Contemplating "about" vs "on"

Question

Can someone be either contemplating "about" something or "on" something, or is there a strict rule about such matters? For example, which is correct here?:

1. He was contemplating about the other night.
2. He was contemplating on the other night.

And this one here. Should it be "on myself" rather than "about myself?":

"I’ve been going through some rough times," he said, "and I’ve been doing a lot of contemplating - about myself, the past, what course I’m on, where I’m headed, love...just life in general."

I'd really appreciate some assistance. Thank you.

RandomGuy · Accepted Answer

No, there are no rules about this. I say either on or about is fine. Which one is "correct" depends on what sounds best to you.

However, contemplate is usually used as a transitive verb; that is, it uses an object. You could just as well say

I've been contemplating myself, the past, what course I'm on, where I'm headed, love.

Last night as an object can cause confusion, as you can see:

He was contemplating the other night.

I would use about in most cases.

Anonymous · Answer

Since most definitions of "contemplate" already have a preposition in the definition, both about and on are superfluous.

Anonymous · Answer

The 'Contemplate' is the same as 'Think about'. Since it includes the verb 'Think' and the preposition 'About', when you use the word 'contemplate', you only have to say 'I contemplated myself' or 'I thought about myself'.

I find a very similar error being made most often with the word 'Comprise', which means 'Made up of'. Hence, if I said, 'My name is made up of two parts, my first name and my last name', it suffices to say 'My name comprises two parts' and not as I hear and see often, 'My name is comprised of'.

Contemplating "about" vs "on"

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