Interested in learning idioms? If so, check out the idioms and phrasal verb section<\/a> of the site.<\/p>\n We use several phrasal verbs with on<\/em> to communicate dependence.<\/p>\n If you rely on<\/span><\/strong> someone or something, you trust that person or thing to do something for you.<\/p>\n “You shouldn’t rely on Wikipedia for all your information.”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If you count on <\/span><\/strong>someone, you depend on someone to do something that you want them to do for you. “We won’t get the account unless Mohamed delivers a great presentation.\u00a0<\/span>We’re all really counting on him.”<\/span><\/p>\n If you bank on<\/span><\/strong> something, you depend on a future occurrence, even though it may not happen.<\/p>\n “<\/em>Jim bought a car he can’t really afford. He’s banking on getting a raise this spring.”<\/span><\/p>\n If you lean on<\/span><\/strong> someone or something, you depend on that person or thing.<\/p>\n “You lean on your older brother too much. You need to start doing more for yourself.”<\/span><\/p>\n We use a variety of phrasal verbs with on<\/em> to communicate continuation or endurance.<\/p>\n If you keep on<\/span><\/strong> doing something (or carry on<\/span><\/strong> doing something), it means you continue to do that activity.<\/p>\n “If we keep on trying, eventually we’ll succeed.”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n “Sorry for the interruption. Please carry on working.”<\/span><\/p>\n If something goes on<\/span><\/strong>, it means that it continues to happen.<\/p>\n “I can’t go on living this way. Something needs to change.”<\/span> If a meeting at work\u00a0drags on<\/span><\/strong>, it means that it continues for an unnecessarily long time.<\/p>\n “My English teacher’s explanation dragged on for nearly 15 minutes.”<\/span><\/p>\n If a public speaker drones on<\/span><\/strong>, it means he or she talks about something in a boring way and for a very long time.<\/p>\n “I’ve never heard such a boring TED talk. It should have been a five-minute talk, but the speaker droned on for 20 minutes.”<\/span><\/p>\n If you dwell on<\/span> <\/span><\/strong>something, you continue to think about it. We normally use this for negative things.<\/p>\n “<\/em>Great leaders don’t dwell on their mistakes.”<\/span><\/p>\n If you move on <\/span><\/strong>from something, you successfully deal with a bad experience and continue with your life.<\/p>\n “The loss of a family member can be painful, but people need to eventually move on with their lives.”<\/span><\/p>\n If you press on<\/span><\/strong> with something, you continue to do something in a determined way even though it is difficult, boring, or you don’t want to do it.<\/p>\n “I only slept two hours last night, but I need to press on and get my work finished by the end of the day.”<\/span><\/p>\n If you push on<\/span><\/strong>, you continue with a journey.<\/p>\n “We wanted to stop before we got to the top of the mountain, but we pushed on and arrived at the summit.”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n We use a variety of phrasal verbs with on<\/em> to communicate boarding or mounting something. These phrasal verbs function fairly literally.<\/p>\n If you get on<\/span><\/strong> a bus, train, or plane, you board it. (We use get on<\/em>, not get in<\/em> for public transport.)<\/p>\n “As soon as I get on the plane, I’m going to put my headphones on and take a nap.”<\/span><\/p>\n If you jump on<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0on bus, train, or plane, you board it in order to go somewhere quickly.<\/p>\n “If I won the lottery, the first thing I’d do is jump on a plane and go to Italy.”<\/span><\/p>\n If you hop on<\/span><\/strong> something, you get on the back of something.<\/p>\n “She hopped on her motorcycle and rode off into the sunset.”<\/span><\/p>\n If you climb on<\/span><\/strong> something, you ascend something and mount it.<\/p>\n “They traveled around the country by climbing on trains and riding from town to town.”<\/span><\/p>\n We use quite a few phrasal to communicate that someone is doing something to one particular person.<\/p>\n If you pick on<\/span><\/strong> someone, you unfairly criticize, judge, or bother someone.<\/p>\n “I felt like my teacher was always picking on me—he always yelled at me, and no one else.”<\/span><\/p>\n If you tell on<\/span><\/strong> someone, you tell an authority figure about someone’s bad behavior.<\/p>\n “Were you the type of kid who always told on your classmates?”<\/span><\/p>\n If you cheer<\/span> <\/span><\/strong>someone on<\/span><\/strong>, you vocally encourage or support someone, often at a competition.<\/p>\n “Our basketball team appreciated having the students there to cheer them on.”<\/span><\/p>\n If you call on <\/span><\/strong>someone, you ask someone to answer a question, usually in a classroom.<\/p>\n “I was a shy child. I never liked it when the teacher called on me to answer a question in front of the class.”<\/span><\/p>\n If you come down on<\/span><\/strong> someone, you harshly criticize that person.