can you provide us with some food?

[optimistic pessimist]

Dear all,

In the sentence below, is "with" necessary, or optional?

Can you provide us with some food?

I remember seeing similar sentences without "with", but I'm not sure it is widely acceptable or allowed just in speech.

Thank you!

OP

 

[EnglishFix]

I think that "provide" should be used with "with" or sometimes "for".
"Can you provide us some food?" sounds unusual but it does not terrible.

Sometimes you may see "provide" without a preposition but this is usually only in the cases where the direct object is understood.

For example...
"The company provides food products" which implies "The company provides the market with food products".