On behalf of means representing a person or group: I'm writing on behalf of the residents' association. You use it when you speak or act for others: on behalf of the team, thank you. There's a second form: on my behalf, on her brother's behalf. It sounds formal: letters, speeches, accepting an award for someone else.
Want to use on behalf of in conversation?
Write a sentence — we'll show the mistakes right away and suggest how to say it more naturally.
The check is taking longer than usual. Your feedback will appear here automatically.
on behalf of + person or group / on + possessive + behalf
- I'm writing on behalf of the residents' association.
- Leila accepted the certificate on her brother's behalf.
- On behalf of the kitchen team, thank you for staying to help.
What changed
First versionI'm writing on the behalf of the residents' association.
RevisionI'm writing on behalf of the residents' association.
Behalf is a noun followed by of, so the seems needed, as in on the side of. But this phrase has no article: on behalf of. Without the, the letter sounds the way it should.
Instead of means in place of: I went instead of my colleague, so the colleague wasn't there. On behalf of means representing: I spoke on behalf of my colleague, even if he was sitting next to me. Instead of is a replacement; on behalf of is representation.
Your turn
I am representing our whole team: I'm speaking on ___ behalf.
Show the answer
our — Before behalf you need the possessive our: on our behalf. Us belongs to the other pattern: on behalf of us all.
Start a thank-you letter on behalf of a team, a class or your neighbours. Use on behalf of.
On behalf of the volunteers, I'd like to thank you for lending us the equipment.
Learn to use new words without mistakes
Write phrases with the words you are learning. LetsWords shows mistakes in usage and grammar, suggests corrections and explains them, and review helps the words stick.