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In case (of)

In case is a conjunction or adverb. In case of is a preposition.

In case​

We use in case to talk about things we should do in order to be prepared for possible future situations:

  • Shall I keep some chicken salad for your brother in case he’s hungry when he gets here? (conjunction)
  • In case I forget later, here are the keys to the garage. (conjunction)
  • She knows she’s passed the oral exam, but she doesn’t want to say anything just in case. (adverb)

We don’t use in case to mean ‘if’.

  • I’ll take cash in case we need it on the ferry. (we don’t know if we will need cash on the ferry)

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Let’s take our swimming costumes in case there’s a pool at the hotel.We don’t know if there is a pool there.
Let’s take our swimming costumes if there’s a pool in the hotel.We will wait until we know about the pool before we decide.

In case of​

We use in case of + noun to mean ‘if and when something happens’:

  • [notice in a lift]
  • In case of breakdown, please press the alarm button and call this number. (if and when the lift breaks down, …)