<\/p>\n “Fred’s mother came down on him hard for failing chemistry.”<\/span><\/p>\n If you egg<\/span> <\/span><\/strong>someone on<\/span><\/strong>, you verbally encourage someone to do something. We usually use this phrasal verb to talk about urging people to do the wrong thing.<\/p>\n “Please don’t egg Mark on. If you just ignore him, the bad behavior will stop.”<\/span><\/p>\n If you gang up on <\/span><\/strong>someone, you join forces with others in order to go against someone.<\/p>\n “Apparently my opinion wasn’t very popular. The rest of the class ganged up on me and tried to convince me I was wrong.”<\/span><\/p>\n If you hate on<\/span><\/strong> someone, you insult, make fun of, or display hatred toward another person (usually because of jealousy). We normally use this phrasal verb in informal settings.<\/p>\n “You shouldn’t hate on people just because they are successful.”<\/span><\/p>\n If you hit on<\/span><\/strong> someone, you aggressively flirt with that person.<\/p>\n “Leslie won’t go to that bar anymore. She says the last time she went there she got hit on all night long.”<\/span><\/p>\n If you lead <\/span><\/strong>someone on<\/span><\/strong>, you encourage someone’s romantic interest in you even though you aren’t interested in the person.<\/p>\n “This girl led me on in middle school, and I took it really hard. I didn’t want to be in the friends zone.”<\/span><\/p>\n If you let<\/span><\/strong> someone in on<\/span><\/strong> something, you tell someone a secret.<\/p>\n “I’ll let you in on a little secret if you promise not to tell anyone.”<\/span><\/p>\n If you look down on <\/span><\/strong>someone, you consider yourself superior to that person and treat that person with contempt.<\/p>\n “You should never look down on someone just because they are poor.”<\/span><\/p>\n If you prey on<\/span><\/strong> someone or something, you take advantage of that person or thing.<\/p>\n “Cult leaders often prey on the depressed and vulnerable.”<\/span><\/p>\n If you rip on <\/span><\/strong>someone, you give that person a hard time.<\/p>\n “Everyone ripped on Jason for playing such a horrible game.”<\/span><\/p>\n If you rub off on <\/span><\/strong>someone, that person starts to think and act like you due to your influence. Things can also rub off on people.<\/p>\n “You are the company you keep. The people you hang around will eventually rub off on you, for better or for worse.”<\/span><\/p>\n If you run out on<\/span><\/strong> someone, you stop supporting one of your dependents (usually a child or spouse).<\/p>\n “I don’t understand how a father could run out on his kids like that.”<\/span><\/p>\n If you walk out on <\/span><\/strong>someone, you end your relationship with your romantic partner.<\/p>\n “Kevin’s excessive drinking was the last straw. His wife walked out on him.”<\/span><\/p>\n If you take <\/span><\/strong>something out on <\/span><\/strong>someone or something, you harm that person or thing because you are upset or angry about something else.<\/p>\n “If you feel like you’re taking out work-related stress on your loved ones, try working out at the gym before going home.”<\/span><\/p>\n .<\/span><\/p>\n Unfortunately, not all phrasal verbs with on<\/em> fit into neat little categories (that would be way too easy).<\/p>\n Here are some other phrasal verbs with on<\/em> that you may come across:<\/p>\n act on<\/span>, add on<\/span>, base on<\/span>, bring on<\/span>, catch on<\/span>, close in on<\/span>, crack down on<\/span>, dawn on<\/span>, fall back on<\/span>, get on with<\/span>, grow on<\/span>, hang on\/hold on<\/span>, hone in on<\/span>, improve on<\/span>, log on<\/span>, pass on<\/span>, pile on<\/span>, read up on<\/span>, reflect on<\/span>, settle on<\/span>, stumble on<\/span>, touch on<\/span>, turn on\/switch on<\/span>, and work on<\/span>.<\/p>\n If you’re interested in a more complete list of phrasal verbs, UsingEnglish.com<\/a> has a phrasal verb dictionary<\/a> with 2,374 phrasal verbs and 3,451 definitions and examples.<\/p>\n For more idiomatic expressions, see these articles on idioms and phrasal verbs<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tendency #1: dependence<\/h2>\n
\nIf you count on <\/span><\/strong>something, you hope or expect that something will happen that will benefit you in some way.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/getmorevocab.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/coffee-1576537_1920-2-656x431.jpg\")
Tendency #2: continuation or endurance<\/h2>\n
\n<\/em><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/getmorevocab.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/600px-Keep_Calm_and_Carry_On_Poster.svg_.png\")
Tendency #3: boarding, mounting<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/getmorevocab.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/aircraft-655508_1280-656x442.jpg\")
Tendency #4: doing something to a particular person<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/getmorevocab.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/homeless-man-833017_1280-656x437.jpg\")