The Enduring Mistake of Adding "About" After "Discuss

The transitive verb "discuss" takes a direct object without the preposition "about," as noted in standard references such as the Cambridge Grammar of the English Language. Learners frequently insert the extra word by extending the pattern from "talk about" or "speak about," which produces a construction that remains understandable yet marks the sentence as nonstandard in formal registers. In contexts like emails or reports, the addition does not alter core meaning but can shift nuance toward informality, though the bare form "discuss the issue" stays the clearer choice in most edited prose.