. The airport employee is the helper, so by introduces that person.
Which word names the helper in this passive sentence: The child was assisted ___ her aunt?
Use by: The child was assisted by her aunt.
Keep to and at in their own patterns
Do not normally say assist to someone when assist is the verb. Use assistance to someone when assistance is a noun. Use assist at when help happens at an event or place-based occasion.
The office offered assistance to parents at the information session.
To follows the noun assistance. At identifies the information session where the help was offered.
Which sentence uses to naturally: We assisted to parents, or We gave assistance to parents?
Use the noun pattern: We gave assistance to parents.
Before you go
Remember this
Use assist someone for the person receiving help. Add with for a specific task. Use in for taking part in an activity, by for the helper in a passive clause, to after the noun assistance, and at for an event where someone helps.
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 "Assist with, in, by, to, or at?"
Do I say assist someone or assist to someone?
Say assist someone. The person receiving help comes directly after the verb, as in The nurse assisted the patient. Do not normally put to before that person when assist is a verb. Use to after the noun assistance instead, as in assistance to patients.
The technician assisted the customer with the new printer.
When should I use assist with?
Use assist with when you name the particular task, object, or problem that the help concerns. For example, a colleague can assist you with a spreadsheet. The person can come directly after assist, and with introduces the work that needs attention.
The technician assisted in setting up the new printer.
Is assist in correct English?
Yes. Use assist in when someone helps take part in an activity or process. For example, a volunteer can assist in organizing an event. This pattern focuses on the activity. It is different from assist someone with a specific task or problem.
A staff member assisted Omar with his travel claim.
Why do we say assisted by someone?
Use assisted by in a passive sentence to name the helper. In The visitor was assisted by a guide, the visitor receives the action and the guide performs it. By introduces the person or group responsible for giving the help.
Omar was assisted by a staff member.
Can I say assist at an event?
Yes. Assist at can mean help during an event or organized occasion. For example, staff may assist at an open day. If you need to name the job itself, use with for a specific task or in for taking part in a wider activity.
The organization provides assistance to new residents.